Summary of week
- Statistics. It helped a lot this week that I was just very focused on learning about Bayesian data analysis.
Unfortunately today has put a bit of a dent on it, just feeling overwhelmed by all I don’t know but I really do feel
I’ve found a niche.
- It seems that model development is exactly where computers fit into something like Energy. The logic of Science really revolves around model creation.
- Because of this I’ve started looking at ‘Systems modelling’ as an area of interest, although I’m not too sure yet what it entails.
- What I’m trying to think about now is whether I just plough on with Statistical Rethinking. Do I have a good enough foundation?
- I think learning the fundamentals here as I go makes the most steps, because I’m becoming further and further removed from the initial questions I had.
- I was very much focused on just trying to know enough to keep my interest. So, reading Wages of Destruction I would try and just unravel what I needed to know without going all the way back to Econ 101. The same thing with statistics and probability. I don’t know how much use there is to doing textbook exercises and that unless you apply them immediately to a real situation. I suppose, that’s the trick, using the textbook and maintaining interest in whatever broad question you have.
- I’m feeling this at the moment reading ‘Statistical Rethinking’ in that I don’t have this underpinning of statistics to be ‘rethought’.
- Stoicism. I’ve been generally interested in learning about Stoicism, particularly from this book I’m reading ‘The Art
of Living’ detailing how ancient philosophy revolved around a notion of a way to live ones life. As opposed to what
might be considered a more modern notion that philosophy isn’t exactly practical.
- This is similar to Simone Weil and I gravitate towards the notion of Stoicism in how I approach things generally but the idea of this theoretical underpinning of why live life according to values is pretty interesting and engaging.
- I feel I’ve more agency over my thoughts when I try and tune into what the Stoics teach about going with the way of nature and to dissociate oneself from the process. But not in a psychotic sense.
- I haven’t been sleeping really this week, I’m not too sure why. Particularly Friday night. The one major difference this week is having coffee most mornings when I wake up. I don’t know if it’s a bad thing but it does help me have better quality sessions.
- I think the weekend kind of got away from me here, I was hoping to spend it pretty much consumed by learning statistical rethinking stuff but, things popped up.
- I was fairly mindful this week, while eating, like I was hoping, except right now, in which I’ve drank too much hot water!
Goals
- Primer on statistics, so maybe start reading through a textbook just to get the basic concepts.
- Have some sort of basic model developed from stat. rethinking.
- Review Power systems document.
- Keep consistent with BJJ notetaking.
- Try and remain focused on questions, resilient in tackling them to get answers.
Excerpts from week
Georg Simmel writes:
The degeneration of a difference in convictions into hatred and fight occurs only when there were essential, original similarities between the parties. The ‘respect for the enemy’ is usually absent where the hostility has arisen on the basis of previous solidarity. And where enough similarities continue to make confusions and blurred outlines possible, points of difference need an emphasis not justified by the issue but only by that danger of confusion. This was involved for instance in the case of Catholicism… Roman Catholicism does not have to fear any threat to its identity from the external contact with a church so different as the Reformed Church, but quite from something as closely akin as Old-Catholicism
- Philosophy of history, Gardiner.
- reminded me of the Poppy War for some reason.