Overview

Why these Essays?

The great technical advance of our times, combined with a poor understanding of the basics in social life, threatens our civilization. How dangerous a problem this is, should by now be evident, when we see that it can bring our mighty society to near collapse. Millions find themselves with the loss of their home at a time of recession. How is this possible? Have the media not informed the public about the need to keep reserves? Not at all. The public “mind”, as it is fairly represented by the media, has not only failed to be helpful, it has encouraged the irresponsibility of an "enjoy now, pay later" thinking. Gossip, trifles, and half truths, supported by incompatible beliefs, the bombardment with quickly reversing "information", and the alarming tone of it all, produce confusion and insecurity, with the people dimly sensing that "we are not going in the right direction"!

This is only part of the greater problem that I believe we have in our world. More than ever, the public mind is almost totally enslaved by media which are dominated by group think and seem to live from reporting catastrophes. These catastrophe mongers are under the whip of having to make profits which creates the old problem to which Socrates pointed: one cannot buy wisdom or truth - you will not get it, it is tainted by the interests of the sellers. An obvious conclusion is that it is very important for us to be critical. But are we? If we cannot muster the energy to select, we will also have to pay later.

When we are occupied with chores, our mind cannot "digest" the information to which we are exposed all through life. Moreover, we are likely to have other things in mind than being critical. Nevertheless after a while, we may end up confused, doubt everything and become cynical. This is a frequent reaction among intellectuals, but it is harmful because it destroys the positive ideas that we need to cultivate for our motivation. If we do not seek them, we will not gain them. By remaining uncertain, we are wide open to things that are not good for us. When I realized this, I decided to clarify my mind to look at the world realistically.

When trying to think for myself, I found that public opinion was often different from what I thought was reasonable. This worried me. How could I be so wrong, or, perhaps, was it due to my having gained some insight with the experience of an age that is not reached by most? It became obvious that from childhood on I was exposed to abstract concepts long before I had experience to give meaning to them. A meaning we gain anyway, but without help, it is too vague as I found out later. Vague ideas linger for a long time and become the source of astounding misconceptions. It is one of the reasons why the world looks so different with advancing age. The background that we use in the interpretation of new experiences becomes rich in meanings which are now supported with unforgettable memories. For this reason, realistic experiences are decisive in youth for making the later abstract learning more thourough.

My essays are about problems which baffled me. But most people did not seem to be so worried. This also worried me. Then, I looked at life from a natural philosophy point of view. This is natural for me as scientist. After all, we are a part of nature and it seems that it would be better to see ourselves first of all as natural processes. This should be more germane than seeing ourselves as altogether different from the other creatures and I believe, it makes it easier to recognize our position and our problems in this world. My aim is to gain an independent opinion about things, because I am shocked by the degree of group think at the universities, in the media, and elsewhere. I have seen too many terrible consequences of it !

Anyway, I decided to make these writings available, albeit with reluctance. They have been prepared for myself (docendo discimus), for my own clarification and I am not anxious to make converts to my views. As essays they are imperfect enough, of which I am well aware. Nevertheless, I think that social life could benefit from serious discussions which happen rarely, if they are not deliberately avoided. But, please be aware that persons of strong faith should not read several of these essays (they are marked)! They deal with questions potentially harmful to traditional faith and cannot give believers anything. My insistence on evidence would only be found annoying.

The trouble I tried to overcome for myself was, that with the noisy confusion of the media, with all the inconsistent stuff that has been instilled in us, and the mountain of intellectual debris from the ages, I found it extremely difficult to reach clarity. This world is, after all, an enigma for which, as I believe, we have not, and cannot expect to have received credible instructions ! Then, what is credible? . . . . [1]

A classical advice was offered by Antisthenes of Athens (d. 365 BC), when he was asked:
"What would be the most necessary thing to learn?" . . . . .
He said: “Unlearn the Bad!” [2]

Our situation is more critical than it was in antique Athens. The danger is so great because we, even as mere individuals, have the power to do much greater harm. To unlearn the “Bad” with which our mind has been burdened, is indispensable. I am convinced that in our free society we cannot expect to live a good life unless we can see and evaluate things objectively, and not as they have been made to appear by other interests. The Bad of which Antisthenes spoke includes not only patently wrong beliefs, but a host of opinions that are not supported by any experience, yet they influence and restrict our life. Why then should we not drop these beliefs? Well, as a science person and looking for the evidence, I have done this, but serious complications arise that cannot so simply be "dropped". Caution is advisable. Moreover, the Tooth Fairy is harmless; she might sometimes even be useful ! (More about this later).

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[1] The first person in modern times suspicious enough to ask himself this question was Descartes. His famous answer: I think, therefore, I am - reminds me that thinking is the most characteristically human activity. Our life has become too hectic to let us do it often.
[2] Interrogatus quaenam esset disciplina maxime necessaria, Mala, inquit, dediscere - Diogenes Laertius VI,7.
[3] A sketch of my past scientific activities is here . ..

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Essays

1) What is Truth? - Pilate asked the famous question, as if he did not know what Truth was. Indeed, the listings in the dictionary reveal meanings which remind us that the finding of “the whole truth” must depend on our standards of accuracy and completeness! It is a fact, that finding the objective truth, if at all possible, can be extremely difficult - especially if you are confused about what it means. We must realize that truth (in its main sense) is not “in the eyes of the beholder”, as some people with vague notions about it want you to believe. The question what to accept as evidence is basic for science, for technology, and of course, also for our civilization. The first thing for improving our life is to learn how to recognize the facts and face them squarely. (...more)

2) Can We Know Too Much? It is surprising, but it happens frequently - we can actually know too much and it can seduce us to do the wrong things. To overcome this, we must make more effective use of our whole knowledge! How can this be? (more)

3) Meeting People. It is not so hard to get a good idea about our partners in conversation. Of course, we must know what to look for. (...more)

4) L’art pour l’art? - Looking at Modern Art reveals that much of it is no longer a part of the Faustian Culture that brought man to the moon. Some of it is an indication of a grave, a vital problem for sensitive, creative people. (Art . .)

5) The State of Social Maturity. A revealing poll. What do people want? Surprise! They want others to do the necessary things. But, without accepting responsibility for our acts, or for the failure to act when we should, it is impossible for our community to thrive. (...more)

6) Self Development --Notes used in one of my Seminars to assist with the motivation of mind workers.. (...more)
In connection with the above are my retirement speech of 1995 (Retirement),
and a short biography listing my professional activities as of 1991 (bioGernot).

7) Why are polls so sensitive to the exact wording of the questions? We find a surprising parallel to the situation in Quantum Mechanics (...more)

8) How Much Fiction is Necessary in Science? A one hour lecture. Mach's Principle, the Situations in Cosmology and Quantum Mechanics are taken as examples for the need to allow fictions in science, even though fictions, if they are not recognized as that, if they are taken as reality itself, can be the greatest hindrance for advance. (Lecture) --

Most pictures used in the lecture are here (Pictures).

A controverse in the Astronomical community: An open letter to the scientific community concerning the Big Bang Cosmology, signed by numerous scientists, even though not all of them highly qualified or recognized experts, is Here

8a) Astronomical Scale Models. To assist with the comprehension of the vast dimensions of the Universe, and the magnitude of the range within which our instruments can detect remote objects, I use steps of one thousand (10E3) as factor from one model to the next. Scale Models

9) Liberalism, Socialism, Democracy, What can they mean today? We tolerate confusion in these terms, which prevents us from recognizing important facts. Politics determine our future; therefore, we must not stop at the seemingly obvious near term problems, but need a clear understanding of what it all means and where it will lead us. The first requirement is to know what we really want more ...

An appendix to this article is Progressive View
Political Office, Qualifications for (Qualifications)

10) The Corruption of Intellectuals through Political Infatuation. Why are many bright people failing in their unique role as defenders of the eternal values of mankind; namely truth, justice, and objective reason? It is a problem of capital importance. (...more)

11) Three Essays – On Man's Future, his Values, and his Ethics. (see note 1). (..more)

11a) Great Persons in History. With notes about culture and selection criteria. (Great Persons)

11b) Ethics. (Third part of #11, Ethics . .)

12) Intellectual Challenges in the New Century. Science has brought us not only blessings, but also a distorted concept of man. Therefore, an urgent task is the rehabilitation of our own image. Contrary to modern ideas as they are widely discussed, we are not predetermined by heredity and environment (by nature and nurture), but are autonomous individuals who can make free decisions. This is possible within a strictly scientific world view; but it must be more complete than commonly understood. If we fail to understand this, naturalism is bound to degenerate into a plain materialism with the inhuman consequences of a mindless bureaucracy, or a bloody despotism that treats the people as cattle. (see note 1; . . . more).

13) Plan, or Necessity- Theism or Science, a very consequential Choice! How did the world originate? What reason can tell us (if we let it), and the profound consequences of our choice. (see note 1) (..more)

14) The Great Questions --- Who are we, why are we here, and what are we to do? A naturalist answer. (Note 1) (..more)

15 ) Philosophical Epilogue - (Philosophy) - An introduction to philosophy as I experienced it. It is also a summary of many ideas treated in the essays.

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Book Reviews

Intellectual Starvation and Ziegler's new Book. (The Empire of Shame, by Jean Ziegler) This noted Swiss politician, a special Rapporteur of the UN., professor of Sociology in Geneva and Paris-Sorbonne, and author of best selling books, does not realize that poverty is a cultural problem which requires much more to treat than the confiscation of profits of Nestlé and other productive global companies. (..more)

How to Help the Working Poor (Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed - On not Getting By in America). Personal experience leads Ehrenreich to become a social activist with a wealth of pertinent experience - but is her answer sufficient for the problem that is as old as mankind? We need more information on motivation, economics, and why past social experiments failed, before we can expect to succeed with removing poverty. (..more)

The Problems of War (Barbara Ehrenreich, Blood Rites). Behind the gory details of barbaric customs and bloody traditions remains the great question of how mankind could avoid war. That simple pacifism is not enough, we must learn from millennia of history.(..more)

Günter Grass, Im Krebsgang (Going Backwards). The book by the German Nobelist deals with fanatical hate and its devastating effect on a family over three generations. (more . .)

Uwe Timm, Am Beispiel Meines Bruders (The Example of My Brother). The fate of a German family as it is destroyed in the Great War lets us question why people create these disasters for themselves. Decisive facts have been known very well, but people acted anyway, as if they did not want to know ! ( Timm . . )

Jonathan Littell, Les Bienveillantes ("The Kindly Ones"), ("Die Wohlgesinnten"). A most impressive story about the terrible events on the Russian front and in Germany. (more . . .)

Many things are formidable, and none more formidable than man!
Sophocles, Antigone 332

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Notes:

1) The cold, naturalistic (secular) reasoning, especially in the "noted" essays, might be seen as offensive by strongly committed religious persons. This is not my intent, hence this warning: Do not read them.

2) Recent Issues. Items of current interest, changes, and new items, are listed here (More . .).

3) I may be found old-fashioned for quoting from classical antiquity. I am doing it (among several reasons) because I find deep meaning in linking my life with other humans over such a long time. From the narrow perspective when we see only the present (and are worried about it), we are made to see that most of our life is really common human experience, across space and time, with the recurring problems and troubles merely in the role of "Causes occasionelles". The quotes are to remind us of this and of our cultural roots. -- Ah, but who reads Latin? May I mention that most English words, which are not of Germanic or Celtic origin, have Latin or Greek roots? (In the Solon quote below, the three major words are all roots of English words). I suspect that without some acquaintance with the classics, people probably miss the full meaning of their own English with the tacit implications. Moreover, the spelling can be a minor problem unless you can remember the roots.

I also think that few things are as intellectually crippling as the idea that one cannot, or need not, learn other (major) languages. In my own case, I have always judged my intelligence as barely average and I wish, I had and used more of it. Yet the early and deep immersion in other languages (and other countries) has helped to enrich my views and my life immensely, which I could not fail to notice when I met my remaining former high school friends fifty years later.

4) Solon of Athens (ca 500 BC), when asked what he was now doing as an old man, replied: I am growing old, learning forever many things. I find myself having the same experience and in this spirit, I keep adding material and make minor changes in the essays. Most of these are advisable because the essays are now being read by others and I see the need to improve my argumentation.

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