Warrier's Collage December 8, 2020

Welcome to Warrier's Daily COLLAGE December 8, 2020 Tuesday 🙏 M G Warrier Restoring TRUST in Governance : India's 2020's Challenge https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08NT36GB2/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_hBmYFb7PBYR0M A Bertrand Russell on Philosophy https://youtu.be/Rv_Ci4dB3NY (1960 Interview) Today in Collage: A Russell on Philosophy B. Interaction C Bertrand Russell Quote for the day: "As a philosopher, if I were speaking to a purely philosophic audience I should say that I ought to describe myself as an Agnostic, because I do not think that there is a conclusive argument by which one prove that there is not a God. On the other hand, if I am to convey the right impression to the ordinary man in the street I think that I ought to say that I am an Atheist, because, when I say that I cannot prove that there is not a God, I ought to add equally that I cannot prove that there are not the Homeric gods." - Bertrand Russell, Collected Papers, vol. 11, p. 91 B Interaction 1) R Narayanan Follow up: Star gazing https://thg.page.link/XnvB7UMEzyUneyga6 Posted online comments: "Dr Anand Narayanan's observation that the future of this Observatory lies in reviving the facility into a science history museum, and an astronomy public outreach facility deserves more attention. While the averments that “This is probably the best way to help the future generations bond with local history" and that "The place is of national importance and is the second oldest modern astronomical observatory in India, after the Madras Observatory,” are factual, unless the research facilities are improved to international standards by making it part of the University or organisations like ISRO, it will idle eternally like the neighbouring Museum. M G Warrier" 2) V Babusenan Some stray thoughts The number of chromosome pairs decides whether a living thing should be a man or a beast or a bird, etc For example, a cat must have 19 pairs, a dog 39 and a human being 23. There should not be any change in this law of nature. Thus, we are numerically indebted to the number 23! The human body is a most wonderful chemical factory where, each moment, different substances needed for its sustenance, are being made. One such substance is protein. We need a very large number of proteins and every living cell in the body is capable of making them. Proteins are combinations of amino-acids, but the problem is that the human body has access only to 20 amino-acids. The four bases in a DNA (this is a quite familiar acronym now) will have to code the amino-acids. If each base codes one acid, only four acids can be coded. Nature used mathematics to solve this problem. If a triplet of the bases codes an acid, it will be possible to code not only the available 20 acids but another 44 too! Hemoglobin that carries oxygen through the blood stream is a very complex protein consisting of a chain of many many triplets. One mistake in this chain is said to be the cause of the genetic disease 'sickle cell anaemia'! Please note that the important number here is 3 as the base triplet is 3 in number! The human speech, as we all know, is possible because of the functions, singly or jointly, of three organs in the mouth: the lips, the tongue and the palate. By opening the lips one can produce the sound 'A'. By raising the tongue and touching the palate, that is roof of the mouth, the sound 'u' is produced. By simply closing the lips, one can produce the sound 'm'. And by a combined effort of the lips, tongue and palate, the word 'Om' is produced. That itself is the significance of the word. Of the phenomena, speech and writing, the two wonderful aspects of human civilization, the latter came much later. The word 'Om' must have been highly regarded in spiritual India during the speech period (Shruthi period) and some magnificent imagination would have probably ascribed the three parts of the word to theTrinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. The significance of the number 3 is valid here too! Chromosome is a 19th century discovery. Had its existence been known in the Upanishadic period, number 23 perhaps would have found a dignified place in our spiritual life. I happened to read a beautiful article* about the spiritual significance of Om, the Pranava manthra, written by our Collage Editor. What interested me mostly in that article is that ,according to him, the English words beginning with the prefix 'Omni', like 'omnipotent', 'omniscient' and 'omnipresent' are influenced by 'Om.'('Omnis' is a Latin word meaning 'all')This reminds one of what Sai Baba once said about anti -biotic medicines. Such medicines, with names ending with 'mysin', remind one of the sins committed as a result of which one is compelled to use them!" (*Link to the article: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/significance-of-om) C Bertrand Russell https://www.biblio.com/bertrand-russell/author/130