{"id":6538,"date":"2022-01-23T11:55:50","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T11:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/?page_id=6538"},"modified":"2022-01-25T10:08:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-25T10:08:06","slug":"dan-duda-the-whiteness-of-the-whale","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/?page_id=6538","title":{"rendered":"Dan Duda: The Whiteness of the Whale"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/?page_id=4624\">Return to Series Table of Content<\/a> \/ <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Return to VJIC Table of Content<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong><em>\u201cThe aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance<br \/>\nof things, but their inward significance.\u201d &#8212; <\/em>Aristotle<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/651245229?h=c9408818d1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Look around. Everything is real, right or is it not? We can see, hear, touch, smell and often taste the things around us. So, we know those things are there. It seems crazy to question reality. But that\u2019s exactly what scientists and philosophers are doing. From the smallest (quantum mechanics) to the largest (cosmology) to the deepest (philosophy) the reality of things is in doubt. Could everything be all in our head(s)? Embracing this enigma leads to art and the way we interact with it.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the smallest. Niels Bohr, one of the founding fathers of quantum physics established the concept of complementarity. His view of reality means that \u201c<em>neither particles nor waves are attributes of nature. They are no more than ideas in our minds which we impose on the natural world.\u201d <\/em>[Les Smolin, <em>Einstein\u2019s Unfinished Revolution].<\/em> In Bohr\u2019s view reality is something created by us, in our minds.<\/p>\n<p>Next, let\u2019s go to the largest with Sir Isaac Newton. <em>\u201cI do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.\u201d <\/em>So, Newton saw reality as something we don\u2019t yet know, but something that we have an opportunity to discover.<\/p>\n<p>Back in the eighteenth-century Immanuel Kant provided valuable insight regarding the shortcoming of our senses: <em>\u201c\u2026our rational cognition applies only to appearances, and leaves the thing in itself unrecognized by us, even though inherently actual.\u201d <\/em>He pointed-out that we can only perceive vibrations bouncing from the surface of things. We never perceive <em>\u201cthe thing in itself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>And even those vibrations are questionable indicators. The color red, for example, doesn\u2019t exist in the vibrations, or in reality. The vibrations are interpreted in our minds where \u201cred\u201d is created (also language has other ways noting the interpretation of the stimulation: roja, \u03c4\u03bf \u03ba\u03cc\u03ba\u03ba\u03b9\u03bd\u03bf, nyekundu.) Now think about the fact that everything we know is an \u201cinterpretation\u201d of vibrations accumulated through sense organs and blended into our perception of the reality around us. \u2026seems like it is \u201call in our head(s).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, our search for the truth of reality goes beyond the obvious feedback we get from our limited sense organs (i.e., ears; eyes; nose; touch\/skin; taste\/tongue). The universe is far greater and more complex than can be determined with these tools. However, our senses do provide a way to pursue our search as the tools evolve.<\/p>\n<p>Now to philosophy. Let\u2019s start with Aristotle, <em>\u201cThe soul never thinks without a picture.\u201d <\/em>Through art our senses provide signals that permit our mind\/soul to partially overcome the limits of our senses. It requires more than simply seeing or hearing \u2013 it takes connection to whatever it is inside us that not only receives the vibrations but finds meaning there. Some of us see the vibrations from visual art and interpret them literally. We simply see a tree, a person or a blotch of color and shapes, etc. For others, the vibrations unlock deeper insight which links us to the emotion of the artist. Likewise, music touches the soul. Some hear the music of Miles Davis (https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zqNTltOGh5c) and cringe at hearing a literal sequence of notes and pauses. Others are transported into his soul and cry at the depth of emotion this man was able to communicate with his horn.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6653\" style=\"width: 232px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6653\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6653\" src=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2022-01-25-at-11.01.07-AM-222x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2022-01-25-at-11.01.07-AM-222x300.png 222w, https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2022-01-25-at-11.01.07-AM-111x150.png 111w, https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2022-01-25-at-11.01.07-AM.png 427w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-6653\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a9 Joe Orffeo<\/p><\/div>\n<p>And <em>\u201cJean-Paul Sarte went farther, noting that life itself is drained of meaning \u2018when you have lost the illusion of being eternal.\u2019\u201d <\/em>[Brian Greene, <em>Until the End of Time<\/em>]. Sarte captured the angst we feel in our lack of knowing the nature and the fate of the universe, and, of course, ourselves. In my view he erred by adopting atheism instead of agnosticism. As of now, all we can really say is \u2018we just don\u2019t know.\u2019 And art is a way of probing the seemingly impenetrable barrier to real understanding.<\/p>\n<p>Think about the way we learn. We use metaphor as a primary tool. When we experience new things, we compare them to things we\u2019re already familiar with. Early on we learn arithmetic largely through our familiarity with our fingers. In fact, that\u2019s the reason our math system is base ten. So, our search for ultimate (and elusive) understanding of the universe and its meaning is also tied to metaphor \u2013 in this case, art.<\/p>\n<p>Personally, I link abstract art with meditation. Successful meditation requires an ability to block out all the \u201cnoise\u201d in our mind and focus strictly on the \u201cnow.\u201d Zen koans are unanswerable questions that ease the mind into a meditative state (i.e., what\u2019s the sound of one hand clapping). It\u2019s claimed that this state allows a clearer connection to the universe that\u2019s typically screened out by the \u201cnoise\u201d of everyday experience.<\/p>\n<p>Geniuses, including artists, seem to be able to form a connection with something beyond the mundane world. They are often able to capture symbols and\/or sounds that present insights that inspire us. An artist friend of mine, Joe Orffeo, was commissioned to produce a painting symbolizing our chaotic society. As you view this watercolor, you\u2019re likely more influenced by the feeling it inspires rather than the details of the images.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6631\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6631\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6631\" src=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/orffeo-duda-essay-2022-300x215.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/orffeo-duda-essay-2022-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/orffeo-duda-essay-2022-150x108.png 150w, https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/orffeo-duda-essay-2022.png 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-6631\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a9 Joe Orffeo, Social Chaos<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Neil DeGrasse Tyson\u2019s analysis of Van Gogh\u2019s <em>Starry Night<\/em> is another example of our point. <em>\u201cWhat I like about it is it\u2019s clearly not exactly what he <\/em>(van Gogh)<em> saw cause the sky doesn\u2019t do that. But it\u2019s no doubt what the sky felt like to him. And for me art at its best captures the emotion of reality rather than the reality <\/em>(we see).<em> If I want reality, I\u2019ll take a picture.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>And there\u2019s also a hypothesis among mathematicians\/physicists that Starry Night answers a mystery in fluid dynamics. \u201c<em>As difficult as turbulence is to understand mathematically, we can use art to depict the way it looks \u2026 in the Starry night his circular brush strokes create a night sky filled with swirling clouds and eddies of stars. <\/em>Several scientists <em>\u201c\u2026studied the luminants in Van Gogh\u2019s painting in detail. They discovered that there is a distinct pattern of turbulent fluid structures close to more current mathematical equations hidden in Van Gogh\u2019s painting.\u201d<\/em> [Ted Talk, see references]<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6633\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6633\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6633\" src=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Starry-Night-300x198.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Starry-Night-300x198.png 300w, https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Starry-Night-150x99.png 150w, https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Starry-Night.png 664w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-6633\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a9 Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night<\/p><\/div>\n<p>And now to the Whiteness of the Whale. Newton saw <em>\u201c\u2026the great ocean of truth\u2026\u201d <\/em>as he looked toward the ocean\u2019s horizon and his mind soared beyond. Likewise, Ishmael {Melville] sought truth in the ocean. <em>\u201cIf they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0 And Ahab was driven to find truth (in his case evil truth) symbolized by the white Moby Dick who removed his leg on a previous encounter. This is my favorite metaphor involving the search for truth. Ishmael finds himself depressed with life and is filled with the need to search for meaning: <em>\u201cWhenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul \u2026 I find it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.\u201d *** did I mention that the whale was fighting evil ? Ahab represented evil as he was the hunter and destroyer.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He took to the sea (the unknown) in search of truth. In this metaphorical novel the white whale symbolized dangerous truth that spelled death for all but Ishmael. Melville hints that this kind of search should be avoided, if possible. Here again, he is using art to form a bridge to the unknown. He uses the color white as a strong symbol (omen). <em>\u201cThe elusive quality it is, which causes the thought of whiteness, when divorced from more kindly associations, and coupled with any object terrible in itself, to heighten that terror to the furthest bounds.\u201d<\/em> [this going on two centuries before BLM]<\/p>\n<p>In the final analysis our senses are too feeble to grasp the nature of reality. Yet, the perceptions they provide are so strong that we tend to think we have a true picture. In fact, we know nothing. This is coupled with an aspiration existing in humanity as a whole to seek the answer. Many of the geniuses who feel this drive are called artists. Melville used the \u2018whiteness of the whale\u2019 as a symbol for the unseen turbulence that existed inside. This was Melville\u2019s artistic method for warning us of the danger that lies in seeking an understanding of ultimate truth. Was he right? Or instead of evil, is white the ultimate good?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/651245151?h=d3d9bd29c0\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Les Smolin: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/316818\/einsteins-unfinished-revolution-by-lee-smolin\/\">https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/316818\/einsteins-unfinished-revolution-by-lee-smolin\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Tyson, Starry Night: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0nBMyj-r92A\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0nBMyj-r92A<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Van Gogh: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PMerSm2ToFY\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PMerSm2ToFY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Van Gogh: <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/the-collector\/the-mathematical-interpretation-of-van-goghs-the-starry-night-45c36f7bc1f9\">https:\/\/medium.com\/the-collector\/the-mathematical-interpretation-of-van-goghs-the-starry-night-45c36f7bc1f9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Series Table of Content \/ Return to VJIC Table of Content \u201cThe aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.\u201d &#8212; Aristotle Look around. Everything is real, right or is &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/?page_id=6538\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88910,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6538","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P2KsSU-1Hs","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/88910"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6538"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6654,"href":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6538\/revisions\/6654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vjic.org\/vjic2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}