Edge.org
To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds, put them in a room together, and have them ask each other the questions they are asking themselves.
Published on Edge.org (http://www.edge.org)

Home >

2004 : WHAT'S YOUR LAW? [1]

In the News [ 4 ] [2]
  |  
Contributors [ 163 ] [3]   |   View All Responses [ 163 ] [4]

[ print ] [5]

[6]
John D. Barrow [6]
a physicist, is Professor of Mathematical Science, Director of the Millennium Mathematics Project, University of Cambridge, and Gresham Professor of Geometry
Barrow's law

Barrow's first 'law'

Any Universe simple enough to be understood is too simple to produce a mind able to understand it. 

Barrow's second 'law'

All difficult conjectures should be proved by reductio ad absurdum arguments. For if the proof is long and complicated enough you are bound to make a mistake somewhere and hence a contradiction will inevitably appear, and so the truth of the original conjecture is
established QED.

  • John Brockman, Editor and Publisher
  • Russell Weinberger, Associate Publisher
  • Nina Stegeman, Editorial Assistant
 
  • Contact Info:editor@edge.org
  • In the News
  • Manage Email Subscription
  • Get Edge.org by email
 
Edge.org is a nonprofit private operating foundation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Copyright © 2013 By Edge Foundation, Inc All Rights Reserved.

 


Links:
[1] http://www.edge.org/annual-question/whats-your-law
[2] http://www.edge.org/inthenews/whats-your-law
[3] http://www.edge.org/contributors/whats-your-law
[4] http://www.edge.org/responses/whats-your-law
[5] http://www.edge.org/print/response-detail/11659
[6] http://www.edge.org/memberbio/john_d_barrow