Irrational Nonsense
Posted by gavin in Ideas, Scepticism on March 26, 2014
‘Irrational’ and ‘real’ are not incompatible in mathematics or life ..and ‘nonsense’ is either merely pejorative or an assertion that a proposition is meaningless as in ‘lightning runs faster than gravity’; most of these theories/beliefs are not meaningless in this sense. Nevertheless an amusing chart and I assume its title is self-referential.
Wittgenstein has some interesting things to say about ‘nonsense’.
In Ludwig Wittgenstein’s writings, the word “nonsense” carries a special technical meaning which differs significantly from the normal use of the word. In this sense, “nonsense” does not refer to meaningless gibberish, but rather to the lack of sense in the context of sense and reference. In this context, logical tautologies, and purely mathematical propositions may be regarded as “nonsense”. For example, “1+1=2″ is a nonsensical proposition.
Angels and Devils
This animation of M.C. Escher’s Angel’s and Demons is quite striking. The animation highlights the significance of Escher’s original work showing a metamorphosis from an angelic universe to one in which good and evil are intertwined and in which what we bring to the foreground is a choice. It brought to mind two phrases: “Inner Demons” and “The Better Angels of our Nature”.