Fine, I'm ashaned to admit I read it because I found it in my father's
library - he was supposed to study it when he was 15, which I doubt. I
was able to understand it at 37, and it seems I should read it again
(along with Montaigne, at least Essays III).
Now that you mention his Gaming Theory, maybe I'll find the time to go
quickly through the Spanish version - I have an intuition I already
found it there ... anyway, 'though you put Nicoló as an example, I
think Blaise main dissagreement was with Renée (res extensa / res
cogitans), only that René was not alive to tell if he agreed or not
with Blaise :-)
Well, I should find the time for books, since I found an f=170mm
poorly described in NZ - a perfect match for the 80/4 I bought to
John.
I may ask Brian for help on this one - only hope that he's not out
riding his Toyota .... usd 50 is too little money to re-enter my cc
into Paypal again, that piece of glass should be closely inspected
-it's not a simple close-up lens-, I'm too far away to return it and
the 80/4 will arrive in December ... f=170mm ends on Oct12.
Obviously, this purchase cannot be reduced to a 50 / 50% polar
thinking - I doubt four are enough, six might be :-)
Well, I have already Pensées in my hands - I have to wash my teeth and
other toilette affairs.
Shall tell you what I found after thinking Thoughts twelve years after.
Fernando.
2009/10/10 Andrew Fildes <afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> I don't think it's in the Pensées and I'm ashamed to admit that I've
> only read him second hand or in quotation (see Black Swan, Nicholas
> Taleb). It is his Gaming Theory which is notorious for his proof that
> it is better to believe in God than to be an atheist because, simply,
> if you are wrong, it doesn't matter and if you are right then
> benefits accrue.
> I used to think that was a bit cynical but now I understand that it
> is simply a statement in probability.
> I like his basic gaming theory because it challenges the problem of
> polarity. If you have two variables, you don't have two choices - you
> have four.
>
--
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