Charles Darwin, Science and Society

Four and a half years ago, I attended this forum in UP Diliman. I was invited by a good friend, mathematician Fidel Nemenzo, who was then the Director I think, of the Science, Technology and Society (STS) program in UP, aside from being a Math Professor.

Fidel rediscovered the Closing Remarks he gave that afternoon from his old files and sent it to me. Posting it below.

It was a big audience. And... Ahaa! I also found this from my old files of photos. That day, I was seated next to my former boss, Prof. Randy David. In front of us were Dr. Raul Fabella (left) and Dr. Perry Ong (right). The latter by the way, is among the natural scientists of UP who are non-believers of the "man-made" warming political science of the UN and various environmentalist groups.

Closing Remarks

Dr Fidel Nemenzo

Science and Society Program

Ideally, we ought to have a longer symposium—maybe even a week-long conference. We are after all examining the impact of one of the most innovative and influential scientific theories of all time.

This is our small way of commemorating the 150^th year of the publication of Charles’ Darwin’s groundbreaking The Origin of the Species. We are holding this cross-disciplinary symposium to honor Darwin’s enduring legacy and examine how his ideas have shaped thinking within and beyond biology. Even the controversies that these have provoked have enriched discourse, within and across disciplines.

Dr Perry Ong (Institute of Biology) talked about the three F’s and power of Darwin’s theory as an explanatory framework for biology. I would not go as far as saying that evolution is fact and not merely a theory-  as some declare. A scientific theory, unlike abstract mathematics, is merely a testable, falsifiable approximation of truth, which is discarded once proved to be false, giving way to better theories. But Darwins’s theory of evolution has withstood the test of time and the rigorous scrutiny of the scientific community, supported by a growing body of evidence. And unlike Newton and Einstein who proposed only descriptive theories, Darwin proposed both a descriptive theory and a plausible mechanism—that of  heritable variation with natural selection.

Dr Maris Diokno (Department of History) posed the question: how should historians teach the ideas of Darwin, and science in general? She lamented the trivialization of ideas and the biased and sloppy treatment of science in textbooks, brought about by a misunderstanding of science, and as well as that of science as it develops within history. Both historian and scientist need to dispel these misconceptions, by effectively communicating science and the history of science within our schools and to the general public. The history of science needs scientists, she says. Historians and writers of textbooks, too on the other hand have to study science.

The global economic crisis, as Dr Raul Fabella (School of Economics) reminds us, was a reality check for theorists who viewed the neat formalism such as that of Newtonian physics as appropriate for economics. This mathematization of  economics has led to the worsening exile of much of theory from the reality of financial bubbles and crashes. The turmoil in economics calls for new ideas and alternatives. Dr Fabella asserted that insights from Darwin and evolutionary biology will contribute to the rethinking in economic theory.

Darwinism of course continues to provoke controversy, as all great ideas do.  Current debates rage between scientists like Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion,  and critics on the side of religion, who cannot accept purposeless natural selection as the shaping mechanism behind evolution.

Dr Michael Tan (Department of Anthropology) discussed how science developed in the context of history and culture, arguing that modern science, in a way, emerged from religion and cultures that grew around religions. He cited as example the spirit and methods of inquiry of ancient Muslim scholars, whose scientific and mathematical contributions are part of the foundations of modern science. The problem, according to Dr Tan,  is  that the voices that ring loudest are those of the religious fundamentalists and the atheist scientists, whose narrow views merely feed each other. Equating science with the abandonment of religion fits the prejudices of advocates of intelligent design and creationism.  A deeper look at science and culture show that there is much room for dialogue. It is only when assertions are made beyond the legitimate boundaries of these non-overlapping realms of knowledge that the theory of evolution and religion seem antithetical.

In behalf of the college of science, I would like to thank our four speakers, for their generosity, for sharing their views on Darwin with a broad public audience such as this. We thank the School of Economics for co-sponsoring this symposium, and the Diliman Interactive Resource Center for setting up the equipment to record this event and beam it overseas, and make it available online as podcast. This symposium grew out of a reminder by Dean Noel de Dios (School of Economics) that 2009, Darwin’s bicentenary, and 150^th anniversary of his theory, was about to end. And how wonderful to end the year with a forum like this one, where we get together to share and debate ideas. We may come from different colleges but occasions like this remind us that we belong to   a community of scholars, and that while we do our research in our respective disciplines, we also need to explore the many ways in which our disciplines interact. We hope that we have more of these in the future. Thank you for coming, and good day to everyone.

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See also:
An ever-expanding universe, June 25, 2010
Pilipinas Forum 12: Origin of Zero, Nothingness, Big Bang..., September 25, 2011
Pilipinas Forum 14: Math, Infinity and Limit, October 04, 2011
Pilipinas Forum 20: Turbulence, Chaos Theory and the Stockmarket, November 13, 2011
Pol Ideology 40: On Social Darwinism, May 23, 2013

Pol. Ideology 45: Left Intellectualism Means Abandonment of Socialism

Last July 1-2, 2013, I butted in the fb posting of a friend – fellow UP Diliman and UP Sapul alumni, also a fellow Rotarian – Raffy Aquino, a lawyer. Our exchanges below. Posting with permission from him and Louie, thanks guys.

Meanwhile, photos below, some of the known student activists in UP Diliman in the early to mid-80s (the late Ferdinand Marcos was still the President) that I can remember. top to borrom, left to right:
Raffy Aquino and Lean Alejandro; Fidel Nemenzo, David Celdran and Sarge Colambo; Noe Pangilinan and Malou Mangahas. The last two were former editor in chief of the Philippine Collegian, the student paper in UP Diliman.

This is four pages long including the photos, enjoy.

Raffy Aquino

27 years ago, in 1986, a year before I finally left Diliman, in an article published in the Collegian shortly after that historic February --

"An apparent component of a progressive counter-culture is intellectual ferment at the classroom level. A perennial criticism hurled at the leadership of the student movement is its neglect of the classrooms as arenas of struggle. The criticism presupposes that should committed students religiously attend their classes, they will be able to competently defend, assert, and convince their classmates and teachers of the superiority of their ideas. The presupposition is not always a valid one. This underscores the need for the “intellectualization” of the student movement as a precondition for a progressive counter-culture at the grassroots level. The movement must engage in a tremendous amount of theoretical work, technical study, and social research. A general knowledge of what the progressive current stands for will no longer suffice. This knowledge will have to be broken down into its component parts and expressed in precise and concrete language. The student movement must systematically forge linkages with progressive sections of the faculty, technocracy, the professional sector, and the rest of the intelligentsia, and thereafter, exploit these linkages to “intellectualize” itself by further amassing and creating progressive knowledge."

Wala na yatang saysay ang mga hangaring ganito.

Top of Form

Louie Checa Montemar meron pa naman... kasi mas lumalabas na nga sa iba't ibang porma ang social concern at sociological imagination, at lalong wala namang monopolyo ang mga "tibak" na talaga sa dalumat ng "relevance". 

Nonoy Oplas Raffy, if student activists will click to that harsh intellectualization of the movement, none will become left-leaning. If you talk about more personal responsibility (they cannot even be responsible in their studies and regularly flunk), they will be drawn to desist and dislike more government responsibility. The main reason why such activism remains noisy is because they dislike harsh intellectualization but only stupidization of old slogans and advocacies. Sige, debate na. 

Math, Number Theory and Philippine Media

I have a good friend, a true blue academic scientist currently teaching at UP Diliman. He got his BS Math also from UP Diliman in the 80s, he did not graduate on time though because he was an activist. One time, he was shot by the police in one of the anti-Marcos rallies. If he was not athletic – he was a marathoner too, finished several 42K runs then – he should have died that day as the bullet pierced a number of his vital internal organs. His name is Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo.

Fidel toned down his involvement in student activism and pursued his real love – Math. He got his PhD Math from Sophia University I think, in Japan, specializing in number theory. When he came back to the Philippines, he was the only person here who has that specialization. I do not know now. Fidel teaches at the UP Math Department, Diliman campus.

Last week, he got a very prestigious and coveted award for most science researchers, the Achievement Award (for Mathematics) given by the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), DOST. The event was held at the Manila Hotel. Most awardees in the past were from the applied sciences/math, doing research that is immediately applicable to problems of the nation. So Fidel felt good that his work as a pure theorist, sometimes referred to as “useless, far out” work is being recognized.

Portion of the plaque says,

For his significant researches in mathematics published in high impact journals, numerous citations of his scholarly work, mentorship, and contribution to mathematics education and development; 

for pioneering the research on algebraic number theory, theory of elliptical curves, and applications to algebraic coding theory in the country, and

for elevating the status of Philippine mathematics through his engagements as visiting professor and researcher in prestigious institutions, speaker in various conferences, and election as President of the Mathematics Society and the South East Asian Mathematical Society – positions that he has served with distinction…

Congrats Fidel.

There should be a few  other Filipino researchers and academics in the basic science and math field, whose work are more appreciated abroad than here.  Big brains who get published in prestigious journals but never land in the front page of the Inquirer and other mainstream media.

In contrast, bar exam topnotchers and PMA top 10 graduates, even PNPA top 10 graduates – their names and faces -- always land in the front page of these big local media every year, no exception. do. Which speaks of the shallowness of PH media. Much, much brighter Filipino minds who come back with a PhD in molecular biology or PhD in particle physics, computer algebra, etc. never make it to the front page. Maybe in small inside pages, if ever.

Which speaks of the shallowness of the mainstream media, and even among civil society organizations (CSOs). Too much focus on lawyers and those who wield guns and bombs. 

See also previous blog posts here that featured Fidel:

An ever-expanding universe, June 25, 2010 
Pilipinas Forum 14: Math, Infinity and Limit, October 04, 2011 
Pilipinas Forum 20: Turbulence, Chaos Theory and the Stockmarket, November 13, 2011

Pilipinas Forum 20: Turbulence, Chaos Theory and the Stockmarket

Another long exchange here (12 pages) in pilipinasforum yahoogroups more than 9 years ago, on turbulence and chaos theory, applied to business and economics, the stockmarket especially. Enjoy!
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Turbulence, Chaos Theory and the Stockmarket
Feb 2002

Our friend Fidel Nemenzo sent me this one related to Dr. Muriel's lecture tomorrow evening at WSPC, AIM re. "the application of turbulence theory in stocks trading". Fidel obtained his PhD Math from Sophia U, Japan; he's the only number theorist in this country. He's teaching now at UP Diliman.
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Pards, mukhang interesting ang lecture ni Dr Muriel sa AIM. Dr Muriel is known for his ideas on turbulence, the nature of which is one of the main problems of chaos theory. One of the characters in Jurassic Park, Ian Malcolm, was a chaos mathematician. Jurassic Park was an example of a non-linear dynam ical system. Conventional (or the common-view) science (Newtonian) says that the physical world is a machine, governed by equations. If one knows these equations, and all the "initial conditions" in a a given system, just plug in these "conditions" into the equations and you can predict what happens to the system. This is what the creator of Jurassic Park believed: if you know all the "equations" what govern everything in Jurassic Park and the behavior of its creatures, plus the most accurate observations of the system, then you can predict everything that can possibly happen, and maintain control over it. Sabi ni Ian Malcolm mahirap yan, at halos impossibleng i-predict kung ano ang pwedeng mangyari. Chaos can arise out of the most "orderly" situations. Which is what happened.

The central goal of chaos theory is the study of systems that exhibit chaotic or "random" behavior. Parang may contradiction dito: the search for order within disorder. May tula si Wallace Stevens, " ... A violent order is disorder, and a great disorder is an order. These two things are one." This describes what happens in most natural systems. (Or even "social" systems, like a crowd. The most orderly crowd can metamorphose into an unruly mob in an instant, just as the perfect storm may just be over the horizon of the calmest sea.)

Another example of a "chaotic" system is the stock market, thus the growing interest in the mathematical theory of chaos among economists. Stock brokers and currency traders know that prices quoted in any financial market can change unpredictably. Huge volumes of money are made or lost in sudden bursts of activity. Classical mathematical models of finance cannot explain this behavior, for volatility is central to the behavior of financial markets. Which is why new explanations of market behavior are being sought using ideas from chaos theory. Or even fractals-- pero saka ko na lang ito i-e-explain.

The way fluid flows, or the behavior of a plume of smoke-- these contain both order and disorder. The term physicists use is turbulence-- which is chaotic and unpredictable. The study of turbulence is a key problem in physics. Conventional theories may be able to explain the smooth flow of water when the tap is turned on lightly. But nothing explains the turbulent flow of water when the tap is strong. Dr Muriel has proposed a theory which explains such behavior. I guess that's what he hopes to do in his AIM talk-- to shed some light on the volatility and unpredictability (turbulence!) of financial markets using his ideas on fluid flow. Both types of systems exhibit essentially the same activity. I can't go to the lecture; kwentuhan mo na lang ako.

- Fidel Nemenzo

Chaos theory may well become one of the most important theoretical fields in the 21st century (aside from relativity and quantum physics). I have been fascinated with how seemingly innocous changes in the initial conditions can have multiplier effects which are often complex and unpredictable. The most popular example is known as the "Butterfly Effect" in which the flapping of a butterfly's wings for example in Germany (I'm still in a thrall with the "butterfly" ending in "All Quiet on the Western Front" flick. Thanks Gina!) could cause miniscule atmospheric changes and which, given a time horizon could affect weather patterns in Pampanga. And think of how a very small change in testosterone level of an individual could trigger a nuclear war (ala Dr. Strangelove). So it could be like goodbye mankind, hello dinosaurs kind of thing.

Anyway, the latest experiment on the chaos theory involved sending a random signal to the Pioneer 10 spacecraft which is already in the edge of our solar system (before it will get blasted into smithereens by a Trekkie in the future, he he he). As Fidel pointed out, even the random dripping of a faucet has an order behind it. In other words, there's beauty in madness. or a method behind every madness.

- Glenn de Guzman

Pilipinas Forum 14: Math, Infinity and Limit

Here is another mind-twisting thread in pilipinasforum yahoogroups made in early December 2001. There was no political discourse here. And that's my point in posting these exchanges in this blog: We need little or no politics (and government) if we wish to expand our individual imagination and knowledge of math, logic and their applications. So, enjoy the 10-pages long exchanges on the subject.

Related articles in this blog are (1) An ever-expanding universe, June 25, 2011. It's about a lecture by an American cosmologist in UP about the "Accelerated History of the Universe". Also, (2) Pilipinas Forum 12: Origin of Zero, Nothingness, Big Bang..., September 25, 2011
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I was able to meet an old friend and a new friend - both Math professors in UP. My old friend, Fidel Nemenzo got his PhD in Sophia U. in Japan, and his specialization is "number theory", reputedly the purest of all math subjects.

Fidel's friend, Ernie, is really fantastic, academically i.e.: Monbusho scholar (like Fidel), finished MS and PhD Math in 5 years with "A" grades equivalent. At Sohia U, he was among the "wonder kids" by solving difficult math problems whle his Japanese classmates could only shake their heads. Undergrad, he finished BS Math in UP - Summa cum laude, in 3 years! High school, he came from Phil. Science HS; elem. he came from an obscure elem. school in an obscure town in Iloilo province. They're so poor that their house has no floor, that PSHS has to pay for his bus to Iloilo, his plane fare to manila. Yet this guy has no self-pity, nor hatred of the rich. He doesn't even see himself joining the corporate world, just a plain academic for the rest of his career. At 27, he's among the youngest professors in UP Math dept.

Fidel is moving to his friend's house, that of Mark Encarnacion, who took a temporary leave from UP for some stints in the US. Mark is another interesting kid. He got a PhD in "Computer Algebra" (!) from an Austrian university. The last time I talked to Mark in UP, about 4 years ago, he said he's the "only person in this country" who has that degree. Mark's father is UPSE's long-time dean, our dean that time, Dr. Jose Encarnacion. The Dean passed away about 3 years ago; his major works are often published in foreign academic journals, enough to be nominated for a possible Nobel prize in Economics.

OK, why am I sharing this? To show that there are such wonderful people in this country but our media and political and business leaders don't seem to notice. Every year we know who are the topnotchers in the bar exams, who are the valedictorians and salutatorians of the PMA, courtesy of the front page stories in our broadsheets and tabloids. But never has it occurred as far as I can remember, that Phil. broadsheets have given front page treatment to returning Filipino scientist or engineer or mathematician with distinguished PhD degree or astonishing research abroad. Which reflects the values and biases of Philippine media: future Filipino politicians and generals are hoorraayy! Future Filipino Einsteins are nobodies.

Of course I hope I'm wrong in this impression.

-- Nonoy Oplas

Inspired by Nonoy's post a few days back on our very own mathematicians in PilipinasForum, I decided to pick up a book, for leisurely reading, entitled, "A Tour of the Calculus" by David Berlinski. I wanted to be reminded as to why I fell in love with Math at one time in my life...

Math & life... the math of life...

From the book, "Some things were Greek to the Greeks. In the fifth century B.C., Zeno the Eleatic argued that a man could never cross a room to bump his nose into the wall...in order to reach the wall he would have first to cross half the room and then half the remaining distance again, and then half the distance that yet remains...this process...can always be continued and can never be ended..."

In the elevator, I always bump into the chief of another investment bank whose offices are in the same building as ours. He once asked me, "Gina, when do you think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel? You know, that one which is not from another train?" I answered, "Tomorrow!". Everytime I see him, we would look and smile at each other and we would, in perfect duet (seemingly practiced), say, "Tomorrow!"

In another instance, an analyst queried me, "Have we reached the bottom yet? How low can the market get?" Armed with calculus, I said, "We can never reach the bottom. The bottom will be forever unknown."

"...The plain fact is that we are capable of compressing those infinite steps..." and actually bump our noses into the wall. The truth is, for some businesses in the country today, tomorrow may not come. And I, a Trekkie, will uncharacteristically pass, on this voyage of discovery to the bottom of the Philippine markets. So much for infinity and continuity and the harsh concept of the limit.*

In case you have not noticed yet :-), this post has nothing to do with serious Math. I am just having fun with the concepts. May I end with this:

"The integral enables you
To do what you need not do. [ :-) ]
The theorem that will make this plain
Is one designed to spare you pain..."

- Mathematicians' Doggerel (quoted from the same book; the smiley, mine)

-- Gina L.