symmetry is the core of beauty
 

axiom | theorem | proof

axiom one: i am no mathematician but i understand numbers
axiom two: i am no grammarian but i understand words
theorem: axiom one plus axiom two equals a poetic philosophy
proof: the thirteen tenets

everything builds on this

consider

euclid used it to define the structures of man
da vinci used it to define the nature of man
watson used it to define the helix of man

we owe everything to it
we crave it
we worship it
we are it
and
without it
we are nothing

balance | harmony | measure

so

strive for symmetry
in
everything you do
everything you see
everything you say
everything you want

everything builds on this

simplicity is the razor of elegance

aristotle used it to shave his hypotheses
ptolemy used it to shape his stars
aquinas used it to share his faith

but

william’s razor is what we remember

consider

as an image it is unforgettable
as a heuristic it is invaluable
as a tool it increases probability of success

should you find yourself questing for answers
strip away the

words
symbols
meanings

until you reach irreducibility
until you reach symmetry

so

strive for simplicity in all things
not simply for simplicity’s sake
but
to reduce complexity for complexity’s sake

it served well enough to put the sun in its place
it serves you well enough to put you in yours

as you stare into the abyss realize there is no center of the universe

mediocrity oddly puts us in our simple place

at a time when man’s ego was such that he was the center of all
nicolaus proved that he was not
by going against all that came before
to create a new normal

this is bravery of a rare kind
and
a reminder for us all to do the same

consider

the vastness of the universe
and your place in it

blind adherence
to tradition
to ritual
to peers
to leaders
to family
to society

leads to hubris not humility
leads to excess not moderation
leads to magnification of self not the magnificence of infinity
leads to asymmetry not symmetry

so

always remember what and who you are
you are no one and no thing
nothing
except what you are in relation to everything else
and

you pale in relation to the god’s eye that is the galaxy

probability simply places odds and puts

blaise was probably the first, with fermat
though the line traces
to huygens to la place to bernoulli to kolmogorov to taleb
yet
stoppard’s rosencrantz and guildenstern are still my favorite

las vegas is the living embodiment of the law of large numbers
while
all of nature conforms to the central limit theorem

consider

probability is an immutable statistical by-product of choice
any choice
every choice

take any set
define the givens
define the variables
compute the odds
flip the coin
results become the new
set | given | variable

so

this is the way to choose reality

take comfort in the fact that
because of uncertainty, you can never know completely
because of incompleteness, nothing can ever be complete
because of symmetry, it can all be simply beautiful

uncertainty is just another word for luck

force frames inertia in gravity’s well

frame the laws

first: force is zero, velocity is constant
second: force equals mass times acceleration
third: force action equals force reaction

with these simple axioms, the universe was explained
at least till albert explained it better

gravity grips us
impulse rips us
inertia trips us
entropy strips us

CONSIDER

forces are always at work

whether they be the flip of a coin
whether they be the crash of a car
whether they be the beat of a wing
whether they be the strong or the weak
whether they be the random nature of nature
whether they be sets | givens | variables

seek symmetry and simplicity

SO

understand your frame of reference
understand your place
understand your odds
understand it all ends
in heat death and the eternal return

on a long enough timeline all things tend to zero

entropy bleeds away in beautiful decay

is there a more beautiful word than entropy?

it is
a measure of randomness
a function of state
a dimension of energy

the arrow of time

the second law is inviolate
its effects are still being felt today
and will be extant at the end of everything
as drops of caloric blood seep into the fabric of spacetime

CONSIDER

the symmetry of life is death

decay
an elegant reminder that
hate cools
love fades
wounds scar
but
time flies

SO

never forget we are all on the clock

maximize pleasure, minimize pain
leave things better than you found them, if possible
because

the glass cannot unshatter

relativity is relative to everything else

space
time
mass
energy

wave-particle duality

albert changed the world that year
and
it can never be the same again

consider

ideas can create and destroy

so

your perspective
has the same validity
as another’s
and should always be considered
to determine the truth
even if the truth is a bit strange

the speed of light is a sphere of probability
within that sphere
is where we reside
as we can never escape it

general relativity is
simple symmetry that normalizes force
while entropy quietly drips in the corner

now i am become death the destroyer of worlds

effort is rewarded from focus

eighty | twenty heuristic

vilfredo believed in a data driven approach
he saw it in his garden
he looked for it in his country
and he found it

everywhere

consider

a natural power law

first observed
in nature
therefore applicable
in nature

eighty percent of the peas are growing from twenty percent of the plants
eighty percent of the wealth is owned by twenty percent of the people
eighty percent of the x is something something twenty percent of the y

fascinating

so

understand your sets | givens | variables
understand your odds
focus your effort
cut away excess
flip the coin
rinse | repeat

the symmetry and simplicity of the curve is luck made manifest

uncertainty is built into the fabric

for a quantum particle
you can never know precisely
its position
or
its momentum
as they are inverse
in relation to measurement

consider

this is not due to observation
strictly

but rather
is another emergent heuristic
derived from the symmetrical nature of

wave-particle duality

if
you believe that the macro is a sum of the micro
then
you believe that uncertainty is intrinsic to reality

so

there are some things
you cannot know
there are some things
that can never be complete
and sometimes
the coin flips against you

this is fundamental

acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery

incompleteness is proven by completing

first theorem:
an axiomatic system cannot prove all truths with no
falsehoods

second theorem:
if an axiomatic system can be proven internally consistent, it is
inconsistent

a liar states “this statement is false”

consider

paradox is bound by sentience
since sentience can accept paradox
but
sentience is bound by paradox
since paradox can ensnare sentience

all the rules
sentience can create
to form a logic construct
are
complete but inconsistent
or
consistent but incomplete

so

keep trying
it can always be better
more complete
more consistent
more elegant
more focused
more symmetric
but it will never be finished

not even when the stars bleed out and the black holes swarm

entanglement proves some things cannot change

derived from symmetry
and
seeking a better answer than
the cat in the box
erwin synthesized everything

wave-particle duality

probability | force | entropy | relativity | uncertainty

to create
simplicity
that created
complexity

consider

everything in the universe is a wave
a wave can behave like a particle
a quanta
and therefore
we can predict the probability + uncertainty of reality through time

this was/is r/evolutionary

so

know that things are real if a bit fuzzy
know that things are governed by rules if a bit uncertain
know that things are progressing if a bit confusing
know that we are all simply waves crashing on the sandy shore
and

know that when waves crash things sometimes break

reciprocity is the best long term strategy

tit-for-tat
four lines of simple code
simple in its design
symmetric in its delivery

consider

begin with cooperation
then mirror the action
if the action is negative = punishment
if the action is positive = reward

rinse | repeat

but always
begin with cooperation

so

give benefit of the doubt
to all new interactions
seek to provide something of value
in the beginning
create the need to reciprocate
whatever they do
respond accordingly
because actions should be punished or rewarded

consistency is key to collaboration

complexity changes strategy one sandgrain at a time

we have reached a critical point

self-organized criticality

consider

we have piled all of these tenets together

each grain influences the next
like
each discovery influenced the next

the pile builds and builds
until
that one grain of sand causes
a critical point
asymmetry
and the landslide brings us down
to be able to build new piles
symmetry

so

reality is too complex for any one person
or family
or society
or country
or religion
or race

we are all waves of probability
we are all particles of sand
we are all one pile of incomplete
sets | givens | variables
of uncertain complexity seeking simplicity and symmetry
behave accordingly

we end where we begin

so
here we go

consider

the point of this work is that there is no point
the meaning of life is that there is no meaning
only that which you decide for yourself

so

decide wisely

stand on the shoulders of giants

celebrate symmetry
seek simplicity
remember mediocrity
calculate probability
measure forces
embrace entropy
perceive relativity
focus efforts
accept uncertainty
admit incompleteness
acknowledge entanglement
practice reciprocity
respect complexity

critical.

jonathan moore (2014)