Jonathan Shearman (Wayfarer)

An important and profound book. I have been studying these subjects for decades, albeit as an interested reader rather than scholar, and have laboured through quite a lot of Kant’s writings (and it is labour) and Heisenberg’s philosophical musings. Borges, I was not familiar with, but his inclusion here is perfectly understandable in the context. And that context is to shine a light on a profound philosophical problem from three perspectives - literature, physics and philosophy, represented in the lives and work of each of the protagonists. That problem is the nature and limitations of knowledge, scientific and general. It is an exploration of the age-old conundrum of the division between reality and appearance, between what is, and what simply seems to be. The essence of things, the heart of the matter. Already modern physics has shown that what we take to be the irrefutable solidity of matter to be on another level a shimmering illusion and the age-old certainties of religious faith have been dissolved in Enlightenment practicality. These are among the problems Eggington tackles. What is especially illuminating is the biographical detail of the three main figures. Although I was familiar with some of their writings, I was far less so on the details of their lives, and here those details provide great insights into why these men thought as they did, what motivated them, the problems they wrested with and challenges they faced and set themselves. And it’s rigorously documented throughout from primary sources, which Eggington has assimilated with enviable skill and erudition. For readers in this space whom I imagine would be reasonably well-educated non-specialists, this book is a real gem, a volume to read and ponder for years to come.

Matteo Mancuso was my big musical discovery of 2023. He's an amazing artist, totally proficient, highly musical and astoundingly versatile. He's listened to and absorbed everything guitar is about in the last half century. The album is great, with huge range across all kinds of styles, from window-shaking metal to the lightest of electric jazz and everything in between. Highly recommended.

Fascinating book and important reading. Pinter is a mathematics professor, and his approach is solidly grounded in cognitive science and evolutionary biology. The basic idea is that the mind organises cogntition in terms of gestalts, or meaningful wholes, which are the means by which even the simplest sentient creatures navigate the world. Even gestalts do not have objective existence - they are purely cognitive in nature - they are the fundamental constituents of lived reality. It's written in a very spare style and doesn't engage in abstruse philosophical speculation, yet it has profound philosophical implications. To me, it conveys the framework for a credible form of philosophical dualism, although he doesn't explicitly say so in the text. Highly recommended.