Hesses's novel posits an imaginary world in which spiritual values emerge dynamically as a game with musical and mathematical elements is played. The rules of the game draw from the sciences and arts, and express interrelationships among all areas of knowledge. As a result, it encompasses all aspects of culture and can lead to a full understanding of reality.
That sounds remarkably close to the basic premise of Harmonious Universe where developments in particle physics become the structure of the game. The metaphors of particle physics, waves, particles, fields, dimensions, entanglement...create a vision of a transcendent world where the mysteries of life are resolved.
The deeper we penetrate the atom and its nucleus the more fuzzy the core of reality seems. Electrons which orbit the nucleus are not "things", but are more like clouds of virtual reality. The quarks which make up the protons and neutrons in the nucleus may be stringlike objects whose vibrations in dimensions beyond our own create the elements of our world.
These particles may not exist at all, except as part of a web of connections made manifest by fields of virtuality.
In The Music of the Spheres, Jamie James starts out with a "Great Theme", "Picture to yourself, if you can, a universe in which everything makes sense. A serene order presides over the earth around you, and the heavens above revolve in sublime harmony.
Everything you can hear and see and know is an aspect of the ultimate truth: the noble simplicity of a geometric theorem, the predictability of the movement of the heavenly bodies, the harmonious beauty of a well-proportioned fugue-all are reflections of the essential perfection of the universe."
James goes on to demonstrate, through a journey through Western thought, how a loss of transcendence in the Industrial Revolution and Romantic movement dulled our sense of wonder and awe at the sheer power of the universe.
Harmonious Universe puts the sense of wonder back into our souls. A physical universe of mystery and beauty evolves into a mental and spiritual universe of unlimited possibility.
A convergence is now occurring. In the late 18th century, a group of amazing intellects created a country which has been a beacon of hope for all peoples for centuries. In the 1960's, developments in the sciences, arts, and politics were pointing to a new age of truth beauty and justice.
In 2009 a new Administration entered Washington on a wave of hope that mirrors that in the sciences of finding deep truths.
We are beginning a process of transforming the American economy into one which will provide hope for centuries to come. We will need wisdom, courage, strength and integrity.
We can move our society forward in a way that assures that future generations will have the opportunities we have had.
Yes we can.
Lee
Showing posts with label the 1960's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the 1960's. Show all posts
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Morning has Broken
"Nineteen Sixty-Eight had the vibrations of an earthquake about it. America shuddered.History cracked open..."
So began Time magazine's exploration of the last year of hope before now in America and the world.
American history has endured many tragedies and triumphs. Among the latter are the forming of the union, the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, Abraham, Martin, John, and Bobby, and now Barack and Michelle.
In 2009, we are on the edge of a knife. On one side is the end of the American dream. On the other, a transformed society positioned to continue the journey begun in 1776.
For 40 years we have wandered in the wilderness. Bogged down by senseless wars, erratic goverment policy, fiscal irresponsibility, hypocrisy and ignorance, we have landed on the edge of a cliff.
We can back away. We can find a way to expand the economy in a sustainable way.
The Obama team has identified the core problems and is poised to fix them. They are also faced with intransigence, diminished resources, and vast debt.
To walk through the minefield on the other side of which is a new America will require the best minds and resources. America has them, but they have been hidden for decades.
Complexity and Actuarial Science, Quantum Mechanics, and Economics provide tools by which to direct government activity into the areas which will avoid the mines and expand the economy in a sustainable way.
We need an economy which will support our promises to those who are in poverty through no fault of their own, to the sick, to the retired, and to others in need.
We need an economy which provides opportunity to all who are able to work, and which is sustainable.
We need a society with liberty and justice for all.
Yesterday's Inauguration was the first step in the journey. Just as Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln found the path from despair to hope, so can Barack.
He has asked for our help. Can we respond?
Yes we can.
Lee
So began Time magazine's exploration of the last year of hope before now in America and the world.
American history has endured many tragedies and triumphs. Among the latter are the forming of the union, the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, Abraham, Martin, John, and Bobby, and now Barack and Michelle.
In 2009, we are on the edge of a knife. On one side is the end of the American dream. On the other, a transformed society positioned to continue the journey begun in 1776.
For 40 years we have wandered in the wilderness. Bogged down by senseless wars, erratic goverment policy, fiscal irresponsibility, hypocrisy and ignorance, we have landed on the edge of a cliff.
We can back away. We can find a way to expand the economy in a sustainable way.
The Obama team has identified the core problems and is poised to fix them. They are also faced with intransigence, diminished resources, and vast debt.
To walk through the minefield on the other side of which is a new America will require the best minds and resources. America has them, but they have been hidden for decades.
Complexity and Actuarial Science, Quantum Mechanics, and Economics provide tools by which to direct government activity into the areas which will avoid the mines and expand the economy in a sustainable way.
We need an economy which will support our promises to those who are in poverty through no fault of their own, to the sick, to the retired, and to others in need.
We need an economy which provides opportunity to all who are able to work, and which is sustainable.
We need a society with liberty and justice for all.
Yesterday's Inauguration was the first step in the journey. Just as Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln found the path from despair to hope, so can Barack.
He has asked for our help. Can we respond?
Yes we can.
Lee
Saturday, January 3, 2009
paradigmactuaries.com
The website noted in the title to this blog is complementary to the blog. They are vehicles for communicating a new vision of reality.
The book, Harmonious Universe, still to be published, describes a worldview emanating from discoveries in particle physics, complexity science, and actuarial science which provides a roadmap to unity.
Starting with the fundamental constituents of nature, the waves, fields, particles, and other components of the atom, we build up to society and its institutions with mathematics and metaphor.
This is part of a conversation which began before Plato, and will continue beyond us. It is about the eternal notions of justice, truth, beauty, love, and being.
The website describes the book and some related thoughts. Included are descriptions of analytical stuctures which have been developed to better understand our economy.
We now have 36 blogs discussing various aspects of the new perspective. Some, like Republican Think Tank are satirical. Some, like The Science of Philosophy, are academic.
In all cases, the idea is the same, probe reality to discover truth from which justice and beauty can emerge.
In Abraham, Martin and John, we look at how Martin Luther King and Kahill Gibran probe truth and set the stage for positive aspects of the 1960's.
In The Edge of Chaos, we talk of an Economic Manhattan Project to get the US economy back on track.
In The Math of Reality, we consider how institutions like the New England Complex Systems Institute and the Santa Fe Institute are moving science toward more holistic modeling. By combining the new data mining, data visualizaton and analytical structures with those of actuarial science we see how traditional modeling relative to public policy issues can be enhanced and made more valuable.
The remaining blogs continue to expand the vision . The goal is to have the blog address all issues of Harmonious Universe and put them into a lasting perspective.
Along the way we hope to find some truth of our own.
Lee
The book, Harmonious Universe, still to be published, describes a worldview emanating from discoveries in particle physics, complexity science, and actuarial science which provides a roadmap to unity.
Starting with the fundamental constituents of nature, the waves, fields, particles, and other components of the atom, we build up to society and its institutions with mathematics and metaphor.
This is part of a conversation which began before Plato, and will continue beyond us. It is about the eternal notions of justice, truth, beauty, love, and being.
The website describes the book and some related thoughts. Included are descriptions of analytical stuctures which have been developed to better understand our economy.
We now have 36 blogs discussing various aspects of the new perspective. Some, like Republican Think Tank are satirical. Some, like The Science of Philosophy, are academic.
In all cases, the idea is the same, probe reality to discover truth from which justice and beauty can emerge.
In Abraham, Martin and John, we look at how Martin Luther King and Kahill Gibran probe truth and set the stage for positive aspects of the 1960's.
In The Edge of Chaos, we talk of an Economic Manhattan Project to get the US economy back on track.
In The Math of Reality, we consider how institutions like the New England Complex Systems Institute and the Santa Fe Institute are moving science toward more holistic modeling. By combining the new data mining, data visualizaton and analytical structures with those of actuarial science we see how traditional modeling relative to public policy issues can be enhanced and made more valuable.
The remaining blogs continue to expand the vision . The goal is to have the blog address all issues of Harmonious Universe and put them into a lasting perspective.
Along the way we hope to find some truth of our own.
Lee
Friday, January 2, 2009
Abraham, Martin & John
Martin said, "An individual has not started living until (he) can rise above the narrow confines of (his) individualist concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity..."
He also said, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
Kahlil Gibran said, "Life is that which we see and experience through the spirit; but the world around us we come to know through our understanding and reason."
He also said, "We are naught but frail atoms in the heaven of the infinite...If we suffer, the pain lies not in our wounds but in the very heart of Nature."
Are we ready for such words of wisdom...inspiration after decades of dreary platitudes?
Abraham, Martin and John made us feel hopeful, joyful, alive.
The dream died in 1968, but seems alive as we enter 2009.
Can we dream of a world of compassion, wisdom, truth and hope?
Will our new President repair broken world alliances, ecosystems, economic webs, minds and bodies?
Do we have the will to restore the American dream which was launched by the sacrifices of George, Thomas, and Benjamin?
Can we show the courage to leave the world a little better than we found it?
Yes we can.
Lee
He also said, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
Kahlil Gibran said, "Life is that which we see and experience through the spirit; but the world around us we come to know through our understanding and reason."
He also said, "We are naught but frail atoms in the heaven of the infinite...If we suffer, the pain lies not in our wounds but in the very heart of Nature."
Are we ready for such words of wisdom...inspiration after decades of dreary platitudes?
Abraham, Martin and John made us feel hopeful, joyful, alive.
The dream died in 1968, but seems alive as we enter 2009.
Can we dream of a world of compassion, wisdom, truth and hope?
Will our new President repair broken world alliances, ecosystems, economic webs, minds and bodies?
Do we have the will to restore the American dream which was launched by the sacrifices of George, Thomas, and Benjamin?
Can we show the courage to leave the world a little better than we found it?
Yes we can.
Lee
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sweet Caroline
That's right, Neil Diamond's classic song was about Caroline Kennedy.
Is it possible she will enter the arena. Can we dream of Camelot again as she and Barack remake the American landscape?
So many disappointments, JFK, MLK, Bobby, John John.
Time magazine said "...history cracked open..." in 1968.
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose...Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio?"
"Ask not what your country can do for you...I have a dream..."
I know, Republicans sneer at any sign of hope. They want to dwell in the underworld of fear and dread. But a new day is upon us. It is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Sounds familiar.
Anyway, after four years of Obama could we have four years of Kennedy?
The two best presidents since Lincoln could be a non-white man and a woman. And America could rise from the ashes.
OK...perhaps a bit hyperbolic, but who can blame us for a little ecstasy after our long, forty year, nightmare?
Transform the economy. Revive the arts. Push the boundaries of science. Most importantly, create a possibility for a future for our children which is at least as good as we have enjoyed.
Lee
Is it possible she will enter the arena. Can we dream of Camelot again as she and Barack remake the American landscape?
So many disappointments, JFK, MLK, Bobby, John John.
Time magazine said "...history cracked open..." in 1968.
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose...Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio?"
"Ask not what your country can do for you...I have a dream..."
I know, Republicans sneer at any sign of hope. They want to dwell in the underworld of fear and dread. But a new day is upon us. It is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Sounds familiar.
Anyway, after four years of Obama could we have four years of Kennedy?
The two best presidents since Lincoln could be a non-white man and a woman. And America could rise from the ashes.
OK...perhaps a bit hyperbolic, but who can blame us for a little ecstasy after our long, forty year, nightmare?
Transform the economy. Revive the arts. Push the boundaries of science. Most importantly, create a possibility for a future for our children which is at least as good as we have enjoyed.
Lee
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