PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 27th September: Failing helps us to mature

Dear Friends,

This Sunday we are discussing: Failing helps us to mature
I forgot to ask for topics last Sunday so I picked up a topic from the
many suggested over the years.
Failing many times helps us to mature: topic by Norma suggested 15th May
2016

Short essay by Lawrence: Failing helps us to mature
https://www.philomadrid.com/2020/09/failing-helps-us-to-mature.html

Don't forget Oscar's book
El Virus de Wuhan: 44 garabatos y ripios de un confinado en Madrid
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B089CJJMLY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_8X30EbFRN3RCH


Finally, the Skype Meeting is on Sunday 27th September at 6:30pm: if you
don't have the link already please send me a message. In the meantime
sometimes new members have problems connecting to Skype. Having the
desktop version helps, and the mobile phone version is also useful. For
some reason Skype fails to connect via a browser. Other times you might
need to restart your PC, but once you connect there is no problem.

Best and take care
Lawrence

telephone/WhatsApp: 606081813
Email: philomadrid@gmail.com
http://www.philomadrid.com

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 27th September: Failing helps us to
mature

Failing helps us to mature

Failing helps us to mature

 

Failing many times helps us to mature: topic by Norma suggested 15^th May 2016

 

Learning from experience or from our mistakes has been a long established doctrine and belief for centuries. Indeed mistakes are a relevant source of learning and to develop our character.

 

There are many issues and factors at play in this topic. Sometimes it takes us a long time to discover we are making a mistake with consequences that are best avoided. We might make such mistakes because we simply don’t know what to do, we might be misinformed or maybe we misinterpret the information we have or even lack of attention. The question is whether we can apply lessons learned from a genre type of mistake to another genre type of mistake.

 

For example learning to check the details of a flight ticket on a web page and applying that lesson to a government document. We all agree that these are two different contexts but the only common denominator is our lack of attention to check the details. Although it might very well be the lack of clear information given by these organisations. And does it matter that the organisations concerned should make their information clear?

 

A more serious context is when we stick to our beliefs even when the evidence shows that we are wrong or unjustified in those beliefs.  This is very common in political conviction or anything that engages our emotions for example sports. We might believe that our football team is the best team in the country but they have never won anything. Of course, there is no legal or rational law that prohibits us from supporting our team but there is an empirical and linguistic implication in claiming our team is the best; at least without demonstrating why. The language and emotions we engage do have an influence on whether we “mature” or not.

 

We also have the saying, practice makes perfect. This is also a true and verified doctrine if ever there was one: sports people, musicians, and actors can easily confirm the validity of this doctrine. And this doctrine applies to all disciplines. But for this doctrine to succeed implies that we are prepared to recognise that we make mistakes and are willing to correct them and learn from them.

 

I would argue that the duty of a teacher or a master is not only to identify our mistakes but rather to help us learn from our mistakes maybe by showing us why we made the mistake and what we need to know to avoid future mistakes.

 

This idea of failing and learning from our failings is very important for the scientific method. Indeed we also have an expression in our language to reflect the scientific world: trial and error. We employ this idea of trial and error in all walks of life but in science we apply it most of all in the context of negative results and falsifiability/refutability of hypothesis.

 

Negative results might be a consequence of errors in our data, or errors in our experiments. In a way negative results might be due to our failure to be attentive to what we are doing. Maybe we just don’t know that certain procedures might create a bias under certain conditions but this information is already in the public domain but we failed to find the information. Negative results do not necessarily falsify a hypothesis.

 

Whereas we still believe our hypotheses to be true when it has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt our belief is false; something like the supporter of a football club who claims the club is the best without elaborating further. Today we have expressions to describe such people, including: nutters, idiots, anti-vexxers, anti-maskers and flat Earthers.  

 

 

Best and take care

Lawrence

 

telephone/WhatsApp: 606081813

Email: philomadrid@gmail.com

http://www.philomadrid.com

 

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 27th September: Failing helps us to mature

 

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 20th September: The aesthetic beauty of machines

Dear Friends,

This Sunday we start again with our formal meetings and as you know our
topic is: The aesthetic beauty of machines.

Pedro prepared a set of images to help us see and feel machines over
time. And in my short essay I try to discuss the key issues of our subject.

A set of images sent to us by Pedro to see and feel
https://www.philomadrid.com/2020/09/the-aesthetic-beauty-of-machines-pedro.html

The aesthetic beauty of machines
https://www.philomadrid.com/2020/09/the-aesthetic-beauty-of-machines.html

Don't forget Oscar's book
El Virus de Wuhan: 44 garabatos y ripios de un confinado en Madrid
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B089CJJMLY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_8X30EbFRN3RCH

Finally, the Skype Meeting is on Sunday 20th September at 6:30pm: if you
don't have the link already please send me a message. In the meantime
sometimes new members have problems connecting to Skype. Having the
desktop version helps, and the mobile phone version is also useful. For
some reason Skype fails to connect via a browser. Other times you might
need to restart your PC, but once you connect there is no problem.

PS – if you sent me an email these past two days can you please send it
again. Thanks (the story is in the essay!)

Best and take care
Lawrence

telephone/WhatsApp: 606081813
Email: philomadrid@gmail.com
http://www.philomadrid.com

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 20th September: The aesthetic beauty
of machines

The aesthetic beauty of machines

The aesthetic beauty of machines



Today we accept that there can be no meaning or sense of something without some context. Unfortunately, in the 20th Century (even before maybe) we got accustomed to seeing things outside their contexts. Museums are full of artefacts, objects and trinkets divorced from the people and context of their makers and their first users intended them to be. Sure many times we have a good idea about the function of these things, but can we project as 21st beings our feelings about these objects onto the original people who first used these objects? Is our feeling about these objects the same as those original first time users and makers?



The idea that art is for art’s sake is maybe a romantic view of art inherited from a society with excess wealth. Indeed for many centuries art was used as a status of wealth and aesthetic has always been a component of these objects that convey the message: social status. Let’s face it even animals do it: bigger feathers, colourful coat, bigger horns and so on.



In other words beauty and functionality are not strangers in history. The question for us is whether beauty has any scope in twenty first century machinery that surrounds our life? Indeed 21st century machinery is our life and from experience we know our machines today are all about functionality.



Before moving one it is worth mentioned here the discipline and science of Ergonomics or as the Americans call the discipline Human Factors. The idea of ergonomics is to make things safer, comfortable, efficient or whatever it is that humans experience when using the machines or “things” themselves. This must surely be a good thing but we know that sometimes the human-machine interface fails. Computers are an instant of this failure and the problem is always one of communication. Despite the hype, computers are still analogical creatures in the sense that:1) they need to be told what to do or say and 2) they can only do one thing at a time.



An email-client might tell you that your email provider has prevented your client from accessing your account. And some email providers might eventually tell you that someone tried to hack your account and the provider blocked your account. But between point A of the crisis and point Z learning you have to change the password, a few hours of anxiety might have already passed by.



I, therefore, argue that something might be aesthetically pleasing, but functionally useless. However, is functionality a guarantee of something aesthetically pleasing? My immediate answer is that functionality has an aesthetic value of its own: something similar to a book or a story. It is not just the book cover that gives us some pleasure when we read a good book, but mainly the plot and the language that gives us the pleasure when reading a book. Yet some authors seem to go out of their way to antagonise the reader with the language they use.



For those familiar with car and aeroplane design over the years we can see the evolution from a metal based aesthetic (will this break off?) to the composite based design (is it strong enough, is it efficient, is it safer etc?). And the aesthetics of these machines has also evolved with the machines. At face value, modern machines exploit the aerodynamic features of a car or plane on the outside and the strength of the machines added by new materials technology.



Indeed the functionality of modern cars and planes is much better than past machines: safer, faster, comfort, distance, environment friendly, reduced noise pollution and so on. For today’s 21st century consumers the latest car model or aircraft type might seem pretty, comfortable and just looks safe and we know it is safe, but is the experience the same as a car or plane from 40 years ago? I would argue that today’s machines although they are marvels of technology some might have lost some aspects of the experience of past machines.



No modern car or plane today, would replicate the experience and exhilaration (agreed for some people it is terror and fear) of say driving at full blast a Mini Minor (116 Km/h early production) or a Fiat 500 (105 Km/h), or taking off in a Hawker Siddeley Trident or a DC-9.



And this brings me to my point about machines, functionality and aesthetics; I am assuming a painting in the Prado is no less a machine than say the latest car from Germany. It is not enough to appreciate the functionality of a machine, nor to appreciate the beauty of a machine what brings functionality and aesthetic together into one singular experience is the connoisseur characteristics we have in us. We can enjoy at the beauty of functionality of a machine, and we can enjoy the beauty of design but only a connoisseur can bring the two experience.



Of course, we cannot be connoisseurs of everything, but at least we all have the capacity to recognise and enjoy beauty and enjoy it when something works. It will be a sad day if someone never experiences the joy of beauty.




Best and take care
Lawrence

telephone/WhatsApp: 606081813
Email: philomadrid@gmail.com
http://www.philomadrid.com

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 20th September: The aesthetic beauty of machines

The aesthetic beauty of machines (Pedro)

 Collection of pictures sent to us by Pedro for the topic.

 

The aesthetic beauty of machines: A graphical essay.

12 sheets showing different instruments/ machines that humankind was sometimes able to perfect, improve or polish, and sometimes not.

The most powerful, the pencil. Without light, everything is impossible. And without a record of the experiences the work gets lost.

In this sense I show you some design solutions of mankind.

If they result beautyful, are they so for everyone, or does it depend on the eye who sees them?

Does their practicality, simplicity, or ease of use need to be included as their aesthetic values?

Excuse me if I forgot the Bic ballpoint pen or the Sheaffer or Parker fountain pens, another two solutions on the summit.

Thank you for your attention,

Pedro Rodriguez

 

Add caption

 

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 13th September: informal summer meeting

Dear Friends,

This Sunday, the 13th September, will be our last informal meeting for
the summer. Our Skype meeting is on Sunday at 6:30pm.

If you are interested in our next topic in September: The aesthetic
beauty of machines

Don't forget Oscar's book
El Virus de Wuhan: 44 garabatos y ripios de un confinado en Madrid
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B089CJJMLY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_8X30EbFRN3RCH

Finally, the Skype Meeting is on Sunday 13th September at 6:30pm: if you
don't have the link already please send me a message. In the meantime
sometimes new members have problems connecting to Skype. Having the
desktop version helps, and the mobile phone version is also useful. For
some reason Skype fails to connect via a browser. Other times you might
need to restart your PC, but once you connect there is no problem.
Best and take care
Lawrence

telephone/WhatsApp: 606081813
Email: philomadrid@gmail.com
http://www.philomadrid.com

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 13th September: informal summer meeting

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 6th September: informal summer meeting

Dear Friends,

We shall continue with our informal meetings for now although we start
with the usual topics on the 20th September. In the meantime you are
welcome to suggest a topic on Sunday. Skype meeting Sunday at 6:30pm.

If you are interested in our next topic in September: The aesthetic
beauty of machines

Don't forget Oscar's book
El Virus de Wuhan: 44 garabatos y ripios de un confinado en Madrid
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B089CJJMLY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_8X30EbFRN3RCH

Finally, the Skype Meeting is on Sunday 6th September at 6:30pm: if you
don't have the link already please send me a message. In the meantime
sometimes new members have problems connecting to Skype. Having the
desktop version helps, and the mobile phone version is also useful. For
some reason Skype fails to connect via a browser. Other times you might
need to restart your PC, but once you connect there is no problem.
Best and take care
Lawrence

telephone/WhatsApp: 606081813
Email: philomadrid@gmail.com
http://www.philomadrid.com

PhiloMadrid on Skype 6:30pm Sunday 6th September: informal summer meeting