Some self-reflection on how music and math shaped my career choices as the end of the first year of my postdoc comes to a close.
Tag: Philosophy
Sartre’s PhD student
Let us consider this waiter in the cafe. His movement is quick and forward, a little too precise, a little too rapid. He comes toward the patrons with a step a little too quick. He bends forward a little too eagerly; his voice, his eyes express an interest a little too solicitous for the order… Continue reading Sartre’s PhD student
How I was affected by stereotypes of women in math and philosophy
When I was a freshman I took calculus, like many biology majors. I was told I would fail, so naturally I absolutely had to get an A. My class was relatively small, about 50 students. A good variety of students, including gender and race, since it was in Louisiana. There was a group of loud… Continue reading How I was affected by stereotypes of women in math and philosophy
Aristotle’s Golden Mean
Aristotle was one of the first philosophers to posit that man desires happiness first and foremost. His answer to this drive for happiness was the golden mean. The golden mean sits between the two extremes - excess and deficiency. He believed that moderation between two extremes of behavior would produce happiness. This is somewhat in… Continue reading Aristotle’s Golden Mean
We must imagine Sisyphus happy
Camus wrote "The Myth of Sisyphus" after the suicide of his wife. He wanted to prove that life was worth living, despite its inherent absurdity. Camus described four steps of realizing that life is absurd: - The realization that our core beliefs may be wrong. - Mundane repetition of daily activities. - Realization that it… Continue reading We must imagine Sisyphus happy
i am become computational 