Mug Shots: Two-Dimensional Perception of Three-Dimenional Reality
You wanna know why I like Thursdays? It's because Thursday is the day right before Friday, when there are no classes. That means that Thursday night is a night when we can go to Jerusalem, hang out at all the restaurants and clubs, see all our friends from other yeshivot, and stay out late.
This does not hold true for me, of course. Nevertheless, Thursday nights are arguably the best nights of the week. For those who dig the learning, Thursday nights are mishmar, when they can stay in the Beit Midrash all night learning (of course, they could do that any night of the week, but some of them still think that the Beit Midrash closes every night at midnight, and turns back into a pumpkin). For the rest of us, Thursday nights mean all sorts of fun, as there are no classes tomorrow (a few of us are still looking into the rumor that the Beit Midrash is actually open on Fridays).
For example, Movie Night. Tonight we watched "The Cooler," which featured excellent performances by William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. The plot was intriguing, if not totally realistic, and had a good message about the nature of the old casino business, change versus modernization, and luck. I also really enjoyed how the soundtrack catered to the themes and feelings of the film. People also play games such as poker, basketball, or my new favorite, "The Settlers of Catan." (I hope my family gets a set soon, because if they don't practice before I get home for Pesach, I will have a huge advantage when I start to teach them.)
As for the past two days or so, let's see: I did my weekly dose of community service yesterday, or rather, as it is Friday morning, two days ago. I had a talk with my superior, and I mentioned the issues I wrote about after my last trip to Kibbutz Gesher. Ohr and I spent a good 35 minutes cutting magazine pictures together, engaging in an endeavor that I never could have guessed would be a "joint activity." I filled out a brief survey for the social worker, leaving what I suspect were important questions blank since I didn't understand all of what they were saying.
Today, or rather, yesterday, I worked with yet another chevruta. I have been told that I am in the running for the title of "most chevrutas in one year," and I still have four-plus months left. Since Dov switched to Rav Meir's class (Dov thinks Rav Yitzchak hates him), I have worked with Eitan Gordon, Yair Lerner, Jason, David Meyer-Deutsch, and today, Rafael "Chico" Shenkolavsky. I gotta do something about this, and quick. Actually, quick isn't such an issue.
We also held a surprise birthday party for Zev yesterday. Ilan made balloon animals, and we gathered decorations, food, and people in the tower. We waited for 25 minutes, but whoever was in charge couldn't get Zev to come. Zev prefered to study instead of party, so we had to go to him instead. We marched singing from the tower, instantly quieted as we entered the Beit Midrash, and turned up the volume just as quickly when we entered the library. I declare, it was almost like a cartoon, the sudden quieting only for a Beit Midrash/library/room with a sleeping baby. One of my favorite
parts of the party was while we were waiting, we were passing around an ordinary banana and talking on it as if it were a cell phone. I was one of those initiating it, and it was quite hilarious, seeing everyone pretend to talk into this ordinary banana.
I wanted to share what I learned in Rav Yitzchak's Torah & Science Class. We were examining the position of Israeli scientist Hugo Bergman, who examined the relationship between reality and the attempt of language to describe it. Bergman says that the conflicts that we have with in perceiving reality is not a problem in reality, but in how we perceive it.
Take, for example, the example we used, of the coffee cup. Figure A is a picture of the cup (already a problem in itself, but you can take an actual mug to really experience this). Now, it is impossible to "recreate" the three-dimensional mug on a two-dimensional surface. One can do one of two things: one can lie, and draw the mug as an illusion. This is Figure C, the standard way to draw a 3D cylinder on a 2D surface. And while this looks acurate, the rim of the cup is not elliptical, as in the illustration, but circular. This method attempts to recreate all aspects of 3D perception on 2D, and since this is impossible, creates an illusion.
The alternative is to admit that one cannot make a 3D representation on a 2D surface, so instead create multiple 2D images that, when taken together, give a better representation of the 3D item. Take Figure B, which portrays the mug from three perspectives: side (i), above (ii), and another side (iii). This is what one sees at that angle. Each is absolutely true, from its point of view. And when taken together, they contribute to a joint perception of reality.
Bergman argues that while images (i) and (ii) seem to conflict, they are actually contributing to a more acurate representation of the truth. Bergman then applies this to Torah and Science. It may appear that they are conflicting, and that is because they are. But a more accurate picture than Figure C is Figure B, even though it seems to show multiple angles. In essence, (i), (ii), and (iii) are all truths, and the conflict shows that the language we have is insufficient, not that the facts are wrong. For example, science says the world is 4.5 billion years old, but the Torah says the world is in its 5756th year. Which is right? If you look at Figure C, you have to say one is right and one is wrong, but your picture is illusory and compromises some part of the reality. If you look at Figure C, you will realize that the conflict is due to the fact that we do not know enough or have enough skills to understand. If you saw just (ii), you wouldn't guess it was a mug. But if you look at a real mug from above, you will have to conceded that, at from that vantage point, it is a circle.
Phew. I hope you understand that; I'm not even sure if I did, or if I described it correctly. If not, I will apologize. Later, all.
This does not hold true for me, of course. Nevertheless, Thursday nights are arguably the best nights of the week. For those who dig the learning, Thursday nights are mishmar, when they can stay in the Beit Midrash all night learning (of course, they could do that any night of the week, but some of them still think that the Beit Midrash closes every night at midnight, and turns back into a pumpkin). For the rest of us, Thursday nights mean all sorts of fun, as there are no classes tomorrow (a few of us are still looking into the rumor that the Beit Midrash is actually open on Fridays).
For example, Movie Night. Tonight we watched "The Cooler," which featured excellent performances by William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. The plot was intriguing, if not totally realistic, and had a good message about the nature of the old casino business, change versus modernization, and luck. I also really enjoyed how the soundtrack catered to the themes and feelings of the film. People also play games such as poker, basketball, or my new favorite, "The Settlers of Catan." (I hope my family gets a set soon, because if they don't practice before I get home for Pesach, I will have a huge advantage when I start to teach them.)
As for the past two days or so, let's see: I did my weekly dose of community service yesterday, or rather, as it is Friday morning, two days ago. I had a talk with my superior, and I mentioned the issues I wrote about after my last trip to Kibbutz Gesher. Ohr and I spent a good 35 minutes cutting magazine pictures together, engaging in an endeavor that I never could have guessed would be a "joint activity." I filled out a brief survey for the social worker, leaving what I suspect were important questions blank since I didn't understand all of what they were saying.
Today, or rather, yesterday, I worked with yet another chevruta. I have been told that I am in the running for the title of "most chevrutas in one year," and I still have four-plus months left. Since Dov switched to Rav Meir's class (Dov thinks Rav Yitzchak hates him), I have worked with Eitan Gordon, Yair Lerner, Jason, David Meyer-Deutsch, and today, Rafael "Chico" Shenkolavsky. I gotta do something about this, and quick. Actually, quick isn't such an issue.
We also held a surprise birthday party for Zev yesterday. Ilan made balloon animals, and we gathered decorations, food, and people in the tower. We waited for 25 minutes, but whoever was in charge couldn't get Zev to come. Zev prefered to study instead of party, so we had to go to him instead. We marched singing from the tower, instantly quieted as we entered the Beit Midrash, and turned up the volume just as quickly when we entered the library. I declare, it was almost like a cartoon, the sudden quieting only for a Beit Midrash/library/room with a sleeping baby. One of my favorite
parts of the party was while we were waiting, we were passing around an ordinary banana and talking on it as if it were a cell phone. I was one of those initiating it, and it was quite hilarious, seeing everyone pretend to talk into this ordinary banana.I wanted to share what I learned in Rav Yitzchak's Torah & Science Class. We were examining the position of Israeli scientist Hugo Bergman, who examined the relationship between reality and the attempt of language to describe it. Bergman says that the conflicts that we have with in perceiving reality is not a problem in reality, but in how we perceive it.
Take, for example, the example we used, of the coffee cup. Figure A is a picture of the cup (already a problem in itself, but you can take an actual mug to really experience this). Now, it is impossible to "recreate" the three-dimensional mug on a two-dimensional surface. One can do one of two things: one can lie, and draw the mug as an illusion. This is Figure C, the standard way to draw a 3D cylinder on a 2D surface. And while this looks acurate, the rim of the cup is not elliptical, as in the illustration, but circular. This method attempts to recreate all aspects of 3D perception on 2D, and since this is impossible, creates an illusion.The alternative is to admit that one cannot make a 3D representation on a 2D surface, so instead create multiple 2D images that, when taken together, give a better representation of the 3D item. Take Figure B, which portrays the mug from three perspectives: side (i), above (ii), and another side (iii). This is what one sees at that angle. Each is absolutely true, from its point of view. And when taken together, they contribute to a joint perception of reality.
Bergman argues that while images (i) and (ii) seem to conflict, they are actually contributing to a more acurate representation of the truth. Bergman then applies this to Torah and Science. It may appear that they are conflicting, and that is because they are. But a more accurate picture than Figure C is Figure B, even though it seems to show multiple angles. In essence, (i), (ii), and (iii) are all truths, and the conflict shows that the language we have is insufficient, not that the facts are wrong. For example, science says the world is 4.5 billion years old, but the Torah says the world is in its 5756th year. Which is right? If you look at Figure C, you have to say one is right and one is wrong, but your picture is illusory and compromises some part of the reality. If you look at Figure C, you will realize that the conflict is due to the fact that we do not know enough or have enough skills to understand. If you saw just (ii), you wouldn't guess it was a mug. But if you look at a real mug from above, you will have to conceded that, at from that vantage point, it is a circle.
Phew. I hope you understand that; I'm not even sure if I did, or if I described it correctly. If not, I will apologize. Later, all.
posted by Yoni Bain | 3:55 PM
2 Comments:
please try to post more photos of the scenery b/c I'm doing a report on the golan and so far the pictures are really nice
-Sarah
Ceci n'est pas une pipe.
Post a Comment
<< Home