The Physics Declare: The Reflections on Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Yesterday I went on a hike on a local trail with my girlfriend and her cousin.  One of the things I have always liked about hiking is seeing the beauties of nature.  There is a beauty in the trees, the rivers, and the sky above you that is difficult to appreciate at any other time.  Perhaps, it is easier for me to appreciate natural beauty when it is right in front of me than when I just hear about it.

However, there is a beauty in nature that is impossible to see with the naked eye.  There just some things in our world that can only be seen or explained by the equations of science.  Gravity can only be explained through Albert Einstein's general and special theories of relativity.  Atoms and quarks can only be made out with the most sensitive scientific instruments.  But can there be found the same beauty in these equations as there are in looking at a beautiful sunset or a wild forest?

Carlo Rovelli seems to think so in this very short book, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics.  Throughout his seven little lessons, Prof. Rovelli doesn't put forward too many equations for our current understanding of the universe.  Rather, he explains it in beautiful prose.  Indeed, though the science in this book went over my head, Prof. Rovelli's passion is evident throughout.  Not only does he see the universe as beautiful, but he sees the science and mathematics behind our understanding of the universe as beautiful too.

Therefore, I take away from reading this book that science and mathematics itself can be an art as much as any painting or work of literature.  The universe is beautiful, whether we see a beautiful picture of a rainforest, photographs of the cosmos from the Hubble telescope, or in the equations written on dry-erase boards by scientists.

Thanks for reading today's short reflections.  Next Monday, I will be reflecting on SPQR by Mary Beard.  Until next week, happy reading!

"He Who Increases Knowledge Increases Sorrow": The Lesson of The Name of the Rose

I recently took one of those Buzzfeed quizzes to determine which one of America's Founding Fathers I am most like (for the curious, it was John Adams).  One of the 29 questions I was asked was what kind of a seeker I was.  There were answers for seekers of truth, seekers of the soul, etc.  But the answer I gravitated towards was a seeker of knowledge.  That should be very obvious to anyone who has been following this blog with any kind of regularity.

The pursuit of knowledge can be very rewarding.  Scientists and scholars are lauded for their ability to uncover the secrets of our world, our cosmos, and our very selves.  Our education system is premised on the idea that ignorance can be a kind of burden and that knowledge can set us free.  Wall Street traders try to get some "inside information" in order to make investments, even if that knowledge is considered by many to be unfair or illegal (see my previous blog post on the book Black Edge for more about that).  But there is also another thread to the this triumphalist view of knowledge.  In the Bible, King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes wrote, "For in much wisdom is much vexation,/ and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." (1:18, ESV)  Too much of a good thing, in this case knowledge, can be a problem in its own way.

This is where the book The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco shines brightest.  The main character, the monk William of Baskerville (by the way, Mr. Eco, a little on the nose with your allusion to Sherlock Holmes, don't you think?), is an incredibly knowledgeable fellow.  He is well read and enjoys conversing with the monks of the Italian monastery he is visiting about different esoteric aspects of philosophy and theology.  The murders that take place in this monastery and their connection to the mysterious and closed library seem to really tickle William's fancy.  Much of the action revolves first getting into the forbidden sections of the library and then finding a mysteriously forbidden book.  William and his assistant, Brother Adso, pursue these goals, knowing that it will lead to the identity of the murderer, with a passion.  In fact, at times they seem more interested in unlocking the secrets of the library and the book than they are in identifying the murderer.  

(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!) 

But the pursuit of these secrets lead to tragedy. William and Adso do find the murderer and learn the secrets of the library and the forbidden book, but their pursuit leads to the fiery destruction of the monastery, the library and all of its priceless works.  William is obviously crushed by the destruction his quest has caused and we learn that he ultimately dies of plague in a rather brokenhearted state and that the monastery and its library are completely abandoned.

In this, I see a warning for all seekers of knowledge.  A single-minded pursuit of knowledge can be dangerous when the costs and possible consequences of that quest are not properly accounted for.  J. Robert Oppenheimer later in life regretted the research he did that led to the invention of the first atomic bombs.  Alfred Nobel was so ashamed of his invention of dynamite and the destruction it had caused in subsequent wars that he created the Nobel Prizes to promote peace, literature, and science.  The lesson we should take away from The Name of the Rose and some of our greatest scientists is this: all seekers of knowledge should count the cost of of their quests for "he who increases knowledge increases sorrow."

Thank you for reading this blog.  Tomorrow, I will be writing about Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli.  Be sure to follow my posts and share them with your friends.  Until tomorrow, happy reading!

The Slump: Learning to Embrace Some Time Off

Anyone who is or has been a serious reader knows that dreaded period known as the reading slump.  For a reader, this can be a troubling and frustrating time.  It certainly has been for me.  But as I've been crawling out of my slump and getting back to my typical reading habits, I've had some time to reflect on this time and I hope that my perspective can help you out too.


Since I last left you with my thoughts on Les Misérables by Victor Hugo as well as some analysis on the North Korean situation, which hasn't gotten much better since I wrote about them, things have been changing in my world.  I was let go from my job and have begun looking for a new one (any suggestions?).  My girlfriend has graduated from college and on top of her starting a new job of her own, she has moved a little further away from me than she already was.  These are all things that have made it difficult to keep up a regular reading and blogging schedule like I have been doing.

My initial knee jerk reaction has been to be frustrated about it.  Reading has been one of my favorite and most useful destress methods.  And I have been enjoying writing these blogs after finishing a book and sharing my thoughts with you.  Perhaps one day I can even start making some money off of it.

But life isn' always stress-free and anyone who says otherwise is selling something (shout out to The Princess Bride for that little nugget of wisdom).  So while I have been away from this blog, I've been learning new things about myself that has helped me to embrace this time off.  For starters, I've truly learned how much I love my girlfriend and I am continuing to learn how show my love and appreciation for her everyday.  It's not easy, but then again love never is.  But learning to put down my books and spend quality time with her has been worth any time off from reading and then some.

In my current unemployed state, I've been learning more about myself and the career direction I want to pursue.  This has not been easy.  I am far better at telling people what I want to learn rather than what I want to do.  But during this time off from work, I've been thinking more about the kind of work that I would like to do based on what I have done in the past and my own experiences.  This time of self-discovery may very well be the first step I take towards a satisfying career.  Isn't that worth a little time away from reading and blogging?

I probably will never be comfortable with reading slumps.  Reading is one of the things that has come to define me as a person since high school at least.  But reading slumps come and reading slumps go. Some may be because your bored with what ha been going on and other may be because life is crazy. The point is not to whine about how little reading your getting done.  It's a time for self-reflection, to embrace this period as a time of personal growth.  A little time away from books can help make you a well rounded person just as any amount of time spent between the covers of your next novel.

Thanks for indulging me by reading this reflective piece.  While I have been in the midst of a bit of a reading slump, that doesn't mean I haven't finished reading any books since I last wrote.  As a special treat, I will be attempting something new: I will be writing a blog a day, Monday through Friday, about the books I have read in the intervening period.  Starting with The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, which I promised in my last book blog, I will be writing blogs on the following books:

• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
• Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
• SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard
• This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
• The Black Count: Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• Battles for Freedom: The Use and Abuse of American History by Eric Foner

I am also currently reading Hamlet by William Shakespeare, The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine by Nathan Thrall, A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft, and American War by Omar El Akkad.  I'll be writing about these books on my blog and any interesting news analysis on my blog in the future.

Thanks for reading this as well as for your patience during this interregnum.  Happy reading and I will see you tomorrow!