A few quotes – Personal interpretations

Ø  ‘The name of a man is like his shadow. It is not of his substance and not of his soul, but it lives with him and by him. Its presence is not vital, nor its absence fatal’ – Ernst Pulgram

I really like this one even if I don’t agree with the implication of existence of a soul. As a human being defines himself (no gender specificity here, please), his name should be self-generated and perhaps be dynamic too (with due considerations for living in a society that requires a dog tag of some permanence). If shadows can shift, why can’t a man’s name change?

Ø  ‘All colours will agree in the dark’ – Francis Bacon

Suppose we want meaningless differentiations in the world to be erased (it is a different matter that deciding what is meaningful is not so straight forward), do we have to stop seeking conventional “enlightenment”? Sounds counterintuitive. I rush to add that this interpretation is NOT what the context of the quote implies.

Ø  ‘[Scientists] are allowed to be wrong’ – Laura Patrizii

Oh, I truly love this. The quote is taken in the context of the OPERA experiment that created a stir that neutrinos travel faster than light. No religionist will ever be allowed to be wrong! A religionist gains credibility only through asserting, without any background support whatsoever, that she is right.

Ø  'The majestic equality of the laws prohibits the rich and the poor alike from sleeping under bridges, begging in the streets and stealing bread' - Anatole France

This is reflected in some writings of Amartya Sen. More immediately, let me ask what weightage should be given to the fasts of Hazare vis-à-vis that of Irom Sharmila or G D Agrawal? I say that Hazare is the rich and the other two, the poor. Rich and poor as measured by the level and not the relevance of the noise they have created in society.

Ø  ‘Crusading for justice is an act of love and honor, not of vengeance or spite or hatred. Justice is a high calling, not a low pursuit’ – C M Blow

Something I would like people who support death penalty to think over and respond.

Ø  ‘No theory can ever disprove an experimental fact. The best theory is worse than the worst data’ – Antonio Ereditato

The author of the above lines was the head of the OPERA team on neutron speed research experiment. He has since resigned from his position as the head of the lab. What he says should be taken as a defense of the experimental ways of doing science in which, of course, one encounters the possibility of being tripped, as he found out. Yet, predictions confirmed by experiments undergird science.

Ø  ‘Happiness is the incidental by-product of pursuing some other worthy goal’ - Schumpeter blog, The Economist

I am happy but I am not sure whether I am pursuing any worthy goal! So, my happiness is a “Free lunch”! The physicist Alan Guth called the universe “Free Lunch” as within the inflation scenario at Big Bang, the implication is the universe was created out of almost nothing. Similarly, my happiness is created out of nothing. I am just happy J

Raghuram Ekambaram