- Some of the stories about Godel are not well- known but I find them quite interesting.
For instance, Godel did not set out to dismantle Russel's system. Instead, he early wrote a letter with great joy informing his friend that he found a way to put entire Russel/Wihtehead system on the solid ground of number theory through bijections between propositions and natural numbers (Godel was very good on number theory). He was very much proud to be just one additional proof that Russel was right. Only later he constructed that tricky propostion, the rest is history. So in a way, it was quite a fluke (a fluke of a genius ).
Then he himself had to be "convinced" by his fellow logicians that his work was of great importance. He did not expect, for instance, that von Newman actually got a nervous break-down after learning his results . He was a one-man demolition team for sure, but only in other's eyes.
These stories do make you wonder many sad things: it is just too easy to let such a brilliant discovery lost in oblivion, (or many actually did) .
……………………
既然大伙对哥德尔感兴趣，我再说些我所读过关于哥德尔的一二。
哥德尔在去Princeton高级研究所之前，曾在Notre Dame 教过一段书。据说，他讲课时总是面对黑板，背对听众，并且常常长时间地陷入深思而沉默。结果当然是学生越来越少。书眼看快教不下去了，幸好Princeton高级研究所给了他一个临时位置，让他脱离了教书育人的尴尬。据说Notre Dame他曾经教过课的教室现在却挂着一块哥德尔的纪念牌。
哥德尔在Princeton高级研究所与爱因斯坦成了好朋友。爱因斯坦有次谈到哥德尔时说（大意）：我之所以选择物理而不是数学作为我的专业，是因为我认为数学已发展成分工细致的各项专科，只有在物理中才有我感兴趣的把各项物理分支全部联系起来的基本问题。现在我认识了哥德尔，也知道了数学中也有这样的基本问题。
哥德尔和爱因斯坦都是广泛意义上的哲学家。爱因斯坦晚年苦苦钻研大统一理论，哥德尔晚年则试图从数学上证明柏拉图主义的正确性。
……………………
这条线上还真聚集了几位Deep thinkers。 就凭Tsing一句＂我个人比较喜欢。。。Bernard Baars的Global workspace theory
＂， 俺就该敬他一杯。
我个人觉得，解决意识之迷的关键在把Global workspace theory之类的理论数学化，以致能够在原则上用计算机模拟人的意识。这才是硬道理。哲学家的话嘛，可以借鉴，不可以太当真。俺是搞hardcore科学的，只相信能具体指导实验的理论。俺原先信过一阵Roger Penrose的量子作用假说，可是后来发现根本没有什么实验支持。Penrose认为意识与tubulin分子的功能有关，却没有什么可靠的实验证明。而有的分子，象GABA type A receptor， 却被证明跟麻醉剂的作用直接相关。那才是真正的科学! 俺早就改信Francis Crick了，尽管他在搞清DNA结构上赢了俺当年导师的导师Linux Pauling ;-(。
很欣赏Tsing的文章。不过他说意识的研究是目前哲学上的一大热点，这话意义不大。意识是哲学的一大热点，实在算不得有价值的新闻。但是，意识成为脑科学研究的热点，这才是真正引人瞩目的。
maya