Bernie JACKSON Reveals the DARK SIDE OF MATH and FORBIDDEN Numbers | Hn 137

Adam welcomes Bernie Jackson to the show to talk about how Forbidden Numbers Ate the poor fellas Brain. It's a fascinating tale of mathematical heretics and the true nature of math itself. It ain't about "turning the crank", it's about finding new ways to view reality. Enjoy! 00:00 — Intro. Introducing Bernie Jackson, an all-around smart fella. What secrets can he show us? 03:09 — Who was Hippasus? Why was he a Grecian mathematical heretic? How did the ancient Greeks think about numbers, and what problems did they run into? 21:55 — How was "zero" invented? Why was this such a big stumbling block? 27:06 — More paradigm shifts! Imaginary numbers and irrational numbers and a young Gauss. Also, what's the difference between "turning the crank" and "mathematical creativity and intuition"? 38:42 — Why are numbers (and concepts) sometimes "forbidden"? What does it mean to challenge the way we view reality? Why is this "dangerous" thing so essential? 41:33 — We are "in the middle" of a paradigm shift with quantum mechanics. 44:27 — Why do "harmonious" things sound "good" to us? What's going on? Why does the mathematically "right" tone sound better than a discordant one? 48:34 — A great Einstein quote leads us to Zeno's paradox. 54:11 — The map is not the territory! Also: humans think in narratives. 56:51 — You Twadpockle! 58:30 — Our modern math "works", but it doesn't help us understand what's actually going on. How on earth are we going to break out of this trap? 1:08:03 — Outro. Math isn't what you think it is! Thank you for watching Haman Nature! Guest bio: Bernie Jackson explores the nature of human knowledge and how we develop and express it as narratives, including scientific theories. Bernie holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University, where he also extensively studied theoretical physics. Video lecture mentioned: Forbidden Numbers Ate My Brain: The Dark Side of Math and Why We Need itBernie's Substack: The Twadpockle Report: Conversation mentioned between Lex Fridman and David Eagleman:Adam's other show: Natural Order Podcast This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hamannature.substack.com/subscribe