HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_023455.jpg
1.65 MB
Extraction Summary
11
People
3
Organizations
0
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Email / press release / call for submissions
File Size:
1.65 MB
Summary
This document is an internal email or press draft from John Brockman (Edge.org) announcing 'The EDGE Question 2012.' It solicits essays on the topic of 'deep, elegant, or beautiful explanation[s]' from a network of intellectuals. The document lists submission deadlines for mid-January 2012, acknowledges Steven Pinker for suggesting the topic, and thanks advisors Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly, and George Dyson. The document includes a House Oversight Bates stamp (023455), indicating it is part of a collection of documents likely related to investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's association with Brockman and the scientific community.
People (11)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| John Brockman | Organizer/Recipient |
Email address brockman@edge.org listed for essay submissions; refers to himself as 'me'.
|
| Steven Pinker | Contributor/Advisor |
Thanked for suggesting the 2012 EDGE Question.
|
| David Brooks | Journalist |
Quoted praising the EDGE symposium in The New York Times.
|
| Ian McEwan | Author/Journalist |
Quoted praising Edge in The Telegraph.
|
| Stewart Brand | Advisor |
Thanked for ongoing advice and support.
|
| Kevin Kelly | Advisor |
Thanked for ongoing advice and support.
|
| George Dyson | Advisor |
Thanked for ongoing advice and support.
|
| Kepler | Historical Scientist |
Mentioned as an example of elegant explanation.
|
| Bohr | Historical Scientist |
Mentioned as an example of elegant explanation.
|
| Watson and Crick | Historical Scientists |
Mentioned as an example of elegant explanation.
|
| Einstein | Historical Scientist |
Quoted regarding the beauty of relativity.
|
Organizations (3)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| EDGE / Edge Foundation | ||
| The New York Times | ||
| The Telegraph |
Relationships (2)
Thanks to Steven Pinker for suggesting this year's EDGE Question
Thanks to Stewart Brand... for their ongoing advice and support
Key Quotes (3)
"WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DEEP, ELEGANT, OR BEAUTIFUL EXPLANATION?"Source
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Quote #1
"Einstein famously said that he did not need experimental confirmation of his general theory of relativity because it 'was so beautiful it had to be true.'"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_023455.jpg
Quote #2
"PRESS EMBARGO UNTIL PUBLICATION (12am EST, Sunday, January 15th). DO NOT CITE OR CIRCULATE"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_023455.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,944 characters)
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> PRESS EMBARGO UNTIL PUBLICATION (12am EST, Sunday, January 15th). DO NOT CITE OR
CIRCULATE
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> "We'd certainly be better off if everyone sampled the fabulous EDGE symposium, which, like the best in
science, is modest and daring all at once."
>>
>> — David Brooks, THE NEW YORK TIMES
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Scientists' greatest pleasure comes from theories that derive the solution to some deep puzzle from a small
set of simple principles in a surprising way. These explanations are called "beautiful" or "elegant". Historical
examples are Kepler's explanation of complex planetary motions as simple ellipses, Bohr's explanation of the
periodic table of the elements in terms of electron shells, and Watson and Crick's double helix. Einstein
famously said that he did not need experimental confirmation of his general theory of relativity because it "was
so beautiful it had to be true."
>>
>> The EDGE Question 2012
>>
>> WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DEEP, ELEGANT, OR BEAUTIFUL EXPLANATION?
>>
>> Since this question is about explanation, answers may embrace scientific thinking in the broadest sense: as
the most reliable way of gaining knowledge about anything, including other fields of inquiry such as
philosophy, mathematics, economics, history, political theory, literary theory, or the human spirit. The only
requirement is that some simple and non-obvious idea explain some diverse and complicated set of phenomena.
>>
>> [Thanks to Steven Pinker for suggesting this year's EDGE Question and to Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly, and
George Dyson for their ongoing advice and support.]
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> "Open-minded, free ranging, intellectually playful ... an unadorned pleasure in curiosity, a collective
expression of wonder at the living and inanimate world ... an ongoing and thrilling colloquium."
>>
>> —Ian McEwan in THE TELEGRAPH
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> SUBMITTING ESSAYS: Email as text or attached Word file to me (brockman@edge.org).
>>
>> DUE DATE: 5pm, Thursday, January 12th
>>
>> PUBLICATION DATE: 12am EST, Sunday, January 15th
>>
>> URL: Essays will be posted at this draft URL (not visible to search engines). Please keep confidential.
>>
>> PRESS EMBARGO: Until publication. Do not cite or circulate.
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> PRESS EMBARGO UNTIL PUBLICATION (12am EST, Sunday, January 15th). DO NOT CITE OR
CIRCULATE
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> "We'd certainly be better off if everyone sampled the fabulous EDGE symposium, which, like the best in
science, is modest and daring all at once."
>>
>> — David Brooks, THE NEW YORK TIMES
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Scientists' greatest pleasure comes from theories that derive the solution to some deep puzzle from a small
set of simple principles in a surprising way. These explanations are called "beautiful" or "elegant". Historical
examples are Kepler's explanation of complex planetary motions as simple ellipses, Bohr's explanation of the
periodic table of the elements in terms of electron shells, and Watson and Crick's double helix. Einstein
famously said that he did not need experimental confirmation of his general theory of relativity because it "was
so beautiful it had to be true."
>>
>> The EDGE Question 2012
>>
>> WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DEEP, ELEGANT, OR BEAUTIFUL EXPLANATION?
>>
>> Since this question is about explanation, answers may embrace scientific thinking in the broadest sense: as
the most reliable way of gaining knowledge about anything, including other fields of inquiry such as
philosophy, mathematics, economics, history, political theory, literary theory, or the human spirit. The only
requirement is that some simple and non-obvious idea explain some diverse and complicated set of phenomena.
>>
>> [Thanks to Steven Pinker for suggesting this year's EDGE Question and to Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly, and
George Dyson for their ongoing advice and support.]
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> "Open-minded, free ranging, intellectually playful ... an unadorned pleasure in curiosity, a collective
expression of wonder at the living and inanimate world ... an ongoing and thrilling colloquium."
>>
>> —Ian McEwan in THE TELEGRAPH
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> SUBMITTING ESSAYS: Email as text or attached Word file to me (brockman@edge.org).
>>
>> DUE DATE: 5pm, Thursday, January 12th
>>
>> PUBLICATION DATE: 12am EST, Sunday, January 15th
>>
>> URL: Essays will be posted at this draft URL (not visible to search engines). Please keep confidential.
>>
>> PRESS EMBARGO: Until publication. Do not cite or circulate.
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_023455
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