Philosophy
Gwydion asks,
Philo asks,
- The Nature Of Genius
What does it mean for one to be a genius? Is genius just the upper end of the really smart continuum? Is there a difference between genius and really, really, really, smart? Is it a difference of kind or degree? Is genius a matter of...
- Group E-mail Vs. Spam
Is there a difference between sending an e-mail to a group of people and spam? Is the difference based on the number of people contacted? If so, where is the dividing line between contacting a bunch of folks and sending spam? Or is it...
- Is Theater Like Science?
A few weeks back, Gwydion wrote a post on his blog asking if theater is like science? I replied arguing that theatrical writing is not only exactly like science, but could be seen as a form of applied sociology. What scientists produce are models,...
- Grammar Curmudeons
Had a student ask yesterday about grammatical pet peeves. His was "irregardless." My big three are: 1) "Quote" used for "quotation." Quote is a verb. You quote someone. What you write down is not a quote, but a quotation. ...
- While Some See Philip Glass As Half Full
Today is Philip Glass' 75th birthday. One might claim that he is the last major symphonic composer. Provocatively, one might even claim that he could be the final great symphonic composer. With film scores becoming more and more...
Philosophy
Remakes and Artificial Knees
Gwydion asks,
In the film industry, very few stories are remade. Most of the movies that come out from year to year tell, at least on the surface, new stories. (Not all, but most.) Most novels are new. Most poems as well. Why is the same not true for theater and for music and for dance and for opera?The difference is in the film, novel, and poetry community as opposed to that of theater, orchestral music, and opera. For the latter, there is a sense that there was a golden era and it is past. Quality is achieved by understanding and partaking in the greatness of the masters. For the former group of artists, the artistry is found in progressing beyond the latest stage, in breaking new ground. The past is not to be worshiped, but transcended. It's a hard question as to why certain art forms tend to have communities that look back and others forward. The obvious line might be art forms that stress performance versus those that stress creation -- but that's just a first order approximation.
Philo asks,
There is technology on the horizon (e.g. nanotechnology) for slowing aging and extending the maximum human lifespan. Let's say it could be extended to 120 years, or 150 years. Is there a maximum to the maximum that should be set? Is there a point at which raising the maximum beyond that causes a problem?Of course, any number will fail since there will always be degenerate cases -- I know a number of elderly degenerates -- but certainly extending life arbitrarily far is problematic. Our pieces were not made for the long haul. Evolution is generally unable to select for anything beyond the age of fertility and so we have eyes, ears, backs, knees, short term memories,... that fail. Even if we can develop new replacement parts, for example, artificial knees, it is the system as a whole that fades and so I do believe that you will hit an upper limit -- perhaps not of our ability to stave off death, but of the ability to live a full and rewarding life.
- The Nature Of Genius
What does it mean for one to be a genius? Is genius just the upper end of the really smart continuum? Is there a difference between genius and really, really, really, smart? Is it a difference of kind or degree? Is genius a matter of...
- Group E-mail Vs. Spam
Is there a difference between sending an e-mail to a group of people and spam? Is the difference based on the number of people contacted? If so, where is the dividing line between contacting a bunch of folks and sending spam? Or is it...
- Is Theater Like Science?
A few weeks back, Gwydion wrote a post on his blog asking if theater is like science? I replied arguing that theatrical writing is not only exactly like science, but could be seen as a form of applied sociology. What scientists produce are models,...
- Grammar Curmudeons
Had a student ask yesterday about grammatical pet peeves. His was "irregardless." My big three are: 1) "Quote" used for "quotation." Quote is a verb. You quote someone. What you write down is not a quote, but a quotation. ...
- While Some See Philip Glass As Half Full
Today is Philip Glass' 75th birthday. One might claim that he is the last major symphonic composer. Provocatively, one might even claim that he could be the final great symphonic composer. With film scores becoming more and more...