Einstein (1916, 2005), Albert, and Robert W Lawson (translator) Roger Penrose (Introduction), Robert Geroch (Commentary), David C Cassidy (Historical Essay), Relativity: The Special and General Theory, Pi Press 1916, 2005 Preface: 'The present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics. ... The author has spared himself no pains in his endeavour to present the main ideas in the simplest and most intelligible form, and on the whole, in the sequence and connection in which they actually originated.' page 3  
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Ahmen Moor (2025_04+032), Israel executes unarmed Red Crescent paramedics with the west’s blessing, ' he Guardian reports that Israeli troops “killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers one by one”. “One by one” is another way of saying one person after another, which is another way of saying premeditated murder. Fifteen times over. Dr Bashar Murad, the director of health programs at the Palestine Red Crescent, told reporters that one of the men who was executed by the Israelis was on the phone with colleagues. The victim had been injured and was requesting help. “A few minutes later, during the call, we heard the sound of Israeli soldiers arriving at the location, speaking in Hebrew. The conversation was about gathering the team, with statements like: ‘Gather them at the wall and bring some restraints to tie them.’ This indicated that a large number of the medical staff were still alive.” The Israeli army, for its part, claimed that the area was “an active combat zone”. Soldiers fired on the ambulances because they were “advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals”. No one believes the army’s lies at this point. They serve a purpose; like all shoddy propaganda or misinformation, they work to obscure what is heartrendingly clear: the destruction of all Palestinian life is a matter of policy for Israel’s army. The genocide is a policy matter in that country. Isaac Herzog, Israel’s president, explained his country’s logic early on: “It is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved. It is absolutely not true.” For those who support its actions – most of the Israeli public, if polls are to be believed – the army misinformation is a signal that the leadership regards the executions as a non-issue. Carry on – Eurovision is just around the corner. News of the executions come after an anonymous Israeli soldier wrote a column in the Israeli paper Haaretz entitled, “In Gaza, Almost Every IDF Platoon Keeps a Human Shield, a Sub-army of Palestinian Slaves.” In it, he describes how widespread the practice of utilizing human shields is in the Israeli army: “Today, almost every platoon keeps a [human shield] and no infantry force enters a house before a [human shield] clears it. This means there are four [human shields] in a company, twelve in a battalion, and at least 36 in a brigade. We operate a sub-army of slaves".' back

Cartl Rhodes (2025_04_04), Friday essay: why it’s time to ditch the myth of the heroic billionaire, ' In February, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, wielded a chainsaw at a conservative gathering as he gleefully spoke of his new role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he’ll soon reach his legal term limit. [. . .] Musk’s DOGE has instigated what has been called a lawless assault on United States public services, threatening the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people while undermining the institutions of American democracy. While other tech billionaires like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg have ingratiated themselves with Trump, Musk has become his chief henchman, seeking to axe up to US$2 trillion from the US federal budget. [. . .] Musk, an unelected official with multiple business interests, including his companies Tesla, X and SpaceX, presents himself as a billionaire version of the vigilante hero – a cultural icon that looms large in the American imagination. A vigilante takes the law into his (it is usually his) own hands, professing a personal morality superior to the one inscribed in society’s laws and enacted by its officials and institutions. Vigilantes believe individual action taken outside the functioning of government is the only way justice can be achieved. The classic vigilante usually achieves this through brute force. [. . .] In Musk’s case, while he is not using physical violence, he positions himself as an exceptional hero leading a fight against government inefficiency, fraud and waste. Touting his own achievements, he said recently: “This is a revolution. And I think it might be the biggest revolution in government since the original revolution.” (Presumably he meant the American Revolution, of 1775–83.) [. . .] Our cultural moment has been described as a “golden age for billionaires”. Epitomised by Musk and Zuckerberg, in particular, the new class of elite global billionaires are viewed by many as uniquely special visionaries. But as billionaire political power and global economic inequality reach new heights, it’s time to debunk the myths portraying billionaires as heroic forces for good. [. . .] Today’s world is one where the outrageous fortunes of billionaires are growing daily. Oxfam reports that between 2020 and 2023, the richest 1% of the world’s population sequestered almost two thirds of new wealth created in that time. That is US$42 trillion. Between 2020 and 2024 the world’s five richest men more than doubled their wealth. In that same time, the wealth of five billion people around the world fell. Meanwhile, almost one in ten people in the world live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than US$2.15 per day.[. . .] As the world tumbles into climate disaster, economic inequality and political populism, the ultra-wealthy need to be held to account by society. More radically, a new political vision is needed for a future where the wealth created by human activity is shared by the many, rather than hoarded by the few. As acclaimed author Ursula Le Guin said in 2014: We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable – but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.' back

Corollary - Wikipedia, Corollary - Wikipedia, the free encyclopeda, ' Charles Sanders Peirce held that the most important division of kinds of deductive reasoning is that between corollarial and theorematic. He argued that while all deduction ultimately depends in one way or another on mental experimentation on schemata or diagrams, in corollarial deduction: "It is only necessary to imagine any case in which the premises are true in order to perceive immediately that the conclusion holds in that case" while in theorematic deduction: "It is necessary to experiment in the imagination upon the image of the premise in order from the result of such experiment to make corollarial deductions to the truth of the conclusion." Peirce also held that corollarial deduction matches Aristotle's conception of direct demonstration, which Aristotle regarded as the only thoroughly satisfactory demonstration, while theorematic deduction is: The kind more prized by mathematicians Peculiar to mathematics Involves in its course the introduction of a lemma or at least a definition uncontemplated in the thesis (the proposition that is to be proved), in remarkable cases that definition is of an abstraction that "ought to be supported by a proper postulate." back

John J. Hopfield (2024_12_08), Nobel Lecture: Physics is a point of view, ' John J. Hopfield delivered his Nobel Prize lecture "Physics is a point of view" on 8 December 2024 at the Aula Magna, Stockholm University. He was introduced by Professor Ellen Moons, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics. … back

Neil Gluckman (2025_03_27), ‘No Noncitizen Professor at My Institution Can Speak About Politics Ever Again’, ' Jason Stanley, a philosophy professor at Yale University, was one of the most forceful voices in higher education opposing the first Trump administration. His book How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, published in 2018, identified and analyzed 10 pillars of fascism. His most recent book is Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future. “History suggests that when the central government targets universities in ways we are now witnessing in the United States, it is a signal of encroaching authoritarianism,” he wrote in The Chronicle. “We would do well to take such signals both literally and seriously, if we are to preserve what history teaches is a bulwark against authoritarianism — a vibrant, robust, and independent university system.” Two months into Trump’s second term, Stanley has decided to leave Yale for the University of Toronto. He will follow two prominent colleagues, Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore, both history professors, to Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. back

Odysseus - Wikipedia, Odysseus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Odysseus (Greek: Ὀδυσσεύς ), also known by the Roman name Ulysses (Latin: Ulyssēs, Ulixēs), was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and a hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in that same Epic Cycle. Husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, and son of Laërtes and Anticlea, Odysseus is renowned for his brilliance, guile, and versatility (polytropos), and is hence known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning (mētis, or "cunning intelligence"). He is most famous for the ten eventful years he took to return home after the decade-long Trojan War.' back

Plato - Wikipedia, Plato - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' Plato (c. 427 – 348 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a top thinker in Philosophy. Plato founded the Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism. The philosopher was an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms in philosophy. He was a system-builder. He also raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy.' back

Robin McKie (2025_03_29), ‘The physics community has never split like this’: row erupts over plans for new Large Hadron Collider', ' Scientists are refining plans to build the world’s biggest machine at a site beneath the Swiss-French border. More than $30bn (£23bn) would be spent drilling a 91km circular tunnel in which subatomic particles would be accelerated to near light speeds and smashed into each other. From the resulting nuclear debris, scientists hope they will then find clues that would help them understand the detailed makeup of the universe. It is an extraordinarily ambitious project. However, it is also a controversial one – for many scientists fear the machine, the Future Circular Collider (FCC), could soak up funding for subatomic physics for decades and leave promising new research avenues starved of resources. Others argue that the mega-­collider is being imposed on physicists by senior officials at Cern, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, without properly consulting researchers. back

Sophia (Gnosticism) - Wikipedia, Sophia (Gnosticism) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' In Gnosticism, Sophia is a feminine figure, analogous to the human soul but also simultaneously one of the feminine aspects of God. Gnostics held that she was the syzygy (female twin divine Aeon) of Jesus (i.e. the Bride of Christ), and Holy Spirit of the Trinity. She is occasionally referred to by the Hebrew equivalent of Achamōth (Ἀχαμώθ, Hebrew: חכמה‎ chokhmah) and as Prunikos (Προύνικος). In the Nag Hammadi texts, Sophia is the lowest Aeon, or anthropic expression of the emanation of the light of God. She is considered to have fallen from grace in some way, in so doing creating or helping to create the material world. ' back

Spectral theorem - Wikipedia, Spectral theorem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' In mathematics, particularly linear algebra and functional analysis, a spectral theorem is a result about when a linear operator or matrix can be diagonalized (that is, represented as a diagonal matrix in some basis). This is extremely useful because computations involving a diagonalizable matrix can often be reduced to much simpler computations involving the corresponding diagonal matrix. The concept of diagonalization is relatively straightforward for operators on finite-dimensional vector spaces but requires some modification for operators on infinite-dimensional spaces. In general, the spectral theorem identifies a class of linear operators that can be modeled by multiplication operators, which are as simple as one can hope to find. In more abstract language, the spectral theorem is a statement about commutative C*-algebras. See also spectral theory for a historical perspective. ' back

Spectral theory - Wikipedia, Spectral theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' In mathematics, spectral theory is an inclusive term for theories extending the eigenvector and eigenvalue theory of a single square matrix to a much broader theory of the structure of operators in a variety of mathematical spaces. It is a result of studies of linear algebra and the solutions of systems of linear equations and their generalizations. The theory is connected to that of analytic functions because the spectral properties of an operator are related to analytic functions of the spectral parameter.' back

Stephen Cook (2006), The P Versus NP Problem, ' The P versus NP problem is to determine whether every language accepted by some nondeterministic algorithm in polynomial time is also accepted by some (deterministic) algorithm in polynomial time. To define the problem precisely it is necessary to give a formal model of a computer. The standard computer model in computability theory is the Turing machine, introduced by Alan Turing in 1936 . Although the model was introduced before physical computers were built, it nevertheless continues to be accepted as the proper computer model for the purpose of defining the notion of computable function. back

T Bone Nurnett (2025_04_03), Beatlemania: A Penetrating New Book Celebrates Lennon and McCartney, 'In our culture, music is most often written about in terms of sales, streams and chart positions. That is, of course, the least intelligent way to think about or talk about music. Ian Leslie’s “John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs” is unconcerned with all that, but rather it explores the way two extraordinarily gifted young men combined and exchanged their gifts while inspiring, challenging, teaching and learning from each other. In the great teams of composers before John Lennon and Paul McCartney — Rodgers and Hart, Lerner and Loewe, Leiber and Stoller, Bacharach and David — one of the members wrote the music and the other wrote the lyrics. John and Paul both wrote music and both wrote lyrics, and they made a decision at the beginning of their collaboration to share the credit on all of their compositions, thereby creating a third being called Lennon and McCartney. That selfless, generous merger, as their egos shape-shifted into and out of each other, unleashed a power that took music to a height that has not since been surpassed, or I think it safe to say, even reached. [. . .] Leslie, a British journalist and author, has a deep affection for, and a penetrating understanding of, these complex characters and their unprecedented friendship — from their boyhoods in Liverpool, through the debauchery of postwar-Hamburg night life, through their lightning rise to international fame, through the remarkable string of albums with the explosive innocence of “With the Beatles” in 1963, the jubilant rockabilly of “Beatles for Sale” in 1964, the cannabis-fueled “Rubber Soul” in 1965, the epic psychedelia of “Revolver” in 1966 and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in 1967 — which, perhaps inevitably, ended in acrimony not long thereafter. Having lived through that period of time myself, it is stunning to follow Leslie’s insights into how far and fast John and Paul traveled, how profound their preternatural alliance was, and how epic their heroic journey. back

Thalia Antyhony (2025_04_04), After 91 years, there are still more questions than answers over the death of Aboriginal man Dhäkiyarr, ' Unsolved mysteries of missing and murdered people are etched in the Australian psyche: Azaria Chamberlin, the Beaumont children and Harold Holt capture and divide public option. However, the disappearance of First Nations victims often do not garner the same public attention. One case that has pierced what Darumbal and South Sea Islander scholar Amy McQuire calls the “invisibility of Aboriginality” among missing persons is the controversial disappearance of Yolŋu cultural leader Dhäkiyarr Wirrpanda (born 1900) in 1934. [. . .] Copy link Email X (Twitter) Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Print Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and or images of deceased people. Unsolved mysteries of missing and murdered people are etched in the Australian psyche: Azaria Chamberlin, the Beaumont children and Harold Holt capture and divide public option. However, the disappearance of First Nations victims often do not garner the same public attention. One case that has pierced what Darumbal and South Sea Islander scholar Amy McQuire calls the “invisibility of Aboriginality” among missing persons is the controversial disappearance of Yolŋu cultural leader Dhäkiyarr Wirrpanda (born 1900) in 1934. Dhäkiyarr’s case has been documented in films, podcasts, exhibitions, art work, installations, reenactments, public ceremonies and books. Dhäkiyarr went missing after winning a ground-breaking High Court case on the right to a fair trial. Help us deliver trustworthy journalism and analysis in an election year. His family regard the disappearance as a grave injustice, and have been seeking the truth ever since. Coronial findings were handed down earlier this month – 91 years after Dhäkiyarr was last seen. The High Court case: Dhäkiyarr v The King In 1933, Dhäkiyarr killed Northern Territory police constable McColl on Woodah Island (Guwaŋarripa) in Blue Mud Bay, East Arnhem Land. McColl had chained up four women, including Dhäkiyarr’s wife Djaparri Bulinjun Wirrpanda, as part of his investigation into the killing of a Japanese fisherman in another part of Arnhem Land. A witness stated McColl had sexually assaulted Dhäkiyarr’s wife. Three shots were fired by McColl at Dhäkiyarr but missed their mark. Dhäkiyarr then speared McColl to death. Law professor Nicole Watson, who belongs to the Munanjali and Birri Gubba people, believes the experience of Djaparri illustrates the highly threatening nature of McColl’s conduct, which should have made her a key witness at trial. But Djaparri was not called. The fallout The killing of McColl created a tense political situation. NT Administrator Robert Weddell conveyed plans to the federal government to use “strong demonstrative force” where “casualties amongst these Aboriginals [are considered] inevitable”. This planned punitive expedition stalled after progressive groups across Australia mobilised to defend Yolŋu people against a potential massacre. Prime Minister Joseph Lyons intervened and instead, a peace party led by missionaries was sent to negotiate with Yolngu people. But Dhäkiyarr was still arrested and then found guilty of murder at trial. Supreme Court Judge Wells sentenced Dhäkiyarr to death by hanging. The appeal In 1934, Dhäkiyarr successfully appealed in the High Court. The decision of Tuckiar v The King is well-known among lawyers for upholding the right to a fair trial, including the right to judicial impartiality and independence, the presumption of innocence, the right to silence of a defendant at trial, and a lawyer’s duty to their client and the court. In overturning Dhäkiyarr’s murder conviction, the High Court found the trial had “seriously miscarried” due to prejudice. Dhäkiyarr’s release from prison was ordered immediately. High Court Judge Starke specified the release would involve “steps” taken by the Commonwealth “to arrange for [Dhäkiyarr] to be sent to his own country”. Federal Minister for the Interior Thomas Paterson promised police would escort Dhäkiyarr home. Both responses demonstrated concern for Dhäkiyarr’s safety. However, following his release in Darwin, Dhäkiyarr was never seen again. Authorities maintained he escaped from Kahlin Aboriginal Compound, an Aboriginal segregation site where he had stayed overnight, claiming he had “gone bush”. It has long been suspected, especially among the Aboriginal community, that police foul play to avenge McColl was responsible. Almost a century later: justice delayed Following a reconciliatory ceremony held in Arnhem Land to commemorate the 90th anniversary of McColl’s spearing, NT Superintendent Jody Nobbs announced police would reopen the investigation into McColl’s death and investigate Dhäkiyarr’s death – an inquiry supported by the NT Police Union and McColl’s family. Dhäkiyarr’s family, along with lawyers, emphasised the need for a coronial inquiry into Dhäkiyarr’s death, given his whereabouts remained unknown. The suspicious circumstances of this cold case and the fact Dhäkiyarr was in custody, according to lawyers, would render an inquest mandatory today. This was the first time the NT Police had committed to investigate Dhäkiyarr’s disappearance and suspected death. [. . .] In the police investigation and coronial examination, Dhäkiyarr’s family was not invited to make submissions, which is increasingly customary in coronial processes involving police. The coroner’s findings are absent of Aboriginal perspectives altogether. The coroner received the report of the NT Police Cold Case Taskforce in January 2025. The coronial findings were handed down two months later. The coroner upheld the essence of the police report, finding the cause of death was unable to be determined. Ultimately, the coroner declined to hold an inquest because it would not elicit additional information. Emphasis was placed on the lack of information on the “exact circumstances of death” or “remains” of Dhäkiyarr’s body. [. . .] The Dhäkiyarr coronial findings demonstrate how police accounts of First Nations deaths shape the legal and historical record. The findings also cement patterns of police investigating police with insufficient engagement with First Nations families, which can deepen trauma for these families. The findings likely augment perceptions that missing and murdered First Nations people are not protected by the legal system, that their family and community voices are not heard, and that we are no closer to the truth in Dhäkiyarr’s disappearance. back

Thomas Aquinas - Wikipedia, Thomas Aquinas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' Thomas Aquinas OP (1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest, the foremost Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the Western tradition. He was from the county of Aquino in the Kingdom of Sicily. Thomas was a proponent of natural theology and the father of a school of thought (encompassing both theology and philosophy) known as Thomism. Central to his thought was the doctrine of natural law, which he argued was accessible to human reason and grounded in the very nature of human beings, providing a basis for understanding individual rights and moral duties. He argued that God is the source of the light of natural reason and the light of faith. He embraced several ideas put forward by Aristotle and attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity. Aquinas' natural law theory has been influential in shaping ideas about human liberty and the moral limits of government authority He has been described as "the most influential thinker of the medieval period" and "the greatest of the medieval philosopher-theologians".' back