31 MAR 2025 by ideonexus
On Balancing Work and Rest
In he morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present- I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bed-clothes and keep myself warm?- But this is more pleasant.- Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion? Dost thou not see the little plants, the little birds, the ants, the spid...06 APR 2015 by ideonexus
The Trick of Magnifying Normal Creatures
The trick of magnifying a normal creature to menacing size is all too common. The giant amoeba is a
familar example; monster insects (or whole populations of them) even more so. It might pay an author
with this particular urge to ask himself why we don't actually have such creatures around. There is likely
to be a good reason, and if he doesn't know it perhaps he should do some research.
In the case of both amoeba and insect, the so-called "square-cube" law is the trouble. Things like
streng...23 JUN 2013 by ideonexus
Hamilton's Model
Hamilton's rule is rb - c > 0. Here c is the cost to the giver's fitness (c fewer offspring
because of helping), and b is the benefit to the recipient's fitness (offspring gained by the recipient from the help). Here again, "r" is a measure of the relatedness between giver and the receiver
[...]
Hamilton’s rule says that for unrelated individuals (r = 0) no benefit can overcome the cost of loss of the altruist's fitness (0 - c can't be greater than 0) and aid giving is selected against...Explains why members of a species will sacrifice themselves for offspring that are not their own.
25 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Parable of the Scientist as Insect
Those who have handled sciences have been either men of experiment or men of dogmas. The men of experiment are like the ant, they only collect and use; the reasoners resemble spiders, who make cobwebs out of their own substance. But the bee takes a middle course: it gathers its material from the flowers of the garden and of the field, but transforms and digests it by a power of its own. Not unlike this is the true business of philosophy; for it neither relies solely or chiefly on the powers o...Scientists work like ants, spiders, and bees.