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Sto caricando le informazioni... The One True Platonic Heaven: A Scientific Fiction of the Limits of Knowledge (2003)di John L. Casti
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By the author of The Cambridge Quintet, John L. Casti (TM)s new book continues the tradition of combining science fact with just the right dose of fiction. Part novel, part science " wholly informative and entertaining. In the fall of 1933 the newly founded Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, welcomed its first faculty member, Albert Einstein. With this superstar on the roster, the Institute was able to attract many more of the greatest scholars, scientists, and poets from around the world. It was to be an intellectual haven, a place where the most brilliant minds on the planet, sheltered from the outside world (TM)s cares and calamities, could study and collaborate and devote their time to the pure and exclusive pursuit of knowledge. For many of them, it was the oeone, true, platonic heaven. Over the years, key figures at the Institute began to question the limits to what science could tell us about the world, pondering the universal secrets it might unlock. Could science be the ultimate source of truth; or are there intrinsic limits, built into the very fabric of the universe, to what we can learn? In the late 1940 (TM)s and early 1950 (TM)s, this important question was being asked and pondered upon by some of the Institute (TM)s deepest thinkers. Enter the dramatis personae to illuminate the science and the philosophy of the time. Mathematical logician Kurt Godel was the unacknowledged Grant Exalted Ruler of this platonic estate " but he was a ruler without a scepter as he awaited the inexplicably indefinite postponement of his promotion to full, tenured professor. Also in residence was his colleague, the Hungarian-American polymath, John van Neumann, developer of game theory, the axiomatic foundations of quantum mechanics, and the digital computer " stymied by the Institute (TM)s refusal to sanction his bold proposal to actually build a computer. One of Godel (TM)s closest friends figures large in this story: Albert Einstein, by common consensus the greatest physicist the 20th century had ever known. And, of course, the director the Institute, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, must by necessity be key to any story that focuses in on this time and place. Author Casti elegantly sets the stage and then masterfully directs this impressive cast of characters "with able assists by many oeminor-character icons like T. S. Eliot, Wolfgang Pauli, Freeman Dyson, and David Bohm, to tell a story of science, history, and ideas. As we watch events unfold (some of which are documented fact while others are creatively imagined fiction), we are witness to the discussions and deliberations of this august group ] privy to wide-ranging conversations on thinking machines, quantum logic, biology as physics, weather forecasting, the structure of economic systems, the distinction between mathematics and natural science, the structure of the universe, and the powers of the human mind " all centered around the question of the limits to scientific knowledge. Imaginatively conceived and artfully executed, The One True Platonic Heaven is an accessible and intriguing presentation of some of the deepest scientific and philosophical ideas of the 20th century. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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 Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni...GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)501Natural sciences and mathematics General Science Philosophy and theoryClassificazione LCVotoMedia: (3.43)
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The set up simple: it follows fictional conversations of some of the greatest minds of the 20th century: John von Naumann (or as known in Hungarian Neumann János), Albert Einstein, Kurt Gödel, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Lewis L. Strauss, and a host of other dignitaries. What is common in them that they all worked at point or another at the “Institute for Advanced Study” (IAS), an institute at Princeton dedicated to the pursuit of pure knowledge. What is fictional in the book is that they didn’t necessarily work there at the same time. But it made better dramaturgy to have them all share their minds on the same topics.
The book purports to follow discussion about the limits of knowledge, first theoretical (what the limits could be) and then moral (what they should be). I have to admit it was a challenge to read this book. I read it slowly, making sure that I understood each sentence and paragraph. That was hard work as there was a lot of theory in it. I felt proud of myself that I managed to grasp the concepts and, I believe, the meaning of everything that was said. They contained lots of high level abstractions. However when I wanted to summarize for myself a chapter’s message, or what an individual character represented I was in trouble as that required an even higher level of abstraction, which I just couldn’t devote enough time during my regular days. If I’d be still at school and wouldn’t have to work, take care of family and myriads of other things I think I could have done that. But with the time limits and distractions of my personal pursuit of pure knowledge I couldn’t. Nevertheless I am happy that moves those brain muscles that haven’t worked much since highschool, those that do high level math.
On a lower level, the plot revolves around two topics. Should the IAS change Gödel’s status from a member to a professor and should the IAS allow and support Neumann to build a computer. These are the rallying points that the scientists and administration converse about that are easier to follow. Another nice digestible and enjoyable part of the book is the physical and mental description of the main characters. Reading that increased my knowledge of popular science, for which I am grateful. I also have now a sense of what each of them contributed to science. This is why I am happy despite being tricked into reading this book by the library’s miscategorization.