2. WHAT IS ARTS AND HUMANITIES?
• THE ARTS TAKE US INTO IMAGINED
WORLDS CREATED BY DIFFERENT MINDS
AND ENABLE US TO UNDERSTAND HOW
OTHERS LIVE. WE ARE WHAT WE READ,
THE MUSEUMS WE VISIT AND THE
PERFORMANCES WE SEE AND HEAR.
• THAT ENTRY INTO OTHER WORLDS AND
MINDS DOES GIVE US A LARGER CONTEXT
FOR THINKING ABOUT HOW TO LIVE AND
HOW TO CONFRONT AND UNDERSTAND
PRESENT PERSONAL AND HISTORIC
ISSUES, EVEN WHILE ALSO GIVING US
PLEASURE FOR ITS OWN SAKE.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-r-schwarz/why-study-the-arts-and-th_
3. A HUMAN BEING…
• …IS NOT A MACHINE (IN THE CLASSICAL
SENSE).
• A REDUCTIONIST VIEW MAY SEE US AS
FUNDAMENTAL BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES.
• BUT THE WAY OUR COMPLEX BRAIN IS
WIRED, CURIOUSLY, IS NOT OPTIMIZED
FOR PERFECTION.
• MACHINES CALCULATE AND PROCESS
DATA, BUT HUMAN BEINGS CREATE NEW
CONCEPTS FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES.
4. THE MIRROR TEST
• ARE YOU AWARE OF
YOURSELF?
• BY HOW MUCH?
• SOME ANIMALS LIKE ORANG
UTANS, ELEPHANTS AND
BABOONS ARE!
https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/mirror_test.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test
6. MATHEMATICIANS’ OBSESSION WITH
SPIRITUALITY
• MATHEMATICAL BEAUTY DESCRIBES THE NOTION
THAT SOME MATHEMATICIANS MAY DERIVE
AESTHETIC PLEASURE FROM THEIR WORK, AND
FROM MATHEMATICS IN GENERAL.
• THEY EXPRESS THIS PLEASURE BY DESCRIBING
MATHEMATICS (OR, AT LEAST, SOME ASPECT OF
MATHEMATICS) AS BEAUTIFUL.
• EXAMPLES LIKE EUCLID’S GOLDEN RATIO,
LEONARDO’S SYMMETRY.
7. PHYSICISTS’ OBSESSION WITH “EVERYTHING”
• A THEORY OF EVERYTHING, FINAL
THEORY, ULTIMATE THEORY, OR
MASTER THEORY IS A HYPOTHETICAL
SINGLE, ALL-ENCOMPASSING,
COHERENT THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK OF PHYSICS THAT FULLY
EXPLAINS AND LINKS TOGETHER ALL
PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THE
UNIVERSE.[
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_everything
8. PSYCHOLOGISTS’ OBSESSION WITH THE MIND
• DUALISM IS A SET OF VIEWS ABOUT THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MIND AND MATTER
(OR BODY). IT BEGINS WITH THE CLAIM THAT
MENTAL PHENOMENA ARE, IN SOME
RESPECTS, NON-PHYSICAL.
• THE IDEA OF FREE WILL IS ONE ASPECT OF
THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM, THAT IS,
CONSIDERATION OF THE RELATION BETWEEN
MIND (FOR EXAMPLE, CONSCIOUSNESS,
MEMORY, AND JUDGMENT) AND BODY (FOR
EXAMPLE, THE HUMAN BRAIN AND NERVOUS
SYSTEM). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_mind
9. TECHNOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY
• THE WHEEL IS ONLY MORE THAN 5000
YEARS OLD (COMPARED TO FIRE,
WHICH IS 1.5MILLION YEARS OLD)
• WHY WAS THE WHEEL INVENTED?
• EARLIEST WHEEL FOR POTTERS USE.
• EARLIEST WHEELED VEHICLES FOUND IN
TOMBS.
• NOT FOR TRANSPORTATION, BUT
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES
G. Basalla, The Evolution of Technology, Cambridge Press.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-salute-to-the-wheel-31
10. TECHNOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY
• THE DIGESTING DUCK
• CREATED BY JACQUES DE
VAUCANSON IN 1739.
• THE MECHANICAL DUCK APPEARED
TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO EAT
KERNELS OF GRAIN, AND TO
METABOLIZE AND DEFECATE THEM.
• ONE OF THE FIRST HUMAN FORAY
INTO “ARTIFICIAL LIFE”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digesting_Duck
https://web.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/DefecatingDuck.pdf
11. THE TURING TEST
• IF MACHINES OF THE FUTURE
BEHAVES LIKE HUMANS….
• …. ARE HUMANS MACHINES OF THE
PAST?
12. LANGUAGE, LINGUISTICS AND UNIVERSAL
GRAMMAR
• UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR – A CERTAIN SET
OF STRUCTURAL RULES ARE INNATE TO
HUMANS, INDEPENDENT OF SENSORY
EXPERIENCE.
• THE UNIQUE ABILITY OF HUMAN BEINGS
TO LEARN COMPLEX LANGUAGE AND
SYNTAX STRUCTURES ALLOWS US TO
DEVELOP COMPLEX CONCEPTS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_grammar
13. THE MONKEYSPHERE
• DUNBAR’S NUMBER – THE AMOUNT OF
PEOPLE THAT A HUMAN BEING CAN
COGNITIVELY CONCEIVE AS “HUMAN” IS
AROUND 150….
• ….WHICH EXPLAINS THE FORMING OF IN-
GROUPS AND OUT-GROUPS, AND CREATES
PSYCHOLOGICAL LIKE RACISM, TRIBALISM,
PATRIOTISM, ETC. (IN BOTH HUMANS AND
ANIMALS.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_nu
14. THE MONKEYSPHERE
• HOWEVER, THE ABILITY OF HUMANS TO
COMPREHEND COMPLEX CONCEPTS ALLOWS
US TO LEARN MORALS LIKE ETHICS AND
ALTRUISM, AND REJECT RACISM AND
XENOPHOBIA, ALL THROUGH EDUCATION
THAT INVOLVES LANGUAGE.
• WHEN WE TURN OUR BRAIN OFF (E.G.
GETTING DRUNK), OR BECOME ANONYMOUS
(I.E. REDUCING THE COGNITIVE LEVEL AS A
“HUMAN”), WE BECOME MORE RUDE AND LESS
EMPATHETIC TOWARDS ANOTHER HUMAN
BEING.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(gr
15. BIOMIMICRY
• NOT ALL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ARE DEVELOPED ON A LOGICAL AND
ADDITIVE BASIS. SOMETIMES, IT
REQUIRES A LEAP OF FAITH.
• MANY SCIENTIFIC THOUGHTS AND
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
ARE INSPIRED BY NATURE.
16. BIOMIMICRY: VELCRO
• VELCRO WAS INVENTED BY GEORGE DE
MESTRAL IN 1941 AND WAS INSPIRED BY
THE BURRS HE FOUND ON HIMSELF AND
ON HIS DOG.
• BEING AN ENGINEER AND ENTREPRENEUR,
MR. DE MESTRAL EXAMINED THE BURR
UNDER A MICROSCOPE AND REALIZED
THE SMALL HOOKS OF THE BURR AND
LOOPS OF THE FUR/FABRIC ALLOWED THE
BURR TO ADHERE EXCEEDINGLY WELL.
• THIS SPARKED HIS IDEA TO MIMIC THE
STRUCTURE AS A POTENTIAL FASTENER.https://www.microphotonics.com/biomimicry-burr-invention
17. BIOMIMICRY: SHINKANSEN
• FROM HIS BIRDWATCHING EXPERIENCES,
MAKATSU REMEMBERED THE KINGFISHER,
A BIRD THAT DIVES AT HIGH SPEED FROM
ONE FLUID (AIR) TO ANOTHER THAT IS
800 TIMES DENSER (WATER) WITH BARELY
A SPLASH. HE SURMISED THE SHAPE OF ITS
BILL WAS WHAT ALLOWED THE BIRD TO
CUT SO CLEANLY INTO THE WATER.
• THE DESIGN REDUCED THE SONIC BOOM
EFFECT, AND ALLOWED THE TRAIN TO
RUN AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND STILL
ADHERE TO THE STANDARD NOISE LEVEL
OF 70 DBA.https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/10/19/how-one-engineers-birdwatching-made-japan
18. BIOMIMICRY: DESERT FOG WATER
HARVESTING
• THE DARKLING BEETLE IS A SMALL
BUG THAT LIVES IN HARSH AND DRY
CONDITIONS, AND THE NATURE OF
ITS SHELL MAKES IT A MASTER WATER
COLLECTOR.
• ITS HARDENED SHELL CONTAINS TINY
GROOVES OR BUMPS WHERE WATER IS
CONDENSED AND CHANNELLED TO
THE BEETLE’S MOUTH.
https://permaculturenews.org/2017/02/28/harvesting-water-inspired-da
19. BIOMIMICRY: WATER FILTER
• AQUAPORINS ARE SELECTIVE
MEMBRANE CHANNEL PROTEINS FOUND
IN THE LIPID BILAYER OF LIVING CELLS
THAT WORK TO TRANSPORT WATER
ACROSS THE CELL MEMBRANE.
• AQUAPORINS ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK
WHILE EXCLUDING ANY UNWANTED
IONS OR OTHER POLAR MOLECULES,
MAKING THEM A PERFECT MODEL FOR
THE FORMULATION OF LOW-ENERGY
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEMS.
https://www.waterworld.com/articles/iww/print/volume-14/issue-3/features/biomimetic-me
20. BIOMIMICRY: GECKO FEET
• GECKOS RUN UP WALLS AND SCURRY
ACROSS CEILINGS WITH THE HELP OF
TINY ROWS OF HAIRS ON THEIR FEET.
• THE HAIRS, KNOWN AS SETAE,
GENERATE A MULTITUDE OF WEAK
ATTRACTIONS BETWEEN MOLECULES
ON THE TWO SURFACES THAT ADD UP
TO A SECURE FOOTHOLD.
• TO CREATE THEIR ARTIFICIAL GECKO
ADHESIVE, THE STANFORD TEAM
STARTED BY MAKING SILICONE
MICROWEDGES, WHICH IMITATED
GECKO HAIR.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/11/gecko-inspired-adhesives-allow-peo
21. BIOMIMICRY: SPIDER WEB GLASS
• BIRDS DO NOT SEE TRANSPARENT
GLASS, BUT ARE MISLED BY THE
LANDSCAPE REFLECTED IN THE
WINDOW OR SEEN THROUGH IT INTO
THINKING THEIR WAY IS CLEAR OF
OBSTACLES.
• A NEW PRODUCT, CALLED ORNILUX
MIKADO GLASS, IS GLASS SHEETING
WITH A SPECIAL ULTRAVIOLET (UV)
REFLECTIVE COATING THAT IS ALMOST
INVISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE, BUT
LOOKS LIKE A SPIDER'S WEB TO BIRDS.
https://phys.org/news/2010-08-bird-friendly-glass-spider-web
22. BIOMIMICRY: FIREFLY LIGHTBULBS
• AN ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE
THAT MIMICS THE THREE-LAYERED
STRUCTURE OF A FIREFLY’S LANTERN
SHINES BRIGHTER THAN PREVIOUS
DESIGNS.
• MICRO- AND NANOSTRUCTURES IN THE
CHITIN CUTICLE COVERING THESE
CREATURES’ TAIL-END LANTERN ORGANS
HELP IMPROVE LIGHT TRANSMISSION.
• THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF THE
STRUCTURED CUTICLE MORE CLOSELY
MATCHES THAT OF THE AIR THAN
SMOOTH CHITIN DOES, HELPING FIREFLIES
MAKE STRONGER BEAMS OF LIGHT.https://cen.acs.org/articles/94/web/2016/04/Firefly-inspires-brighter-L
23. THE WORLD IS POORLY DESIGNED. BUT
COPYING NATURE HELPS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMtXqTmfta0
24. NATURE AND SOCIOLOGY: THE STRENGTH OF
WEAK TIES
• MARK GRANOVETTER CONCEIVED OF A
‘WEAK TIES’ HYDROGEN BONDING BASED
MODEL OF INTERMEDIATE STRENGTH
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS, BASED ON
CHEMICAL BONDING THEORY,
PARTICULARLY THE MODEL OF THE
'HYDROGEN BOND', FROM
GRANOVETTER'S UNDERGRADUATE
CHEMISTRY CLASS.
• THE MOST-CITED PAPER (50,000
CITATIONS) IN THE FIELD OF SOCIOLOGY!http://www.eoht.info/page/Mark+Granovetter
25. NATURE AND SOCIOLOGY: PROGRAMMED
DEATH
• A WEEK AFTER SHE’S LAID HER EGGS, THE
BEHAVIOR OF A FEMALE OCTOPUS BECOMES
ERRATIC. NOT ONLY IS SHE REFUSING TO FORAGE
AND EAT, SHE BEGINS TO ENGAGE IN OVERTLY
SELF-DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIORS.
• OCTOPUSES FREQUENTLY ENGAGE IN
CANNIBALISTIC BEHAVIOR, SO THIS BIOLOGICALLY
PROGRAMMED DEATH MAY BE NATURE’S WAY OF
PREVENTING MOTHERS FROM EATING THEIR
YOUNG.
• OR, BECAUSE OCTOPUSES ARE CAPABLE OF
GROWING TO ENORMOUS SIZES, THIS MIGHT BE A
BUILT-IN WAY TO PROTECT THE ECOSYSTEM
FROM TOO MANY LARGE, HUNGRY ADULTS.
https://gizmodo.com/why-female-octopuses-self-destruct-after-laying-eggs
26. NATURE AND SOCIOLOGY: TRAFFIC
PROBLEMS
• BRAESS'S PARADOX IS A PROPOSED
EXPLANATION FOR THE SITUATION
WHERE AN ALTERATION TO A ROAD
NETWORK TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW
ACTUALLY HAS THE REVERSE EFFECT
AND IMPEDES TRAFFIC THROUGH IT.
• BRAESS’S PARADOX HAS BEEN SHOWN
TO OCCUR IN NATURAL SYSTEMS LIKE
ELECTRIC CIRCUITS AND SPRING-MASS
SYSTEMS.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/10/20/bad-traffic-blame-braess-paradox
27. NATURE AND SOCIOLOGY: DEMOCRACY IN
NATURE
• ANIMALS REGULARLY MAKE GROUP DECISIONS
THAT DIRECTLY AFFECT THEIR EVERYDAY
LIVES.
• NEAR THE END OF SPRING OR THE BEGINNING
OF SUMMER, HONEY BEE (APIS MELLIFERA)
COLONIES GROW TOO LARGE FOR THEIR HIVES,
SO THE GROUP SPLITS IN TWO.
• TONKEAN MACAQUES MUST DECIDE WHICH
DIRECTION THEY WILL MOVE IN SEARCH OF
FOOD, AND THEY MAKE THOSE CHOICES BY
MAJORITY VOTE. HE OR SHE WALKS A FEW
STEPS IN THE DESIRED DIRECTION, PAUSES,
AND THEN TURNS HIS OR HER HEAD BACK
TOWARDS THE REST OF THE GROUP.http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121114-election-day-ani
28. SCIENCE FICTION
• ISAAC ASIMOV SAID: "SCIENCE FICTION CAN BE
DEFINED AS THAT BRANCH OF LITERATURE WHICH
DEALS WITH THE REACTION OF HUMAN BEINGS
TO CHANGES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.“
• ACCORDING TO ROBERT A. HEINLEIN, "A HANDY
SHORT DEFINITION OF ALMOST ALL SCIENCE
FICTION MIGHT READ: REALISTIC SPECULATION
ABOUT POSSIBLE FUTURE EVENTS, BASED SOLIDLY
ON ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE REAL WORLD,
PAST AND PRESENT, AND ON A THOROUGH
UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE AND
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction
34. SCIENCE FICTION THAT BECAME REALITY
• 3-D PRINTERS (STAR TREK)
• UNDERWATER EXPLORATION (TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA)
• LIGHT-PROPELLED SPACECRAFT (FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON)
• MEMORY-ERASING DRUGS (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND)
• GOOGLE GLASS (STAR TREK)
• SELF-DRIVING CARS (ISAAC ASIMOV’S NYT ARTICLE IN 1964)
• ROBOT MAIDS (THE JETSONS)
• ROBOT EXOSKELETON (IRON MAN)
https://www.factinate.com/things/40-fantastic-facts-science-fiction-bec
35. SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND MUSIC
• PYTHAGOREAN TUNING IS TUNING BASED ONLY ON
THE PERFECT CONSONANCES, THE (PERFECT) OCTAVE,
PERFECT FIFTH, AND PERFECT FOURTH.
• MUSICAL SET THEORY USES THE LANGUAGE OF
MATHEMATICAL SET THEORY IN AN ELEMENTARY WAY
TO ORGANIZE MUSICAL OBJECTS AND DESCRIBE THEIR
RELATIONSHIPS.
• ABSTRACT ALGEBRA USED TO ANALYZE MUSIC. THE
PITCH CLASSES IN AN EQUALLY TEMPERED OCTAVE
FORM AN ABELIAN GROUP WITH 12 ELEMENTS.
• REAL AND COMPLEX ANALYSIS BY APPLYING THE
THEORY OF THE RIEMANN ZETA FUNCTION TO THE
STUDY OF EQUAL DIVISIONS OF THE OCTAVE.
http://web.mit.edu/18.06/www/Essays/linear-algebra-and
37. EINSTEIN’S MUSIC
• COLTRANE WAS ALSO VERY MUCH AWARE OF
EINSTEIN’S WORK AND LIKED TO TALK ABOUT IT
FREQUENTLY. MUSICAN DAVID AMRAM
REMEMBERS THE GIANT STEPS GENIUS TELLING
HIM HE “WAS TRYING TO DO SOMETHING LIKE
THAT IN MUSIC.”
• COLTRANE'S MATHEMATICS IN TWO THEORY-
HEAVY ESSAYS, ONE GENERALLY ON
COLTRANE’S “MUSIC & GEOMETRY” AND ONE
SPECIFICALLY ON HIS “TONE CIRCLE.”
http://www.openculture.com/2017/04/the-tone-circle-john-coltrane-drew-to-illustrate-the-theory-behind-his-most-famous-comp
