mamout and Gardner's The Nightmare
With the release of Alberta and Teresa and the donation of 4000 books to the prison where they were, the darkness fell little bit a few weeks ago, with the death of Martin Gardner moved too. Gardner was a bright minds that influenced millions of people, many of whom do not even notice it, do not even know who he was. While Woodrow Wilson in 1914 invaded Mexico and Victoriano Huerta's government was tottering, a wealthy family would welcome the world Tulsa, Oklahoma the little Martin. A Life vast, varied and full of intellectual and experiential adventures awaited him. After studying philosophy at the University of Chicago, for participation in combat, interest in mathematics, theology and science in general realize their intellectual voracity and intensity with which he lived. Its literary interests led him to venture timidly in the literature, but his inquisitive mind, culture and great handling of the English language naturally led him and lucky to literary criticism. This way you allowed to arrive to the wonderful country that Carroll created for little Alice, where his mathematical skills eventually become the great commentator of those places across the mirror. Annotated edition of Alice, re flooded the shelves of bookstores thanks to the push that Burton gave him last winter (and even a bench near the base of Mexico City where I found a paperback of it). Undoubtedly the great commentator of Alice in Wonderland wonderland. Speaking of Burton, Gardner also has an annotated edition of N ight Before Christmas , with plenty of versions and imitations of the Christmas poem that parodies the original title of the strange world of Jack. His column on mathematical games (Gardner, not Jack) that appeared in Scientific American every month continues to be an object of desire, hobby and help for teachers and mathematicians. The illustrations became popular elegy Escher's drawings, fractals and the tangram. However their contributions to world culture are not doubt the funny and blunt criticism of pseudoscientific quack terms were found. Which would not be surprising in someone with those interests, honesty and media access, except that their victims were not easily merolicos defeasible. Its objectives were often well above the mausanes and Amiras across the Rio Grande. Focused equally to this irrationality behind academic titles was eroded throughout his life, that intellectual fragility is almost a taxonomic character of politicians.
betrayed Like the Reagan's fondness for divination and ridiculously dangerous than someone who believes in astrology could launch a nuclear bomb (Jacobo , nuclear!) that scholars who "thought" seriously jonkies Castaneda jokes to get money.
With it we laugh at the stupidity of intellectual intended to validate statistically the hidden messages in the Bible, reincarnation neuroscience, the curative effect of distilled water with sugar (ie homeopathy) or remote viewing and telepathy to dress up in scientific nomenclature as a university is neglected. Lunatics are in all the universities, is a must and a tradition. But academic programs, with funding and approvals that's another thing. Fortunately and the unmasked Gardner shamelessly gracefully. And that did not meet the FFyL of the UNAM, as given in recent years to clothe any idea just be discredited or ridiculed.
Far from the din Dawkins irrational to destroy those who think like him, Gardner argued against the absurd truth, showing the involuntary grace contained with just looking at them intelligently. Demonstrated, for example, normal intelligence for Al Gore and their children attempts to divert taxes to study paranormal phenomena. The paradox that an institution that carries his name the word intelligence (like the CIA) tried to seriously punch wheels sticking pins in pictures of Russian tanks, we can only laugh, thank you and appreciate more the former attorney of the State of Mexico and its explanations how a man of 15 kilos can choke to death with a quilt, be invisible, odorless, colorless and non-volume rot in over a week.
died last Saturday at age 95 Martin Gardner, one of the strongest pillars and discrete civilization sent a few days before his latest collaboration with Skeptical Inquirer (to be published next autumn) talking about the promotion of irrational and bizarre beliefs that makes New Age Oprah Winfrey. Last Saturday, we went a bit more in this new Dark Ages with all and Twitter.
