Friday, July 31, 2009

Learning to think


The Character of Physical Law-Richard.P.Feynman should be made a compulsory read for every single freshman. I ought to set the records straight, I claim no expertise in any of the principles of the physical philosophies-ad infinitum. However, I feel that there is an absolute lacking of what one could call 'scientific temper', in and around the world that I live in. A pity, in that they will never know how it feels to 'know' something deeply in more than mere words.

The natural language of any of the physical sciences is Mathematics. But it goes beyond that. I quote Feynman in this regard, "Mathematics is not just a language, it is a language plus logic, a sort of tool for intuitive reasoning." Those lucky few of us who have had the privilige to learn such a tool, must at somepoint have wondered at the bizzare-yet- unequivocal effectiveness of Mathematics when applied to the Physical Sciences. To this end I refer the interested reader to another classic in the subject of Natural Philosophy , Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural Science- Hermann Weyl. It is no small matter that these two books are life changing.

In my quest to become an investigator into the natural sciences, these books have helped me, not only in inculcating this perpetual curiosity that haunts me, but also in encouraging me to think, independently at that too.

I feel we, once a great civilisation have become so self loathing that it has become OK not to EXCEL. We have stopped asking the right questions.

We have forgotten that our Great Epic, The Gita, is nothing more than a quest by the eternal infinite himself to satisfy Arjuna's curiosity. So great was Arjuna's thirst to know that his questions required an extraordinary teacher. I wish you the same.









Monday, July 27, 2009

Me on the 27th of July 2009, Circa 18:00 P.M





Its been a year since I first laid the foundations for this blog, one year hence,a perfect time to begin then eh?

I ought to emphasize that my inability to build a proper website of my own was/is the motivation behind me, kick starting this blog again. Also, I'm taking a sabbatical ( from nothing) of sorts to get to the roots of some of the basic questions that have been plaguing my head, constantly nudging me into the edges of despair and back, for a long long time now. I want to KNOW, thus was born "The En Route". I should therefore lay out some statutaries before I move on.

My strong beliefs regarding the intents of a personal blog, that it is what it should be, an Expression of Individuality more than anything else, that it should please YOURSELF more than anyone/anything else is the underlying principle (too formal, eh flugg it).. erm the main reason (how INDIAN is my englifiss now??), that starting anew, is a constant choice , a choice that I presently undertake. Those who know me from before might find this venture (notice how I'm becoming more mature with the words I use) a bit too....erm... well, "not me". I assure you, It IS me, the same guy who during me undergrad swore at everyone/everything possible under the face of the fusing sun (also notice how I have become more scientifically astute by referring to the fusion reaction in the sun).

When the worlds oldest democracy wants change, you bloody well give it to her, C.H.A.N.G.E, I guess I have, changed.