|
|
I talked about our
attitude toward math,
from science and technology, reflects trends in the larger society,
trends
which limit our human possibilities. I talked about how math maps onto
the
ability of the body to move in a basically Euclidian space using group
operations such as reversibility—that is the muscles and guiding
nervous system
as a capability attributed to objects gives rise to object constancy
(solidity), whereas poetry (drama, love, politics) maps onto the gut,
the world
of feelings and emotions. In actual human development these are being
constantly integrated and differentiated. But the current world economy
and its
relation to power, war and money biases towards a world of things and
math and
the result is a hyped awareness of things and a decreased awareness of
what is
human (and aesthetic and ethical).
There is a full circle
connecting the kind
of science we have and the kind of society we have. `Truth' moved from
being a
word that described trust between people to reliability of measurement
between
things.
A full human life
requires both the
mathematical and the larger poetical, but a belief that math can do it
all
limits our ability to be scientists and poets, and is devastating for
society.
Giving the seminar in
Qwaq was truly fascinating. On the one hand there I am sitting relaxed
in a
rocking chair with a few notes, and there we are gathered on the screen
as or
avatars. The screen is great because unlike a phone conference I can
see who is
there. But the amazing thing was, without the visual feedback from body
posture
and the glee, glint, glare, or all gone look in the eyes, it is hard to
time
when to start the next sentence. I kept wanting to move, to point to
people, to
look at each one, but the avatars are a bit paraplegic. It is a
different
medium and it certainly is better than just a phone conversation
because of the
visual support that there is a group. I found myself speeding up to
fill the
gaps in visual/emotional feedback.
Douglass Carmichael