Murray Gell-Mann: Beauty and Truth in Physics

Anyway, I've managed to refine my point: The purpose of science is non other then to describe, just like rational, factual thought itself.
Therefore, "scientific" facts (as all facts, for this matter) don't actually exist in reality as descriptions, but rather as things described.
Accordingly, "laws" of physics don't exist before hand as formulations but as what's to be formulated.

Oh, but it DOES inform us of a fundamental truth about OURSELVES which regards our endeavors to explore and understand the universe.
That we can't escape from ourselves and that everywhere we go and in any thing we discover we'll keep on finding that were staring at our own faces, over and over again - because reality is also our creation, our projections.

Solaris is exactly about the opposite of this "projection". Solaris talks about the limitations of human mind in understanding the intelligence of an extraterrestial creature. Using that case study, Solaris suggests that this "projection" is just an illusion of our mind, it doesn't actually inform us about the truths of the universe.

(There IS an outraging atmosphere of arrogance and self indulgence though... and this laughter - ohh! -- I've always hated these things!)

So that there's nothing wrong in saying "things are there that can be discovered", weather those are mountains, facts about the brain, organisms, their behavior or "laws" of physics. (come to think of it, I see the novel 'Solaris' as being about this "projection" in the context of space exploration). Am I to prepare my self to more hooliganism?

Though M.Gellmann here is rather vulgar and annoying at times, there's no reason and excuse for conducting yourself so rudely and to spit poison in peoples faces.
Now, I tried to suggest that perception - in a way - IS a projection and that therefore there is no other "truth" to attain BUT by means of this projection, weather it's scientific (what ever this means) or not...

Yes, I know it's existence Einstein. My point is, there is no relation between this self-contained exercise we call science and "truth". The idea that the patterns of our mind (re-manifesting themselves over and over again in the form of various theories) are a verdict on the true nature of universe, is an assumption.

To take this assumption for fact, like grand-old-fart does in this video, much like of his ilk, is arrogance bordering on stupidity.

Sounds like Machio Kakos field string theory inverted... some good points. For math to exsist, there has to be a master mathematician. This isn't by chance, it is by design but the snapshot of time which is so extream that it keeps us learning and evolving.

Can't see how this is different from perception and thought in general.
To perceive and think is to "implement the designs of the mind" upon reality and to "discover those same old patterns" - we do it weather we like it or not. This is the nature of our existence as thinking, communicating and therefore Thought-formulating beings.
So science isn't better or worse in this general state that we're in that you consider as masturbation.
Take this "masturbation" for existence.

stupid arrogant humans, we keep implementing the designs of our own limited minds upon the universe, keep discovering the same old paterns and keep thinking we are uncovering universal truths. The whole of the history of science is one long episode of collective human mental masturbation.

If you were to smell this man, I can assure you he would smell of coffee.

LOL!

He talks like Prof. Farnsworth of Futurama!

This is what I want to see! I love TED talks. Genuinely intelligent and entertaining. Is there anything else like this on Youtube?

I loved the comments at the end. Indeed.. no God needed. That's not to say a God or gods doesn't exist, just not needed to explain our existence.

well, it could be that analysis is not a pragmatic indulgence, resolutions are what people want and then, beyond that they want enterntainment
and whyever not?
chuckle chuckle

So true! .. It makes me want to cry!

Saw the one about african fractals already and it is great.

That Robbins fella is utter crap, I agree with you there, although I admire his mastery of selling his bullshit.

Anyway, it doesn't matter if some of these videos are less interesting. What DOES matter is that so many of them are absolutely AMAZING.

i completely agree... although arguably the tony robbins video in this series is completely worthless!! make sure you check out the video in this series on african fractals

I find it funny that a video this great only gets a few thousand views, while plenty of absolutely WORTHLESS videos get more than a million!

I'd rather say, that he didn't need the concept of a God so far :)

Ask your psychiatrist.

I poop myself and then wear my underwear on my head, does that make me funny, quirky or a physicist?

"ACCIDENTAL AND ESSENTIAL CAUSALITY. IN. JOHN DUNS SCOTUS' TREATISE ON THE. FIRST PRINCIPLES" The problems that tax theoretical physics are the same problems that exercised the minds of Medieval Philosophers like John Duns Scotus. Over eight centuries in advance of the most brilliant scientists today.

One of the best Ted talks ever - and that's up against some very stiff competition.

Absolutely excellent.