Logicomix

     Gödel's Theorem abolished what would've been the climatic ending to this graphic novel. I read each page and verified my understanding of all of the philosophies and theories that were proposed in my notebook. Doing this intensified my craving for what Russell had been looking for: a completely solid foundation made of logic that's capable of carrying the weight of math and of human conflict. I had soon made variables of my own and wished to farther my thinking with the use of my pen. Russell had a cruel lust for knowledge and for absolute truth; a void that could be filled with only the most concrete things- logic and math.
      Gödel's Theorem states that there will always be unanswerable questions. In relation to the beliefs of Ludwig Wittgenstein- a logician who believed that not all things could be spoken about logically, such as things that cannot be fathomed (the universe, infinity). Because one cannot form a picture of the unfathomable, then we cannot make claims upon what can't be imagined [please correct me if I did not properly convey his philosophy]-  Gödel's Theorem does not completely deny what Wittgenstein believed in. But, in that case of Bertrand Russell, a life's work had been obliterated. Russell longed for a complete understanding which Gödel had denied the existence of.
     Being a man of reason, Russell did not futilely resist. It's odd how one man can disprove what we as mankind have been looking for for a ridiculously long time. At the beginning of the book, mathematicians sneered at Russell's wish to perfectly combine logic and math, the mathematicians continued what, generally, they've been notorious for for many years; an air of stubbornness and superiority. I do not blame the mathematicians though, they're feelings are equal to that of  most people- upon finally finding solid grounds to stand upon, people refuse to or reluctantly move to potentially shaky ground. Many resist revisions in math and science because those are meant to be things that were already completely reliable.  
     The quest of Bertrand Russell embodies the human struggle of finding reason and ethics, logic and math. Humans are curious beings. We search for the answers to our pondering and are not satisfied until an adequate solution if reached. But what if the solution is the fact that there is no solution? Sounds like a Russell's Paradox to me!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russel%27s_paradox

 

Cosmicomics- Calvino

     A few dozen words into the first chapter, I became rather conflicted. The story that I was reading (which is wonderfully written by the way) is about a town of people who, when the moon draws near, hoist up a ladder and collect milk and cheese from the moon's surface. While I wasn't being distracted by the descriptive and eloquent phrases that I was reading, the left side of my brain was going haywire. What about Roche's Limit? The Tidal Effect? Potential collision? Gravity? Moondust? Light? Atmosphere? Temperature?....But, mostly, I was worried about Roche's Limit... 

     The short story defied all that I had respected in our solar system! In the scientific laws! Calvino's lack of the latter left me wounded and surprisingly hurt... But, I must admit, Calvino won me over. While discussing the book with my Pa, he pointed out that Comicomics was not a piece of science-fiction but that rather, it was a work of fantasy.

     For those of you who have not read my post on Invisible Cities (another work by Calvino), Calvino is the master of managing to describe a fictional world with such precision that it seems real in way. The mental image of the moon radiating a drained white light and casting thick shades onto and off of quite homes made the whole of my brain feel peaceful and somewhat serene. Beauty overtook my obsession with science and created a blissful sort of harmony- an exact mixture that's hard for humans to express and affectively create.

     In my opinion, beauty is born out of science (as all things are) but thinking about that flipped around creates an uncomfortable mental glitch... Calvino discarded science in order to create his story but he did not do so out of disrespect but in order to create a perspective that science does not necessarily allow.