- Saturday, June 16th, 11:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. @ the Democracy Lab at Grand Army Plaza
- Thursday, June 21st, 4:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. @ the Socrates Sculpture Park’s Solstice Celebration
- Sunday, July 1st, 12:00 P.M.-4:00 P.M. @ the Flatbush Avenue Street Fair
- Sunday, July 15th, 11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. @ the Jackson Heights Greenmarket
- Friday, July 27th, 11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. @ the Union Square Greenmarket
- Saturday, June 16th, 11:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. @ the Democracy Lab at Grand Army Plaza
- Thursday, June 21st, 4:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. @ the Socrates Sculpture Park’s Solstice Celebration
- Sunday, July 1st, 12:00 P.M.-4:00 P.M. @ the Flatbush Avenue Street Fair
- Sunday, July 15th, 11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. @ the Jackson Heights Greenmarket
- Friday, July 27th, 11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. @ the Union Square Greenmarket
From basic arithmetic to the calculation of rocket trajectories, mathematics provides an elegant means of systematically understanding and quantifying the world around us. Beyond its computational functions, however, mathematics serves an even more vital purpose: It illuminates the most fundamental knowledge of our universe, furnishing the tools that classical physics, quantum mechanics, and astronomy use to develop and build upon their findings.
But why should mathematics be so effective in explaining our universe, as first noted by Nobel laureate physicist Eugene Wigner? Why have fundamental laws discovered through pure mathematics turned out to describe the behavior of our physical world with such remarkable precision, from the fundamental law of gravitation to Maxwell’s electromagnetic equations? Given that our physical universe is comprised of mathematical properties, some have posited that mathematics is the language of the universe, whose laws reveal what appears to be a hidden order in the natural world. But are there also limits to what mathematics can reveal about the mystery of our universe?
Theoretical physicist S. James Gates Jr. and science writer Margaret Wertheim join Steve Paulson to explore the mystery of our universe and the uncanny potential of mathematics to reveal the laws of nature.
*Reception to follow
This event is part of the Conversations on the Nature of Reality series.
Moderated by journalist Steve Paulson, Executive Producer of Wisconsin Public Radio’s To the Best of Our Knowledge, this three-part series at the New York Academy of Sciences brings together leading scientists and thinkers to explore the fundamental nature of reality through the lens of personal experience and scientific inquiry.
To learn more about each lecture and to purchase tickets, click on the links below.
- The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe, Wednesday, October 10, 2018
- Human Cognition and the AI Revolution, Thursday, December 6, 2018
- Reality is Not As it Seems, Thursday, February 7, 2019
Brooklyn Public Philosophers is hosting a movie and discussion on Zootopia. Free popcorn.
Brooklyn Public Philosophers is hosting a movie and discussion on “Inside Out”. Free popcorn.
Brooklyn Public Philosophers is hosting a movie and discussion on “Stalker”. Free popcorn.
We’re setting up a series of Ask a Philosopher booths at the Turnstyle Underground Market at Columbus Circle from January 7th to January 10th from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. It’s sort of the public-facing component of a big philosophy conference taking place in the city, so it’s a cool opportunity to talk with philosophers from all over the country.
When we’re asked to give examples of philosophical questions, we’re likely to think of questions that are very, very old. Is the physical world all there is? How should I live? How do we know what we know? But some philosophical problems are quite new, made possible or urgent by new developments in science and culture. These are often the most exciting problems to think through.
On March 7th at 7:30 PM, Derek Skillings joins Brooklyn Public Philosophers to share his work on the philosophical consequences of the fact that we are holobionts – biological units composed of hosts and their associated swarms of microorganisms. If you’re interested in health, the problem of personal identity, the philosophy of biology in general, or the philosophical consequences of the fact that we’re made up of a bunch of little things which are themselves alive in particular, you’ll want to check this one out. Here’s the abstract:
“I, holobiont. Are you and your microbes a community or a single entity?”
You are a holobiont – a biological unit made up of a host and its associated microbiome (bacteria, protists, viruses and other microscopic entities). What consequences does this have for how we understand ourselves and other similar organisms? What are our spatial and temporal boundaries, and what does it mean to be a healthy holobiont? In this talk I will look at some alternatives for making sense of both holobiont individuality and “healthy holobiont/microbiome” talk. I will argue that existing accounts of human health are not appropriate for microbiomes, and that notions of ecosystem health face similar shortcomings. I will end by looking at some possibilities for understanding overall host health given the importance and ubiquity of microbiomes.
As usual, we meet at the Dweck Center at the Grand Army Plaza branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Here’s the Facebook event! Tell everyone, please!