brettworks

“I want to talk instead about what has been called ‘microcreativity,’ those small everyday ideas that are crucial to making any progress in a scientific context. For me an idea is an unexpected thought–one that is surprising and by no means banal” (98).

“Formulating thoughts through words is extremely important; words are powerful–they link together and attract one another. They have the same function, fundamentally, as algorithms in mathematics. Just as the algorithm carries out mathematical reasoning almost by itself, so words have a life of their own; they evoke other words, and they allow us to make abstractions and deductions and to use formal logic” (102).

“It is striking how sometimes a minimal amount of information is enough to cause substantial progress in a field to which much thought has been given” (110).

Giorgio Parisi, In A Flight Of Starlings