Identity (Identity)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Tuesday, September 08, 2009, 14:17 (5337 days ago) @ David Turell
edited by unknown, Tuesday, September 08, 2009, 14:24


> > Well, in the long run--on this question--we're in the same boat. At the same time, the mathematics behind neural net computing are quite elegant, and in learning about some of the models and basic algorithms I see tremendous promise. 
> 
> Our differences are age related. You have the next 50-60 years or so to learn with science whatever will turn up. You can reach conclusions later. I don't have that time, so I have to find conclusions that satisfy me before I move on and either find out at that point or not at all. The only problem is if this website is still active, I won't be able to communicate back, but I'll try.
> 
> One of my regrets is not ever learning calculus. I would love to understand what 'beautiful math' is. I know if it is elegant enough, it often predictively leads to the final answer.-"Mathematical elegance" is typically a moving target, though to my experience it has meant "beautifully simple," such as Euclid's proof of the irrationality of the square root of 2, or any number of proofs from the more "forgotten" mathematicians Eudoxus or Euler. In computer science, it is more to do with a mixture of that combined with clever logic, and coded with as few lines as possible. Computer guys are notoriously lazy, so inventing a way to do the same work with fewer lines is a pretty strong drive for most of us.-[EDIT]-As for the rest of the post, I would say the difference is more in personal preference. Mathematics has instilled in me an obsession for telling the absolute truth. If a question is unresolved, I feel I'm lying by taking the step towards "belief," and am much more happy leaving it in place exactly as it is in its ugly unanswered state. As I grow older I only notice that drive becoming more and more strong. This has the result of making me seem indecisive, but in the end most people seem to appreciate my sometimes brutal honesty.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"