Great Expectations: Information Theory and the Maverick Rabbi
I'm back in Istanbul--reunited with seven cats who were overjoyed to see me--and I've got to return my thoughts to all things Eastern, because there's a lot going on here, as you may have heard. But before that, a few more reflections from the Great Expectations conference.
First: Ricochet members, you did me proud. I wish you all could have seen the faces of the participants in the conference when they read your comments. I was kvelling. See? Absolutely the best, most intelligent conversation to be had anywhere on the Internet. And quite a few people, by the end, were willing to come out and be interviewed--they were persuaded by reading what you had to say and by seeing your questions. Unfortunately, we just didn't have enough time. Interviewing the participants required separating them from everyone else, and they were all so excited about talking to each other that I just couldn't peel them away.
We've asked Mike Denton and Paul Nelson to come join Ricochet as guest contributors this summer, however. Paul cheerfully accepted, and since Mike promised to answer all your questions, I think he has to accept--he was flying off to visit his daughter in London, so I didn't get a chance to press him on the point. But I will, not to worry. Everyone wanted to talk about your comments and questions. So you'll hear a lot more from them, and, I suspect, from other people who were there--including, of course, my Pop.
Second: Here's another video. This is Robert Marks reflecting on the conference from an engineer's perspective (he's an engineer, obviously). He discusses the idea of information, addressing some of the questions raised by our members.
And finally, a conversation with Rabbi Moshe Averick, the Maverick Rabbi. He's the author of Nonsense of a High Order: The Confused and Illusory World of the Atheist. He's completely charming: I wish you'd all had the chance to talk to him. As you might expect, given that he's in the rabbi business, he felt like discussing the religious perspective on these ideas:
That's all for now. Turkey's waiting for me, and so are a lot of editors who remain peevishly attached to the concept of "Western deadlines."
Thank you, Ricochet, for having added to the joy of this conference--I know everyone there was delighted to hear from you, even the people who weren't quite ready to reveal themselves. Sooner or later they will, I suspect. They know now that the water at Ricochet is warm.
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Comments:
Jan '11
Re: Great Expectations: Information Theory and the Maverick Rabbi
No, no ... I'm out of the game, academically. I work for a living! I subscribe to a few journals, but I don't keep the pulse of the philosophic community. I spend most of my time on game theory, so I'm likely blinkered.
All the more reason for me to spend some time on the links you've offered. I'm certainly not above learning a few tricks!
Information Theory is a tangent I've been following for about a year now, and it appeals to me because it rings a few bells from classic epistemology. But it's too early for me to be sold on it completely ... I'm a natural skeptic.
I appreciate the links, though ... as I've said before, a good idea can start an adventure, and these look like they might be fun.
Oct '10
Re: Great Expectations: Information Theory and the Maverick Rabbi
That's very kind and intellectually generous of you. So if I may be so bold, may I suggest starting with Probability Theory: The Logic of Science? I'm linking to the PDF pre-print here because the final published text isn't exactly inexpensive. This way you can decide for yourself whether to purchase it to include on your shelf. :-)
All I can say about this book is that the first two chapters alone—which I just re-read this evening—constitute a religious experience for me every time I read them.