Nothing we know is truly independent of context

Recently, I read a sentance written by Laren, Ellen J. Langer, psychology professor at Harvard University in an article available at [1]. The sentence is: "Nothing we know is truly independent of context". The more I went through it, the more interesting it became. As a result, I decided to share it through my blog. I hope you will enjoy reading this blog post.

What we learned in our school mathematics is that 1 plus 1 make 2. I stored this statement in my mind as an axiom. But once I read the article, I don't keep this statement as an axiom without a context. In orther words, I don't believe that one plus one make two in all of the cases. As an example, 1 plus 1 make two in base-10 systems. However, if the base is other than 10, then the statement is not true. For example, 1 plus 1 in base-16 make 32 in base-10 system.

There is another example that helps to understand the sentence more easily. One cup plus one cup doesn't always equal two cups. For example, mixing one cup of vinegar with a cup of baking soda solution creates a mixture of less than two cups as some of the molecules combine and form gas and release to air.

From these examples, we can clearly say that a fact is always associated with contexts. Without it, the fact wouldn't be correct. We have seen that one plus one equal two is true for some contexts and false for some other contexts. Thus, there is no such a wrong answer irrespective of context. Hence Laren's sentence "Nothing we know is truely independent of context" is perfectly reasonable.

References:

[1] When 1 and 1 Are Not 2, Harvard University. Last accessed on July 26,2009 in

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1997/01.16/When1and1AreNot.html.

Mr. Jackson in Berlin

As it was my last day in Berlin (June 26, 2009), the capital of modern Germany, and many places were still remained to discover, I'd decided to wake up early in the morning. Accordingly, I woke up at 6:45 am and when it was around 7:35 am I went to ground floor for my breakfast. The place was at a hostel named St. Christhopher's Inns, ROSA - LUXEMBERG PLAZA, BERLIN which is at the heart of the city, near to the Berlin TV Tower.

I was alone in the German trip. Moreover, it was early in the morning. So, there were very few people who were taking breakfast together with me. I was spending the melancholy minutes. Fortunately, a guy, carrying his breakfast, took a seat next to my seat and started talking with me. I was quite happy because he had started chatting in English (In most of the European countries, you will be lucky enough if you meet a person who starts speaking in English). He was from UK. Since I used to follow international news, I was feeling very comfortable while talking with him. Being a student of history, he was also quite confident in the international news, views and subjects.

Our topics for discussion were mostly political : UK, Gordon Brown (his ministers had resigned due to shameful financial scandals), Gurkhas and their protest for the equal rights, Afghan war and so on. In the meantime, he asked me, "Have you heard a breaking news?". "No", I replied. He opened his iPhone, browsed the web and showed me the news. It was written "Michael Jackson is dead... The reason is still unknown". This is how I knew Mr. Michael Jackson's death.

Moreover, he told that he is not a fan of Mr. Jackson. But he started counting Mr. Jackson's famous albums. Like the British guy, I am not his fan. Unlike the guy, I don't know his albums :(. However, I do know that Mr. Jackson is a great singer because I had heard from friends and watched news videos from his latest UK trip (few months ago) in which he was promising to his fans that he would be back soon for his forthcoming concert.

In order to make my first Berlin trip memorable, I started my laptop, wrote a short blog and posted in my blog site mentioning that my first Berlin trip was on a day when Jackson was dead. I also took few pictures of a TV which was broadcasting the breaking news.

Truly speaking, I had remembered Mr. Jackson just a day ago. During the previous day's museum visit, I had met an American women accompanied with her husband. The couple were very friendly. The women is a teacher of Santa Barbara City College and her husband is a software engineer. May be because of his hair style, I felt her husband somehow as Mr. Jackson. At this moment, if I compare the guy with Mr. Jackson, I can find very few similarities ... nationality at least :D. Anyway, it was an event that was triggered in my mind on that day. If I go to Santa Barbara and the address in their visiting card remains valid, I'll definitely visit them and more importantly I'll point out the 'living Mr. Jackson' ;).

What is true is that world has lost a great artist at such a young age (age of 50). My heartfelt condolences to his family and fans !!

Pic: With the American couple at a museum in Berlin. I'd remembered Mr. Jackson when I met the guy (left to me). Remember that Mr. Jackson was dead on 25th June, 2009, the same day I met the couple, perhaps the same time ...!!

Pic: A TV in Berlin broadcasting the breaking news. My heartfelt condolences to his family and fans !!

Pic: Dans la tele a Berlin. Une artiste exceptionnel nous a quitté! Trop tôt, beaucoup trop tôt. Mes plus sincères condoléances pour sa famille et ses fans !!

FRENCH: Un vrai test de français

C’est ma deuxieme article en francaise. En cette article, je vais presenter ma experience de vrai test de français.

Deux semaines avant, j’ai visité allemend pour une presentation conference. La presentation été en Leipzig, une petit ville au sud de la capitale, Berlin. Et pour aller de Paris à Leipzig, il y a deux possibilités. La premire possibilité est prendre le train directment de paris à Leipzig. D’outre possibilité est prendre l’avion jusqu'à Berlin et après le train à Leipzig. J’ai choisi la deuxiemé option parce que cette option été moin cher.

Un aéroport en paris s’appelle Orly. Pour prendre l'avion, je dois arriver à Orly avant 6h30. Le aéroport n’est pas loin, presque 40-45 minutes. J’ai parti pour le aéroport à 5h10. J’ai prendre le RER (train) et arrivé Juvisy où je peux prendre bus pour l’aéroport. Il était 5h50 quand j'été à Juvisy.

Quand j’ai arrivé á bus station de Juvisy, il y a n’ai pas de bus. La station était blocké!! oh la la! … oh la la!! … oh la la!!! … J’ai derniere demi-heure pour arrivé l’aéroport ... :(.

Le problème c’est que, il était en matin et il y a très peu de personne. Mêmê si il y a un person, il ne parler pas l’anglais …. Donc, il était une vraie examem de francais où je dois recontre quelque personne et poser question pourquoi il y a n’est pas de bus !!

Aprés cinq-sept minutes, j’ai recontré une personne et posé la question. Elle dit moi que la station a changé la semaine derniere. Pour prendre le bus je dois marche 500 meters plus. Finallement, j’ai prendre le bus et je suis arrivé aéroport à 6h35 !!

Je dois donne “merci beaucoup” pour la femme qui aide moi en situation trôp dificile. Merci pour moi aussi parce que j’ai passé un vrai test de francais :) :).

À bientôt !!