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Latter-day Robin Hoods
February 1st, 2010On Bill Gate’s philanthropic efforts. Giving credit where credit is due, though grudgingly.
Love of Wisdom
January 25th, 2010What is the purpose of philosophy? And why are philosophers paupers?
Happy New Year!
January 2nd, 2010Here’s wishing you a Happy 2010… May your resolutions hold up longer than those of the years past. And may you find peace, happiness, good health and prosperity.
Giving What We Can
November 26th, 2009I found this charity initiative that I believe will make a real difference. It is called “Giving What We Can,” and it lists a few recommended organizations that are efficient and focus on the extremely poor. Helping others can be more rewarding that helping yourself.
Ghost of Gravity
November 17th, 2009Some beliefs are superstitions, while some others are scientific theories. What exactly is the difference between them? Let’s listen to what Pirsig has to say about it.
Only a Matter of Time
October 10th, 2009Here is an unreal look at the what and why of time. Why do we have a sense of time when none of our five senses can sense it?
Candle that Burns Bright
October 6th, 2009Memories of a classmate of mine from IIT who passed away recently. When I heard the shocking news, I wanted to write something about him. What came to mind were a couple of disjointed memories, and I thought I would share them here.
Half a Bucket of Water
October 2nd, 2009When philosophers look at anything, it becomes a bit technical. Their technical analysis may sound boring and irrelevant. Here is an attempt to tilt things in their favor.
On Rationality and Delusions
September 25th, 2009What do we mean by rationality? Why do we think it is a good thing to be rational?
Principles of Quantitative Development
September 15th, 2009A review of my forthcoming book, “Principles of Quantitative Development,” to be published by John Wiley & Sons in Feb 2010. This review is written by Shayne Fletcher, Executive Director, Nomura, and author of “Financial Modelling in Python,” reproduced here with permission.
How to Make Money
September 2nd, 2009Switching from God, philosophy and other higher pursuits, here is a topic close to home. How do people make a lot of money? Can I do it too?
Blind-Sight
August 22nd, 2009Blind-sight is an interesting neurological syndrome, and a philosophical conundrum. It shows how we may have senses that we are not consciously aware of. If there are senses that we can be unaware of, how sure can we be of the “sensed”? Or of our “delusions”?
A Plausible God
August 17th, 2009Here is a concept of God that doesn’t violate the known principles of science, and should therefore be consistent with the so-called scientific worldview. Mind you, plausibility of the concept says nothing about its veracity; but it may say something about it being a delusion.
The God Delusion
August 13th, 2009An unreal review of the book The God Delusion. [...]The book gave me a strange feeling of dissatisfaction. You see, you may believe in God. Or you may not believe that there is a God. Or you may actively believe that there is no God. I fall in this the last category. But I still know that it is only my belief, and that thought fills me with a humility that I feel Dawkins lacks.[...]
Helen Keller
August 9th, 2009The story of Helen Keller is the story of the dark reality that traps you in the absence of your senses. It is also an illustration of the role of language in breaking out of that darkness.
What is the Word?
August 5th, 2009In this post, I get into the risky business of interpreting scripture. Why is it that we do not appreciate others interpreting our beliefs? Well, that is fodder for another post.
Modeling the Models
August 1st, 2009Mathematical finance is built on a couple of assumptions. The most fundamental of them is the one on market efficiency. Is it wise to trust this assumption? Are there limits to it? Are we operating at the right scale to ignore the shakiness of the market efficiency assumption?
Group Dynamics
July 28th, 2009People tend to follow the money gradient. When a particular field is lucrative, more people tend to end up there. During the IT boom time of the previous decade, most of the talent flowed in there. Finance also has been a not-so-strange attractor for academics. Here is a look at the culture shock associated. Another excerpt from my upcoming column in the Wilmott Magazine.