In
this morning’s newspaper I came across an article which I think has some
bearing on my recent blog about Individual Worlds (7/31/2015).
The
idea that certain events can be analyzed into two different and opposite
descriptions is called complementarity. For example, depending upon how a
physicist is viewing light, it can be thought of either as a wave or as a
stream of particles, and in some cases the idea also applies to the macro
world.
The
article this morning was about literature teachers and their problems in reconciling
Atticus Finch, the champion of justice in To
Kill a Mockingbird, with Atticus Finch, the racist in Go Set a Watchman.
Now
that we know all about complementarity, it’s not difficult to resolve the
dilemma. Atticus views the defense of Tom Robinson as a matter of justice vs.
racism. It’s just wave (justice) vs. particle (racism).
Although
a racist, the young Atticus was first and foremost a believer in justice. Perhaps
if he had been in his 70s when the Robinson case came up, Atticus would have looked
at it from the racist viewpoint.
There
is an old saying that middle age is when your narrow waist and broad mind change
places. It can also be true of opposing viewpoints.
In
Individual Worlds I also wrote that in some cases the line from A to non-A, and
from true to false, is a continuum requiring fuzzy logic, but I didn’t give an
example. I can’t think of a better one than this somewhat naughty joke:
A
man seated next to a beautiful girl in a bar turns to her and says, “Would you
sleep with me for a million dollars?”
She
replies, “Yes, of course.”
He:
“Would you sleep with me for $100?”
She:
“Of course not. What do you think I am?”
He:
“We’ve already decided that. Now we’re just trying to find the price.”
Politicians,
please take note. Somewhere between the left and the right there’s a point of
agreement. You just have to look for it.
******
My books, “There Are Only Seven Jokes” and
“The Spirit Runs Through It” are available in paperback
or Kindle at Amazon.
Comments
Post a Comment