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Raymond Smullyan has died

nytimes.com

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Re: Raymond Smullyan has died

#41

Post by wtbob »

parasubvert wrote: post #36
jacquesm wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that present day religions all are about how other people should live, not just about how you should live.

Oh, I don't know, Buddhists and Taoists are pretty chill about this. Modern Judaism too. Pope Francis has also made a big point of not judging others and trying to shift Catholicism back to its roots of faith and charity rather than being hypocritical morality enforcers. Not clear he will succeed long run, but there is a recognition in big places that doctrinal Christianity has lost its way.

> trying to shift Catholicism back to its roots of faith and charity rather than being hypocritical morality enforcers.

How are faith & charity different from any other moral issue? Why do you (apparently) think encouraging faith & charity is okay, but (apparently) not humility, chastity, temperance, prudence &c.?

Re: Raymond Smullyan has died

#42

Post by dang »

exo762 wrote: post #26

> "I invented a new religion for you last night. God has a number in mind. If the sum total of all good acts minus the sum total of all bad acts exceeds this number then everyone goes to heaven. Otherwise, everyone goes to hell. Imagine then. Something you do could send everyone to hell." Yes, imagine community where everyone is policing everything everyone else does. What you do is no longer a question of your own p…

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13626884 and marked it off-topic.

Re: Raymond Smullyan has died

#43

Post by chris_st »

I own a few of his puzzle books, and even have solved some of their puzzles.

Some are so amazingly difficult that it's hard to understand how someone could be that smart.

Couple that with what everyone I've ever heard say about him, the person... that he was a wonderful, caring generous man.

Amazing.

Re: Raymond Smullyan has died

#44

Post by cperciva »

mrkgnao wrote: post #25
cperciva wrote: post #11

The New York Times says that Raymond Smullyan is dead? I'm not sure I believe it. If I asked CNN whether Fox News would answer "da" if asked whether Smullyan is dead, would they answer "ja"?

Isn't this a spoiler? I haven't seen the puzzle in a while.

Not really. At worst it's a hint that asking hypothetical questions about how other gods would answer questions is useful.

Re: Raymond Smullyan has died

#45

Post by mhartl »

One of my favorite Smullyan works is the lesser-known 5000 B.C. and Other Philosophical Fantasies. Here's one of the more amusing anecdotes from that book:

In item #249 of my book of logic puzzles titled What Is the Name of This Book?, I describe an infallible method of proving anything whatsoever. Only a magician is capable of employing the method, however. I once used it on [noted philosopher] Rudolph Carnap to prove the existence of God.

"Here you see a red card," I said to Professor Carnap as I removed a card from the deck. "I place it face down in your palm. Now you know that a false proposition implies any proposition. Therefore, if this card were black, then God would exist. Do you agree?"

"Oh, certainly," replied Carnap, "if the card were black, then God would exist."

"Very good," I said as I turned over the card. "As you see, the card is black. Therefore, God exists!"

"Ah yes!" replied Carnap in a philosophical tone. "Proof by legerdemain! Same as the theologians use!"

Re: Raymond Smullyan has died

#48

Post by nocoder »

This is why I love coming to HN. Once in a while you discover something really beautiful. I come from India & never heard of Raymond Smullyan, but I just discovered his wonderful puzzles & writings. Thanks.

Re: Raymond Smullyan has died

#49

Post by tunesmith »

kolodny wrote: post #4

One of my favorite books is the "The Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes" which describes a technique called retrograde analysis https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Mysteries-Sherlock-Holmes-Recre...

I found this book after reading The Flanders Panel, a thriller novel that also uses retrograde chess analysis. Both great books.

Re: Raymond Smullyan has died

#50

Post by zem »

kolodny wrote: post #4

One of my favorite books is the "The Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes" which describes a technique called retrograde analysis https://www.amazon.com/Chess-Mysteries-Sherlock-Holmes-Recre...

same here; in fact it might have been the first smullyan book I read, since I was a huge sherlock holmes fan before I ever heard of him
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