Interior Dialogue

I doubt, therefore I may not exist.
Mă îndoiesc, deci poate că nu exist.
Dubito, ergo fortasse non sum.

Comfort is the opium of the people.
Comfortul e opiul poporului.

Intuition is the currency of science.
Intuiția e moneda de schimb a științei.

When thought and understanding fail, one resorts to calculation.
When calculation fails, one resorts to computation.
When computation fails, one resorts to experimentation.
When experimentation fails, one resorts to thought and understanding.

Definition is delusion by definition.
“Définition” n’est qu’illusion.

All explanation suffers from a fundamental illness: the virtus dormitiva syndrome.

Engineering is the science of making other people rich.
Ingineria e știința de a îmbogăți pe alții.

The branch of philosophy known as ontology is the fundamental, defining delusion of western civilization. In this sense Parmenides may be said to be the founding father of western civilization.

An ontology may be defined as a state of mind whereby one is in denial of time, or change.
O ontologie este o stare de spirit în care gânditorul se preface că timpul, sau schimbarea, nu există.

American conservative: “Speak softly but carry a big stick.”
American neo-conservative: “Words are wasted. Let the stick speak.”
American liberal: “Sticks and stones will break our bones.”
European left: “Speak softly. Grown-ups don’t play with sticks.”
European right: “OK, but let’s get a bigger stick, just in case.”

Indignarea e furia prostului.
Indignation is fool’s fury.

La soutenance, c’est la fin de l’enfance.

If you want to speak to the market, who do you call? You cannot rap an invisible hand on the knuckles.

In a computational universe, simulation is proof.
Dans la physique de l’information, simulation vaut démonstration.

Le Temps, c’est la crise constante, universelle.
Time is the constant, universal crisis.
Timpul este criza constantă, universală.

The reason why basic physics has had a hard time making real progress in the last few decades is because, to paraphrase Douglas Adams, its fundamental flaws are completely hidden by its superficial flaws.
Ce qui explique pourquoi la physique fondamentale a eu du mal à faire du progrès véritable ces derniers décénies, c’est que, dans les mots de Douglas Adams, ses défauts fondamentaux sont complètement cachés par ses défauts superficiels.
Motivul pentru care fizica fundamentala nu a facut progrese notabile in ultimele cateva decenii este pentru ca, in cuvintele lui Douglas Adams, defectele ei fundamentale sunt complet ascunse de defectele superficiale.

Stupidity is the incapacity to tell the difference between good and bad. It is the cancer of the mind, rendering any immune mechanism powerless to defend its host.
Prostia este incapacitatea de a recunoaste diferenta dintre bun si prost. Este cancerul mintii, orice mecanism imunitar fiind incapabil de a proteja purtatorul.
La stupidité, c’est l’incapacité de faire la différence entre bon et mauvais. C’est le cancer de l’esprit, tout mécanisme immunitaire étant incapable de défendre l’hôte.

A rational observer cannot exist independently from the act of observation. A completely ignorant Jaynes’ robot does not exist.  Observation defines the observer.

Experiment is the difference between science and religion.
Experimentul este diferența dintre știință și religie.

Too much science kills science.
Trop de science tue la science.
[Science is not immune to bubbles.]

Powerful is he who is able to make happen what he wants.
Happy is he who is able to want what happens.
Successful is he who is able to find the point of balance between the two.

You’ll have bad times. But they’ll wake you up to the good stuff you weren’t paying attention to.
Good Will Hunting

The United States is the only successful plutocracy. Its saving grace as a “democracy” is that applications for the plutocracy are open to anyone.
France is the only successful Stalinist regime. Its only saving grace as a market economy is that consumers have a habit of periodically burning down underperforming government institutions.

The only things which we believe not to require explanation are the ones that we have agreed, that we have accepted, collectively, and at least for the time being, to not understand.

Intelligence is the mental equivalent of opposable thumbs.

Time is interaction. Emptiness is that which has no parts. Thus it lasts forever.

By its nature, fundamental research cannot be planned, making it poorly adapted to financial investment, whether private or public; this is why it is best done as a hobby.

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