Monday, May 24, 2010

A guy died who we could have learned from.

This from today's "New York Times." "Martin Gardner, Puzzler and Polymath, Dies at 95"

"http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/24/us/24gardner.html?ref=obituaries

The article says “Martin Gardner is one of the great intellects produced in this country in the 20th century,” said Douglas Hofstadter, the cognitive scientist.

"W. H. Auden, Arthur C. Clarke, Jacob Bronowski, Stephen Jay Gould and Carl Sagan were admirers of Mr. Gardner. Vladimir Nabokov mentioned him in his novel “Ada” as “an invented philosopher.” An asteroid is named for him.

Now here's the part I really like:

"His was a clarifying intelligence: he said his talent was asking good questions and transmitting the answers clearly and crisply."

Can you imagine?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You keep asking the advertising industry to be something it isn't. It's not about subtle minds or careful thought or enlightened observation. It's all about the aggressively stupid getting their way. Clear thinkers need not apply.

george tannenbaum said...

Anonymous. One word: Goodby.