Reflections XIV - Deciphering Pathos

The more physics tries to ignore the logic of a first uncaused cause the greater the risk of it tying itself down in messy theories that are not cohesive and require paradoxically even greater leaps of faith.

 The problem with Canada is that in trying to be something to everybody it has become a nothing to all. If you dilute an essence you eventually kill it.

 Cultures die when economics is placed in the forefront of history for economics is a by product of cultural development not its driver. One of the many evils of Marxism is that it intellectually entrenched the latter in academia.

The problem with the French is that they are too stubborn a people. They have yet to wake up and realize that France has been irrelevant for over a century.

Humanity constantly builds Byzantine networks to justify the worst of its ideas

 Judging progress by patent number merely reinforces the misconception that quantity triumphs over quality.

Why does time slow down the faster you move?

 My Answer on Quora.

It doesn’t slow down at least in the sense that this question is worded. This is a misconception. Lets look a bit more at the bigger picture that comes from Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity (1905).

Time is a relative concept. There is no such thing as absolute time in the broader scope of non-Galilean relativity. The measurement of time is specific to the frame of reference of the person making the measurement. Within the same frame of reference all observers agree on the same time measurement. However if one frame of reference is moving with respect to the other then there will be a disagreement in how much time has elapsed between events.

You see the only ‘absolute’ here is that the laws of physics hold across all frames of reference. The speed of light in a vacuum as measured by all is the SAME. We call it c. One cannot add or subtract onto c. It is what it is. There is no such thing as c + v or c-v (which Galilean relativity argues for).

Which means that something has to give. Actually several entities do, including absolute time and absolute length. The relative motion of one frame of reference to the other has to be taken into account and it is corrected for by invoking the Lorentz or Gamma factor.

where v = speed of the one frame of reference relative to the other.

For example if Bob boards a space ship and travels at a constant speed v relative to his Earthbound cousin Ann. Bob will experience what is called proper time (a poorly worded term). Ann will be the benefactor of relativistic or measured time. Both measurements of time are correct within their specific frame of reference.

Now the two times are related by the Gamma factor as shown below:

where delta t prime = measured time and delta t is proper time. Gamma is included in this equation and is always greater than or equal to 1. As v approaches c gamma tends to infinity so that the discrepancy between measured time and proper time ramps up considerably. We don’t see this as much in the day-to-day as v is so small compared to c. However the phenomenon is real….we call it TIME DILATION.

Consequently for Ann it will seem that Bob’s clock is running VERY slow. However from Bob’s perspective life is normal and there is nothing wrong with his clock. He will likely argue that Ann’s clock is running too fast. Both are correct in their own frame of reference.

Worth noting is that there is an additional assumption built into this analysis. Both frames of reference are not-accelerating. That is they are Inertial. For accelerating Frames of reference we need to bring in ideas from Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity (1915).

What are the biggest threats to democracy in Western nations today?

My answer in Quora.

Here are ten (not in any order)

1. Corruption of Key Institutions by ideologues
2. Two-tiered policing
3. Cancel Culture/Rampant Restrictions on Freedom of Speech
4. A media Industrial complex beholden to the power elites that spin stories around specific narratives
5. Election Fraud
6. Falling standards in public education
7. Equality of Outcome superseding Equality of Opportunity
8. Lax border laws leading to uncontrolled illegal immigration
9. Politically motivated District Attorneys
10. An overly regulated economy.

A Reading List of Jewish Books that I have read with my Rankings

 Judaism (B and above are all worth reading in my opinion)

1. Traces of God – Neil Gillman (B-)
2. Permission to Believe – Keleman (B+)
3. Why Faith Matters – Wolpe (B)
4. Soul Prints – Gafni (B)
5. God is a verb – Cooper (B+)
6. DNA & Tradition – Kleiman (B+)
7. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt – Waldman (C+)
8. Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism – Prager/Telushkin (A)
9. Fingerprints on the Universe – Pollack (B+)
10. I Asked for Wonder – Heschel (A-)
11. The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology – Kaplan (A-)
12. Immortality, Resurrection and the Age of the Universe – Kaplan (B+)
13. The Path of G-d – Luzzato (A-)
14. Endless Light Kabbalah – Aaron (B+)
15. Inviting God In – Aaron (B)
16. Discovering the Divine Within You – Aaron (A)
17. Kabbalah Inspirations – Rosen (B+)
18. Life’s Daily Blessings – Olitzky (B+)
19. More Answers to Questions of the Spirit – Bulka (B+)
20. The Hidden Face in God – Schroeder (B)
21. Ten Commandments of Character – Telushkin (B+)
22. Everyday Holiness (Path of Mussar) – Morinis  (B-)
23. John Lennon and the Jews  - Maghen (B+)
24. The God Upgrade – Korngold (B-)
25. Climbing Jacob’s Ladder – Morinis (B-)
26. Seeing God: Ten Life Changing Lessons of the Kabbalah – Aaron (A)
27. Finding God : Ten Jewish Responses – Sonsino & Syme (A-)
28. Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism – Telushkin & Prager (A)
29. Genesis and the Big Bang – Schroeder (B)
30. We Have Reason to Believe  - Jacobs (B+)

On Empathy

I was once involved in an online discussion on empathy. One of the participants, who is a teacher like myself, argued that one need not understand another's circumstances only their emotions. It is this understanding of emotion, in his opinion, that is ultimately what defines empathy and what will eventually assist the teacher in reaching at-risk learners. While his raw words have an obvious appeal I couldn't help but wonder if the burden that this places on a teacher is too excessive.

Understanding emotions is complex at the best of times and is rarely dealt with in pedagogic literature. Yes, psychology and to some extent sociology broach on these themes but as a teacher I am not sure whether I am equipped to even enter such a realm which seems more the preserve of a social worker than anything else.

Yet in self-reflecting on this point, I started to wonder if I was not making excuses for my own shortcomings. Was I too afraid to venture into this area? Or when it comes down to it, have I limited my own sense of self?

Is this emotional aspect of empathy something we are born with or is it a learned action cultivated by internalized behaviourism? My belief is that it is somehow a mixture of both. There are some who have the potential to emotionally deliver 'more' (or at least what appears to be more) whilst others fall short of the mark. This quality of the former is certainly a valuable tool as so much of teaching is about the human element. Either way I believe that a portion of the skill can be learnt systematically. Maybe this is the route that I need to take.

I am however not sold on the idea that emotional understanding is the sole basis of empathy. I fear that a wholesale capitualtion to this philosophy will detract from the rationality of teaching so what I seek is a better understanding of what empathy truly is ie. its full conglomerate of aspects.

In practice I will continue to choose to extend my sense of self on a conscious level . I will teach with the expectation that my students need to understand. While I believe in the excitement of learning and the joy of transferred insight I will resist the temptation to drown myself in emotional based education. Based on experience this is the most reasonable pathway for me to take. It could change over time as I learn more about the 'Emotional Empathy Factor' but like any new adaptation to a philosophy is best implemented with thoughtful caution.

From the Archives II - The Failed Obama Nuclear Deal.

 It was a bad idea then and thankfully it has failed. I wrote the following ten points at the time of its proposal.

10 Reasons why the Iranian Nuclear Deal is Awful

1. It leaves Iran’s centrifuge refining structure in place
2. It does nothing to remove Uranium stockpiles in Iran
3. In 10-15 years Iran will be free to do as they please on a Nuclear Level.
4. Has no way to control illicit underground nuclear refinement processes.
5. Lifts Sanctions for promises that can be easily broken. Will result in a large inflow of capital that will embolden Iran as a power player and meddler in the region.
6. Does not put pressure on Iran over her funding of terrorist groups in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Gaza (Hamas), Yemen as well as its complicity in Syria’s genocide regime.
7. Does not pressure Iran with respect to the treatment of women, gays the Bahais and other minorities.
8. Will encourage Sunni regimes to develop nuclear infrastructure
9. Does not address the belligerency of language and deed that Iran uses against Israel
10. It fails to address Iran’s development of long range ICBM development


And Most of all it does nothing to help the mainstream DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT in this once proud nation.

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From the Archives I - Death of Hugo Chavez

 I wrote this March 2013. Unfortunately Venezuela is still a country in bad shape. Maduro is not an improvement on Chavez who was terrible.

One shouldn't celebrate the death of another human being but I for one shall not shed a tear for this passing of this South American demagogue. Chavez destroyed his country's economy, cavorted with the vile Iranian leadership, committed himself to a philosophy of anti-Semitism and greatly curtailed freedom of speech in Venezuela. While admired by many on the left (the usual voices who continue to show affection for Mao, Castro and Che) Chavez represented a regional menace who used simplistic populism to boost his status with the poorest of the nation while championing a statism that has ruined many an economy elsewhere. He should not be missed but I am not optimistic that his successor will curb the folly's of Chavez's realized egoism. We will wait and see.