ROBERT

I was charmed by this story.

I liked the two contrasting parts. The first is a fictional biography that sets the scene for the criminal investigation in the second part.

Very readable and develops the authors personal interpretation of Mann's life.

I found this book extremely helpful in disentangling dispositional tendencies and objective probabilities that are grounded in these dispositions to but not identical.

https://critont.blogspot.com/2022/11/potentiality-and-probability.html

On first reading I was extremely impressed but I now think overly impressed. The book is worth reading and has insights into the application of evolutionary game theory to perception mechanisms.

It provides good evidence that reality is not always as we perceive it. That is not surprising or original but less dramatic than claiming a case against reality.

This book is interesting but comes across as a series of sketches of personalities associated with Oxford Philosophy in the mid-20th century.

This a readable and informative opinion piece. It is mystery as to why it is published as philosophy. It offers no deep analysis or insight into “Why people get Rothko but don't get Stockhausen”.

This is not an easy book. It is however clear and well argued. For someone who is not a professional philosopher a motivation will be needed to persist. I my case the motivation is the need for a metaphysics of potentiality and possibility to make sense of a develop some suggestions made by Heisenberg in his “Physics and Philosophy”.

There are other motivations. Staying with quantum mechanics the modal metaphysics in this book is relevant to the multiverse interpretation of quantum theory.

Barabara Vetter's theory provides a formal theory and structure that I believe may be useful in providing a coherent and realist account of quantum physics.

A sketch of an ontology.

I have tried over the last few years to develop a better understanding of quantum physics. This has led me to identify a number of requirements:
* a physical ontology
* objective probability
* objective physical events
* a theory of measurement
* physics beyond measurement

Ruth Kastner's theory addresses all of these and more. The resulting ontology is peculiar but quantum physics is taken seriously. For such a difficult subject, it is a very readable book too.

6th May 2024 - To add to what I wrote above, this book should be read by everyone who wants to learn of a treatment of quantum physics that avoids a hoc assumptions, explains the importance of situating non-relativistic QM in the wider relativistic theory AND solves the measurement problem.

Abosulute classic

This book provides an interesting analysis on how to save enlightenment universalism from its own failings and the threat from identity politics. It provides a refreshing counter to the crude political and social media “woke” versus “anti-woke” shouting match. It draws on Spinoza, Kant, Nietzsche, and Martin Luther King Jr. It also uses the declaration of independence and constitution of the USA to analyse the interplay between aspiration, reality, and law.

An biography that is enthusiastic and beautifully written. It has widened my interest in Donne and I am now looking forward to reading his later works.

This is an interesting but frustrating book. The style is informal and takes too many diversions. More quasi-formal logical arguments are scattered through the text but are not always watertight. I think the case is made that a perfectly implemented simulated creats a reality but not for imperfect simulation. This would required a more developed pluralist ontology such as the “Fields of Sense” (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ywjdCQAAQBAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false) of Marcus Gabriel.

An enjoyable novel based on the story of a friend of Jane Austin.

There is an extended section on the rehearsal and performance of the Saint Mathew Passion. It works! It is one of the most moving descriptions I have read.

I have a lot of sympathy with this plead for an inspiring, aspirational, declaration of values to guide open, liberal democracy.

The case made for a declaration is convincing and applies beyond the EU target domain. However, the declaration proposed, while I agree with the values expressed, does not have the inspiring resonance of historical declarations.

The overly flower prose masks some promising ideas and the superficiality in areas that the author should have left aside. The ornate presentation also conceals the extent to which his relativistic interpretation does not deliver. Rovelli has obviously read widely but the book would have been better if he had shared less.

Although opaque in places, Rovelli's technical papers make a better case. The largely rhetorical presentation in this book does not require much background in quantum physics but fails to make anything resembling a persuasive case for the relational interpretation (in the form given by Rovelli) of quantum physics.

I found this a well argued critique of “identity theory”. It could only be problematic to those who treat that theory as dogma. Debate is essential.

This is a professionally written entertainment that draws on Boyd's experience with the film industry.

“Human Compatible”, is written for a general audience. It helps if you are a reasonably informed member of the general public, but the book rewards the effort with not only an overview of the current successes of AI but also addressing the technical and ethical challenges with novel, constructive proposals. It is highly recommended.

http://blog.kritik.co.uk/2019/11/review-human-campatible-by-stuart.html

A nice short correction for anyone who tends to look down on children's books.

Although evidently focused on the American situation, much carries over to the UK.

This Is a useful and inventive book on the paradoxes of infinity and their resolution.

4 stars for effort on a difficult subject. To be read as a start not as a conclusion.