In the past I came to the conclusion that we live in the tension between paradoxes, that the magnetic repulsion of various impossibilities kept us balanced in the realm of possibilities. I don't know if this is true or not. A deeply rooted desire to believe things that are paradoxical or contradictory may have played a part in that conclusion. I don't know.
Betrand Russell's famous paradox warns us of the danger of over-abstraction. Consider the sign in front of a town barber's shop that reads, "I shave only those men, and all of those men, who do not shave themselves." The fact that this cannot be true is illustrated by asking the question, "Does he shave himself?" If he does, then he can't. If he doesn't, then he must. Russell was also famous for saying, "Mathematics is the subject where we do not know what we're talking about and do not care whether or not what we say is true." I did an impressionistic portrait of Betrand Russell once. It's a little abstract, which may or may not be ironic, though it is true. If I had a scanner handy, I'd upload it for you.
I watched Portugal defeat the Netherlands in FIFA World Cup play yesterday. This was not something I would usually do, but I was visiting an English friend, and the winner of the game will play England next Saturday. Since I have English friends, and I speak English, and I speak only enough Portuguese to say "A coconut bug got into my head," I'm pulling for England. Bertrand Russell was English too, so there's also that. Go England!
Hello, friends. How are you today?
Later. Love.
