ATLOSCon 2012: The Method of Invention

I will be presenting a talk on The Method of Invention at ATLOSCon 2012.

Here is the description:

Did the greatest inventors in history succeed by chance, intuition, or indiscriminate and arbitrary experimentation, as is commonly alleged? Or, did they ask and answer the right questions, and seek the relevant facts? Drawing upon the history of steam engine—the invention that powered the industrial revolution—Atul Kapur will present his hypothesis that each invention requires the identification and integration of three specific and distinct causal relationships, which he terms as “aberrational”, “essential”, and “differential”. James Watt, as well as his predecessors, will each be shown to have sought and successfully identified these three relationships. The topics to be discussed include: the relationship between discoveries, inventions, and concept-formation; the difference between invention and innovation; the crucial role and difficulty of experimentation; and why even the proper use of inventive method does not guarantee success. The lecture will end with an audience-driven discussion on the importance of reinstating the heroic status of inventors as a part of our cultural battle, and a note on why that requires untangling and demystifying the inventive method.

[Slightly modified from original]

The conference will take place May 24-28, 2012 in Atlanta, GA.

Click here to view the information on all classes and speakers. The registration is still open. And, it costs $75 or less!

Further information:

ATLOSCon is an annual conference organized by the Atlanta Objectivist Society (ATLOS).

Why I like Daphnis and Chloe

I wrote a guest post at One Objectivist's Art Object of the Day on why Daphnis and Chloe by Louis Hersent is one of my favorite paintings.

I like the painting for its depiction of a passionate couple engaged in a life-affirming moment. Let me define that moment by briefly describing the painting as we see it (i.e. without any reference to the story that it's based upon).

A beautiful young couple is sitting in the countryside. The girl is holding a double-flute close to her mouth, while her face and eyes are rotated just enough to glance at the guy. The guy's slightly open mouth and the same positioning of their fingers suggest that he is teaching her how to play a melody. [...]

Go read the whole thing, here. And, please leave a comment!

Thanks to One Objectivist's Art Object of the Day for letting me guest-blog.

Objectivist Roundup

The latest edition of Objectivist Roundup is available at The Playful Spirit.

The Roundup includes my post on Left's distortion of concepts. It also includes two other posts that reflect on the same issue – one by Mike Zemack on Left's unprincipled distinction between “violence” and “force”, and the other by C. W. on the doctrine of “too big to fail.”

It being April Fools’ Day, the host has aptly introduced the Roundup by quoting Ayn Rand on humor. I post here my favorite funny kid video (but don’t forget to check out the Roundup!):

Objectivist Roundup

Objectivist Roundup is a weekly selection of posts from bloggers advocating Ayn Rand's philosophy. The posts cover all sorts of topics, such as education, career, practical ethics, politics, parenting, and even diet. Ayn Rand called Objectivism "a philosophy for living on earth," as opposed to the impossible-to-follow mystical or altruistic doctrines.

The latest edition of the Roundup is hosted by Kelly Elmore at "Reepicheep's Coracle." Many posts in this edition are, unsurprisingly, related to healthcare. (The Roundup also feature my previous blog post.)

Introducing Wit Lab

Welcome readers. I am excited to start my very first blog: Wit Lab*. In this post, I will briefly describe the scope of the blog and my purpose in starting it.

I intend to use Wit Lab for publishing my essays and commentary on scientific and social trends. My analysis will be from the perspective of Objectivism – the philosophy of 20^th century novelist-thinker Ayn Rand. I must state, however, that I am not an authority on Objectivism. Ayn Rand’s ideas are so revolutionary that I still gain new insights whenever I re-read her works. I will write more on Objectivism and Ayn Rand in my future posts.

Most of my posts will be related to my non-academic interests. I will analyze contemporary or historical trends in physical sciences, education, culture and politics. On few occasions, I may write on more theoretical subjects, such as epistemology or philosophy of science. I may also post on my developing interest in history and economics. The subject on which I will not post is my academic field of study – Meteorology in which I obtained a Masters, and am now working for a Ph.D. – except in context of a wider cultural or political issue (such as “climate change”). This is because I plan to write blog posts at night, when I am “done with” my academic work. In case you are interested, check out my official website.

I have a three-fold purpose in starting this blog. First, I want to connect with people who share my fundamental values or my view of life. This does not mean that I would ignore anyone who does not agree with me on a given issue. On the contrary, I will be happy to hear your disagreements, provided you hold reason as an absolute. So, feel free to write your comments on my posts.

Second, I found that I have a lot more to say on many issues than I comfortably can over Facebook (forget about Twitter). The style of my blog posts is going to be short essays but a little more formal in style than most other blogs. I will still remain active on Facebook because I think it is useful to remain in touch with friends and have nice little arguments debates. So if you enjoy Wit Lab, I encourage you to friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. You will win an early check-in if you mention that you found me through this blog.

Finally, the blog would let me nicely archive my posts so that I (and everyone else) can easily go back to old material. I will post 1-2 times per week in the beginning, but I may post more frequently as my writing skills improve.

Thank you for visiting Wit Lab!

*No, I didn’t steal the name from Wetlab – the bar at my university campus.