To seek the foundations of reality we look through the prism of mathematics. Mathematics is the universal language anyone, anywhere, can appreciate. We ask profound questions. Why is math true and beautiful? Is math intrinsic or imposed? Why math’s “unreasonable effectiveness”? What are mathematical breakthroughs? Why probability and power laws? Can math explain biology, elucidate…
How brain enhancements can correct disabilities are important questions. But not Closer To Truth questions. What happens to personal identity? Would “I” still be me? What about moral standing? Would it change? Could my mind be uploaded? Would “I” live on?
The pre-eminent power of music to affect human emotions exemplifies human-level experience. How can this happen? How does music alter mental states and what does this alteration reveal about mental states? Can music probe how the mind works?
How does the brain process sounds, transforming mechanical changes in air pressure into astonishing mental experiences we call music? The neuroscience of music – from enrapturing love songs to martial national anthems – is radically challenging.
What can we learn when people deceive? There are all kinds of deception: from lying, duplicity, and disguises, to propaganda, disinformation, and deep fakes. Self-deception, too, offers insight. Why would evolution select for deceiving ourselves?
Deception pervades all life, up and down the phylogenetic tree. Deceptions have a “purpose” – the well-being, often the survival, of the deceiver. But deceptions need not be done “on purpose”. In the tool-kit of evolution, what is the workload of deception?
Biologists work in different worlds than do physicists, separated by vast orders of magnitude, numbers of variables, and levels of complexity. Does the process of Breakthroughs by biologists differ from the process of Breakthroughs by physicists?
The nature of scientific Breakthroughs is one approach; the process of scientific Breakthroughs is quite another. When physicists reflect on how they do physics, when physicists review the history of physics, what are the ways in which Breakthroughs occur?
Scientific Breakthroughs are discoveries or theories that are milestones and touchstones, signposts and short-cuts, surprises and revelations. How to get at the nature or essence of the Breakthrough process?
To explore scientific Breakthroughs is to find theories or discoveries that challenge conventional wisdom, change patterns of thought, provide novel frameworks for research. What is the deep essence or general nature of scientific breakthroughs?
The mysteries of life constitute the science of biology. But solving biological mysteries often require Breakthroughs: new, even radical ways of thinking that disrupt current paradigms.
Science explores how the world works. Breakthroughs drive science, challenging conventional wisdom, changing ways of thinking. Physics is foundational. What are Breakthroughs in Physics? What characterizes Breakthroughs in Physics?