Monday, January 02, 2006
Time To Move On
The year in which we have celebrated the centenary of Einstein's publication of his papers on relativity are, at last, behind us. So much hoopla over something so few really understand. OpinionJournal marked the end of the year by a look at some books that compare and contrast Einstein with other really smart people. They might as well have called it "the incomprehensible meets the uninteresting."
So why do I bring it up? Well one of the books they cite compares 'ol Albert to a guy that is likely a lot smarter - mathematician Kurt Gödel. Gödel's masterwork - "The Incompleteness Theorm" - is one of those fundamental bits of math that defines the likely limits of human knowledge, though just how is still being discussed today. That theorem is also the key thread that runs through one of the most fun books on math/ science I have ever read. I recommend it highly.
So why do I bring it up? Well one of the books they cite compares 'ol Albert to a guy that is likely a lot smarter - mathematician Kurt Gödel. Gödel's masterwork - "The Incompleteness Theorm" - is one of those fundamental bits of math that defines the likely limits of human knowledge, though just how is still being discussed today. That theorem is also the key thread that runs through one of the most fun books on math/ science I have ever read. I recommend it highly.
