Thursday, October 11, 2018

Now: The Physics of Time by Richard A. Muller

As the Big Bang creates new space, it also creates new time ... and that new time is the key to now.
At least some random element originated in quantum physics so physics is incomplete implying free will is possible.

He explores the limitations of physics. "What does the color blue look like?", for example. "the evidence leads to the conclusion that physics is incomplete, that it will never be capable of describing all of reality."

Beyond Culture by Edward T. Hall

It's fascinating how much we are influenced by out culture. Chapter 6, Context and Meaning, defines a high-context communication in which most of the information is in the physical context or internalized in the person, while very little is in the explicit coded part of the message. In a low-context communication the mass of information is vested in the explicit code. Cultures tend to emphasize one or the other which makes communication difficult between them, if different.

Chapter 10 covers action chains. An action chain is a set sequence of events in which usually two or more individuals participate. He gives an example of college students courting behavior as shown in the library.