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Abhi V
https://www.goodreads.com/abhivongr
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"So far extremely disappointing, like Larkin if you took out much of what was good and distinctive & replaced them with a some sophomorically aping their idea of a wild poet... almost nothing interesting, striking, or memorable — let's just hope it's only my current state of mind....." — Sep 21, 2025 06:26PM
"So far extremely disappointing, like Larkin if you took out much of what was good and distinctive & replaced them with a some sophomorically aping their idea of a wild poet... almost nothing interesting, striking, or memorable — let's just hope it's only my current state of mind....." — Sep 21, 2025 06:26PM
“Of course, you only live one life, and you make all your mistakes, and learn what not to do, and that's the end of you.”
― Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character
― Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character
“Experience,' said one, 'is the worst of illusions. It has taught me to know, but has not taught me how to avoid.”
― Aphorisms
― Aphorisms
“My ideas and judgment proceed only gropingly, faltering, tripping, and stumbling; and when I have gone as far as I can, I am still in no degree satisfied, for I see more land beyond, but with a troubled and clouded sight, so that I cannot make it out clearly. And taking upon me to write indifferently of whatever comes into my head, and therein making use of nothing but my own natural means, if I happened, as I often do, accidentally to meet in any good author the same subjects upon which I have attempted to write (as I have just done this moment in Plutarch[...]) seeing myself so weak and miserable, so heavy and sluggish in comparison with those men, I at once pity and despise myself. Yet I am pleased with this, that my opinions have often the honor to tally with theirs, and that at least I follow the same path, though far behind them, saying, "That is so." Also that I have that faculty, which not everyone has, of knowing the vast difference between them and me. And notwithstanding all that, I let my ideas go their way, weak and lowly just as I produced them, without plastering up or mending the defects that this comparison has laid open to my own view. A man needs good strong loins to keep pace with these people.”
― The Complete Essays
― The Complete Essays
“Everything less than the Universe is an abstraction.”
―
―
“Conventionalism is not just rejected by contemporary philosophers, it is vehemently rejected. It is despised and reviled, to the point where anything that hints at conventionalism is immediately and thoughtlessly rejected. Theorists whose views come close to conventionalism often take great pains to distance themselves, lest they too be dubbed heretics. The rejection of conventionalism is now one of the central dogmas of contemporary philosophy.
What explains this state of affairs? Early in the book... I listed a few of the philosophical reasons for the historical failure of conventionalism. ... I don’t think this can be the entire story. The situation is odd. For example, the master argument [went] almost unchallenged in the literature until very recently. That is extremely rare in philosophy, for any argument.
... But philosophical arguments only go so far when it comes to influencing public opinion, no matter their power. There is also a major sociological reason that conventionalism has been widely rejected, one that goes beyond the lingering influence of Quine....
That reason is that conventionalism seems to make things too easy. I mentioned this in the coda to chapter 3 when I compared unrestricted inferentialism’s ability to slice through philosophical tangles to Alexander’s hack through the Gordian knot. Conventionalism not only solves or dissolves many classical problems, it does so easily. Too easily, perhaps. I suspect that many philosophers harbor worries about this. Perhaps because they don’t really want philosophical problems to be solved. I don’t know. I am not sure how widespread this feeling is, but a number of philosophers have personally expressed to me, either directly or indirectly, a desire for philosophical problems to remain open and difficult, and for theories to be as technical and complicated as possible.
I don’t share this desire. I am interested in finding out the truth and resolving the issues that have puzzled me for years. For me, this is not a game. It is deeply personal. The nature of logic and mathematics have long troubled me, but they trouble me no longer. The theory presented in this book has cured me, at least of these particular troubles. But this is confession, not argument.”
― Shadows of Syntax: Revitalizing Logical and Mathematical Conventionalism
What explains this state of affairs? Early in the book... I listed a few of the philosophical reasons for the historical failure of conventionalism. ... I don’t think this can be the entire story. The situation is odd. For example, the master argument [went] almost unchallenged in the literature until very recently. That is extremely rare in philosophy, for any argument.
... But philosophical arguments only go so far when it comes to influencing public opinion, no matter their power. There is also a major sociological reason that conventionalism has been widely rejected, one that goes beyond the lingering influence of Quine....
That reason is that conventionalism seems to make things too easy. I mentioned this in the coda to chapter 3 when I compared unrestricted inferentialism’s ability to slice through philosophical tangles to Alexander’s hack through the Gordian knot. Conventionalism not only solves or dissolves many classical problems, it does so easily. Too easily, perhaps. I suspect that many philosophers harbor worries about this. Perhaps because they don’t really want philosophical problems to be solved. I don’t know. I am not sure how widespread this feeling is, but a number of philosophers have personally expressed to me, either directly or indirectly, a desire for philosophical problems to remain open and difficult, and for theories to be as technical and complicated as possible.
I don’t share this desire. I am interested in finding out the truth and resolving the issues that have puzzled me for years. For me, this is not a game. It is deeply personal. The nature of logic and mathematics have long troubled me, but they trouble me no longer. The theory presented in this book has cured me, at least of these particular troubles. But this is confession, not argument.”
― Shadows of Syntax: Revitalizing Logical and Mathematical Conventionalism
Abhi’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Abhi’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
2,479 books
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1,270 friends
676 books
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52 friends
943 books
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43 friends
984 books
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70 friends
2,427 books
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1,729 friends
81 books
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6 friends
62 books
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9 friends
149 books
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11 friends
More friends…
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