Papers by Dr. Jack Dikian
This whole drama under light of the most dazzling colors, of mirrored bangles that glistened from... more This whole drama under light of the most dazzling colors, of mirrored bangles that glistened from rickety market stalls gilded with flags that blew gently in the warm summer haze, shadowed in abundance of green, towered by whispering leaves and nuts from giant figs, and the smell of sun warmed bougainvillea, wattle, and waratah – the most precious of bloom their scent over-head loom.
Remember the time when claiming to have been abducted by aliens was all the rage among the hillbi... more Remember the time when claiming to have been abducted by aliens was all the rage among the hillbillies, crackpots and anyone desperately trying to explain away a suspicious bum injury.
But stereotyped scrawny moonshiners can be forgiven for believing stories of alien abductions perpetuated in the cloak of night. In 1969, before becoming President, Jimmy Carter filed a report of what he took to be a UFO with the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City.
“…In the classic mise-en-scène, at remote, deserted locations, country roads or woodland at night... more “…In the classic mise-en-scène, at remote, deserted locations, country roads or woodland at nights: UFO sightings reflect our yearning of what may lay beyond, romanticized impresses of more civilized lives, of wonder, imagination, anticipation and the unknown - all at once in opposition with incredulity, suspicion and doubt.”
"If you take chances, if you vote in Jokers, crack weak men, worse charlatans with some gift of t... more "If you take chances, if you vote in Jokers, crack weak men, worse charlatans with some gift of the gap, you run a very serious risk of losing everything."-Lee Kuan Yew, 1998
Long before Australia saw four sitting prime ministers deposed by their own parties between 2010 and 2018 giving Canberra the title "the coup capital of the democratic world."
Long before the United Kingdom, once known for its stable politics, saw five prime ministers unceremoniously dumped by their colleagues post the 2016 Brexit vote.
And long before the establishment of an authoritarian leaning "Make America Great Again" presidency in the United States, the first Prime Minister of Singapore published "Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas."
A book that doesn't just capture the essence that shaped modern Singapore, but provides a window into how amongst other things, inapt and cowardly leaders are responsible for the decline of democracy in Asia and many Western nations.
Lee passed away on 23 March 2015 at the age of 92. His book, which was first published in 1998 tells the story of his life from when the Japanese occupied Singapore in 1941 until 1998 when he was serving as a Senior Minister.
It chronicles the events, people and political fortunes that were to shape Lee's view of the world, as well as the path he set for the transformation of Singapore. It delves into the choices he made, the political turnings he took, the insights gained.
A thousand miles away, there was a radical psychiatrist who had a vision. He wanted to make peopl... more A thousand miles away, there was a radical psychiatrist who had a vision. He wanted to make people free of all constraints that he believed controlled their minds without them realizing. And to make them free, like American mathematician John Nash, he would fundamentally question and undermine the old ideas of trust and love.
Their job was to regulate capitalism for the benefit of everyone. In an age of optimism, there were few who challenged this new vision. But one man on the margins was convinced it would lead to disaster.
He was an Austrian aristocrat called Friedrich von Hayek, who had fled the Nazis and now taught at the University of Chicago.
Hayek was convinced that the use of politics to plan society was far more dangerous than any problems produced by capitalism because it inevitably led to tyranny and the end of freedom.
Who are we
Most so-called quote-unquote normal folk usually live under the illusion that when th... more Who are we
Most so-called quote-unquote normal folk usually live under the illusion that when they use the word “I” they are referring to some presence which is inside of the body.
I can feel this, I can feel that, I can sense this, and perhaps for those with the rare neurological phenomenon, synesthete, hear what they smell and smell what they see.
This presence of self is associated with the state of awareness - that fundamental part of the human experience involving consciousness, mindfulness, and cognizant of both one's external surroundings as well as internal experiences.
What was causing you to not be aware or to be aware when you're not aware? Or, wait a minute, you... more What was causing you to not be aware or to be aware when you're not aware? Or, wait a minute, you're aware, but your brain isn't aware. How can you be aware when your brain isn't? What's going on there?
It doesn't make any sense. You mean something that happens to me a quarter of a second later keeps me from noticing what's happening to me now. And if what happens to me a quarter of a second later doesn't happen to me, then I respond now.
The science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke famously said that “Any sufficiently advanced technolo... more The science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke famously said that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Happily for Clarke fans, the magic described in this essay, whilst so far short on stirring-up the kind of intonating incantations some physicists and computer scientists believe is deserved – the implications, if they are right, challenges the nature of space, time and even reality.
The 2024 Physics World Breakthrough of the year prize was shared between two teams - one at Harvard University and the other at the Google Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab, for their advancements in quantum error correction.
You might ask – what’s so “magical” about computer error correction. How can something as mundane as detecting and fixing computer bugs be implicated in theories that describe the very fabric of reality.
The science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke famously said that “Any sufficiently advanced technolo... more The science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke famously said that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Happily for Clarke fans, the magic described in this essay, whilst so far short on stirring-up the kind of intonating incantations some physicists and computer scientists believe is deserved – the implications, if they are right, challenges the nature of space, time and even reality.
DRAFT
A few months ago I contributed an essay in this magazine discussing the collaborative wor... more DRAFT
A few months ago I contributed an essay in this magazine discussing the collaborative work of turn of the 20 th century Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli, and founders of analytical psychology and psychotherapy, Carl Jung, and Sigmond Freud. Each in their own way and in company sought to understand the relationship between the physical, psychological, and mystical domains. Their various degree of association and exact range of embrace with outlier themes transcending ordinary human perception and language (including mysticisms, the occult, and alchemy) ebbed and flowed in some cases spanning some twenty-five years.
By the end of 1930, the Austrian-born theoretical physicist was experiencing a cascade of trouble... more By the end of 1930, the Austrian-born theoretical physicist was experiencing a cascade of troubles that had begun almost three years earlier.
His "crisis of his life" marked by his mother's suicide in reaction to his father’s infidelity, and the end of his brief but much troubled marriage to cabaret dancer Käthe Deppner, the future Nobel laureate, Wolfgang Pauli, turned to seeking psychiatric help and respite.
He in fact turned to the famous Swiss analytical psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung, oblivious to the fact that he and his therapist would come to collaborate in a significant intellectual exchange exploring the relationship between the psyche and the physical world for some twenty-five years.
The Lord God is subtle, but he is not malicious. Einstein, a remark made during his first visit t... more The Lord God is subtle, but he is not malicious. Einstein, a remark made during his first visit to Princeton University, Apr. 1921 And later I have second thoughts. Maybe God is malicious after all According to Valentine Bargmann, one of Einstein's collaborators, what Einstein meant was that God makes us believe we understand something when in reality we are very far from it.
Recently, security researchers claimed that computers were being infected by some sort of overthe... more Recently, security researchers claimed that computers were being infected by some sort of overthe-air transmission that relied on ordinary speakers and microphones to transmit the malware.
René Descartes' interests extended to diverse subjects, and one of the most striking subjects he ... more René Descartes' interests extended to diverse subjects, and one of the most striking subjects he studied was machine thinking.
The idea that he was considering this in the early seventeenth century is remarkable in and of itself; And when he talks of “thinking machines” in the Discourse on Method and talks of machines in other places in the Cartesian corpus, he shows that he has an artificial intelligence theory.
Where there is light a metaphor for knowledge and ignorance When you first read about the quantum... more Where there is light a metaphor for knowledge and ignorance When you first read about the quantum it can feel like the most far-fetched of speculative fiction, taking place in a reality where the world would happily come together to save the life of one man, and where scientific acumen and the pursuit of knowledge are universally accepted as worthy of respect.
Our understanding of the quantum world allowed technological advances that continue to transform ... more Our understanding of the quantum world allowed technological advances that continue to transform every aspect of human life. But even though it is now an established physics, very few people have even the rudimentary understanding of the theory or its mysterious philosophical implications.
This book will examine a physical world where it is possible to be in two places at the same time. We will discuss how the act of observation influences the result of that observation.
Misled with unreliable memories, I have come to a serious realization that objectivity is a myth,... more Misled with unreliable memories, I have come to a serious realization that objectivity is a myth, at best a rarity. I think it was a romantic idea from the start that a person should be able to look at facts and see them for what they are.
After all, facts are facts, and they should never fade away on account of prejudice, bias, or the local Mayor.
In my desire to believe in something, someone, a political party, like many, I’ve never been too scared to embrace a propagated falsehood, a myth, or a misleading narrative when they dare.
Pursuing the urge to believe in something, someone, a political party, we're never too afraid to ... more Pursuing the urge to believe in something, someone, a political party, we're never too afraid to embrace a propagated falsehood. In the case of Governments, large swaths of the population can at times buy into what is quite obviously, even demonstrably, a fallacy.
I have come to a serious realization that objectivity is a myth, at best a rarity. I think it was... more I have come to a serious realization that objectivity is a myth, at best a rarity. I think it was a romantic idea from the very beginning, that we can look at a fact and see it for what it is. Facts are facts. They can be numbers, they can be things, objects, even UFOs. They should be easy enough to appreciate and accept as they are. In fact, they may be to the human mind, but hardly to the human person.
Causality is a relationship between causes and effects. It is considered to be fundamental to all... more Causality is a relationship between causes and effects. It is considered to be fundamental to all natural sciences and behavioural sciences, especially physics. Causality is also a topic studied from the perspectives of philosophy, statistics, and logic.
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Papers by Dr. Jack Dikian
But stereotyped scrawny moonshiners can be forgiven for believing stories of alien abductions perpetuated in the cloak of night. In 1969, before becoming President, Jimmy Carter filed a report of what he took to be a UFO with the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City.
Long before Australia saw four sitting prime ministers deposed by their own parties between 2010 and 2018 giving Canberra the title "the coup capital of the democratic world."
Long before the United Kingdom, once known for its stable politics, saw five prime ministers unceremoniously dumped by their colleagues post the 2016 Brexit vote.
And long before the establishment of an authoritarian leaning "Make America Great Again" presidency in the United States, the first Prime Minister of Singapore published "Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas."
A book that doesn't just capture the essence that shaped modern Singapore, but provides a window into how amongst other things, inapt and cowardly leaders are responsible for the decline of democracy in Asia and many Western nations.
Lee passed away on 23 March 2015 at the age of 92. His book, which was first published in 1998 tells the story of his life from when the Japanese occupied Singapore in 1941 until 1998 when he was serving as a Senior Minister.
It chronicles the events, people and political fortunes that were to shape Lee's view of the world, as well as the path he set for the transformation of Singapore. It delves into the choices he made, the political turnings he took, the insights gained.
Their job was to regulate capitalism for the benefit of everyone. In an age of optimism, there were few who challenged this new vision. But one man on the margins was convinced it would lead to disaster.
He was an Austrian aristocrat called Friedrich von Hayek, who had fled the Nazis and now taught at the University of Chicago.
Hayek was convinced that the use of politics to plan society was far more dangerous than any problems produced by capitalism because it inevitably led to tyranny and the end of freedom.
Most so-called quote-unquote normal folk usually live under the illusion that when they use the word “I” they are referring to some presence which is inside of the body.
I can feel this, I can feel that, I can sense this, and perhaps for those with the rare neurological phenomenon, synesthete, hear what they smell and smell what they see.
This presence of self is associated with the state of awareness - that fundamental part of the human experience involving consciousness, mindfulness, and cognizant of both one's external surroundings as well as internal experiences.
It doesn't make any sense. You mean something that happens to me a quarter of a second later keeps me from noticing what's happening to me now. And if what happens to me a quarter of a second later doesn't happen to me, then I respond now.
Happily for Clarke fans, the magic described in this essay, whilst so far short on stirring-up the kind of intonating incantations some physicists and computer scientists believe is deserved – the implications, if they are right, challenges the nature of space, time and even reality.
The 2024 Physics World Breakthrough of the year prize was shared between two teams - one at Harvard University and the other at the Google Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab, for their advancements in quantum error correction.
You might ask – what’s so “magical” about computer error correction. How can something as mundane as detecting and fixing computer bugs be implicated in theories that describe the very fabric of reality.
Happily for Clarke fans, the magic described in this essay, whilst so far short on stirring-up the kind of intonating incantations some physicists and computer scientists believe is deserved – the implications, if they are right, challenges the nature of space, time and even reality.
A few months ago I contributed an essay in this magazine discussing the collaborative work of turn of the 20 th century Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli, and founders of analytical psychology and psychotherapy, Carl Jung, and Sigmond Freud. Each in their own way and in company sought to understand the relationship between the physical, psychological, and mystical domains. Their various degree of association and exact range of embrace with outlier themes transcending ordinary human perception and language (including mysticisms, the occult, and alchemy) ebbed and flowed in some cases spanning some twenty-five years.
His "crisis of his life" marked by his mother's suicide in reaction to his father’s infidelity, and the end of his brief but much troubled marriage to cabaret dancer Käthe Deppner, the future Nobel laureate, Wolfgang Pauli, turned to seeking psychiatric help and respite.
He in fact turned to the famous Swiss analytical psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung, oblivious to the fact that he and his therapist would come to collaborate in a significant intellectual exchange exploring the relationship between the psyche and the physical world for some twenty-five years.
The idea that he was considering this in the early seventeenth century is remarkable in and of itself; And when he talks of “thinking machines” in the Discourse on Method and talks of machines in other places in the Cartesian corpus, he shows that he has an artificial intelligence theory.
This book will examine a physical world where it is possible to be in two places at the same time. We will discuss how the act of observation influences the result of that observation.
After all, facts are facts, and they should never fade away on account of prejudice, bias, or the local Mayor.
In my desire to believe in something, someone, a political party, like many, I’ve never been too scared to embrace a propagated falsehood, a myth, or a misleading narrative when they dare.