I don’t know that I would have anything to say that’s not a platitude, but here are some thoughts.
University forever
I don’t have anything against people who want to stay at university as long as possible: this is, after all, my life. I think long term economic trends point in this direction though.
Sitting out the math wars
Very few professional mathematicians have been involved in the “math wars”, and when they have, they have not always inspired confidence. I wondered why.
The “Australia day” category error
I don’t believe in any patriotic holidays. But a patriotic holiday on such a terrible date needs to be moved, rebuilt, or abolished.
Abstract algebra nursery rhyme
In the spirit of hilariously advanced baby books like Chris Ferrie’s Quantum Physics for Babies, I have taken to incorporating absurdly sophisticated concepts into nursery rhymes.
The last resort of scoundrels
Patriotism, at least in its usual sense of love of one’s country over others, veneration of the virtue of its people over others, and adoration of its flag, is awful, irrational nonsense.
Limitless as that space too narrow for its inspirations
In which I recall, via neurologist Oliver Sacks, some musings of Sylvester from 1877 on the limitlessness of mathematics.
The Doors of Crime Perception
Crime is uniquely susceptible to the manipulation of perceptions.
The disempowerment of positive thinking
I’m quite skeptical of the “positive psychology” movement, as it encourages the individualisation of some problems that are really social.
What is to be done, and the Paradox of Choice
The real problem is not that we are overloaded with too many ideas about what to do. The real problem is that we do not have enough ideas about where we want to go.