Category Archives: Physics

Physics was my first love. This category contains the posts closest to my heart. Twenty years from now, if this blog survives, this category will probably hold my most enduring insights. And two hundred years from now, if I am remembered at all, it will be for these insights; not for the kind of person I am, the money I make, nor anything else. Only for my first and last love…

Rules of the Game

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Manoj

This is the introductory post on a short series on the rules of the games that people play, and where to look for predictability. Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Physics, Work and Life | Tagged Albert Einstein, chess, life, O V Vijayan, Richard Feynman | Comments

Everything and Nothing

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Manoj

If somebody asks you what you are, here is one way to answer. Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Life and Death, Philosophy, Physics | Tagged metaphysics, Philosophy, Physics | Comments

Bye Bye Einstein

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Manoj

This last post in the series explains why I believe it is time to say goodbye to Einstein, and why I look forward to how our worldview develops in the light of this CERN discovery of material superluminality. Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Physics, Quotes, Science | Tagged Albert Einstein, Philosophy, Physics, relativity, Richard Feynman, Untitled | Comments

Why not Discard Special Relativity?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Manoj

This second post in my series on the superluminality observed (or suspected) at CERN looks at why we cannot accept it.

Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Physics, Science | Tagged Albert Einstein, CERN, Maxwells Equations, Philosophy, Physics, relativity, Richard Feynman | Comments

Faster than Light

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Manoj

When they discovered particles going faster than light at CERN, they didn’t want to believe themselves. They were practically begging the rest of the community to find a mistake in this discovery. Why would they do that? This post and its follow ups will try to shed some light on this strange lack of faith.

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Posted in Philosophy, Physics, Science | Tagged Albert Einstein, Maxwells Equations, Philosophy, Physics | Comments

What is Unreal Blog?

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Manoj

This post is an expanded version of a Web interview regarding my blog. It attempts to answer the question why I blog. And why one should take philosophy seriously. Seriously!

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Posted in Philosophy, Physics, Topical | Tagged cognitive neuroscience, life, Philosophy, philsophy of mind, physical reality, Physics, Pirsig, relativity, space and time | Comments

A Parker Pen from Singapore

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Manoj

About a fifty-year old Parker pen that held an important lesson for me.

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Posted in Life and Death, Malayalam, Physics, Work and Life | Tagged Kerala, Malayalam, Physics | Comments

The Unreal Universe

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Manoj

I recently made my first book available on Amazon. I thought I would post this article, which is a good summary of the book. This article was published in a magazine in Singapore. Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Essays, Books, Columns, Creative, Philosophy, Physics, Science, Topical | Tagged metaphysics, Philosophy, Physics, relativity | Comments

Ghost of Gravity

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Manoj

Some 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. Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Physics | Tagged gravity, Newton, Philosophy, Physics, Pirsig, zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance | Comments

Only a Matter of Time

Posted on October 10, 2009 by Manoj

Here 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? Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Physics, Science | Tagged Philosophy, Physics, space and time | Comments

Half a Bucket of Water

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Manoj

When 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. Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Physics, Science | Tagged Philosophy, Physics, quantitative finance, relativity, space and time | Comments

On Rationality and Delusions

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Manoj

What do we mean by rationality? Why do we think it is a good thing to be rational? Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Philosophy, Physics, Science | Tagged dawkins, Philosophy, richard dawkins, the god delusion | Comments

Blind-Sight

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Manoj

Blind-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”? Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Philosophy, Physics, Science | Tagged dawkins, Philosophy, richard dawkins, the god delusion | Comments

A Plausible God

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Manoj

Here 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. Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Philosophy, Physics, Science | Tagged dawkins, Philosophy, richard dawkins, the god delusion | Comments

Modeling the Models

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Manoj

Mathematical 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? Continue reading →

Posted in Columns, Corporate Life, Physics, Quantitative Finance, The Wilmott Magazine | Tagged Columns, Corporate Life, Physics, quantitative finance, wilmott | Comments

Change the Facts

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Manoj

Of truth and beauty — in physics and philosophy Continue reading →

Posted in Creative, Philosophy, Physics, Quotes, Science | Tagged Albert Einstein, Philosophy, Physics | Comments

The Big Bang Theory – Part II

Posted on November 20, 2008 by Manoj

This post is a continuation of my earlier musings on the Big Bang theory. This one looks at the foundational assumptions of quantum gravity. In management speak, it is a high level overview, which sounds like I understand it. In a physicist’s lingo, it is merely a layman description or a hand-waving argument. In other words, the management types out there may like it better than the smart ones. You be the judge! Continue reading →

Posted in Debates, Philosophy, Physics, SFN - Science Forums | Tagged Ashtekar, big bang theory, cosmology, paradigm shift, Physics, quantum gravity, relativity, spac-time, space time continuum, universe | Comments

Chaos and Uncertainty

Posted on November 13, 2008 by Manoj

This article appeared in the Wilmott Magazine in Jan 2009, and talks not quite about the chaos and uncertainty of the last few months in finance industry can be summarized in two words. It is more about the physics concepts bearing the same names, and how they can be applied to the turmoil in the financial and economic world. Continue reading →

Posted in Columns, Physics, Quantitative Finance, The Wilmott Magazine | Tagged chaos, Columns, financial meltdown, management, non-linear dynamics, Physics, quantitative finance, uncertainty principle | Comments

Why the Speed of Light?

Posted on November 10, 2008 by Manoj

Another post in the latest blitz of physics/philosophy articles, this one presents an idea that the significance of the speed of light a la Special Relativity is a consequence of our perception rather than an assumption. Continue reading →