Skeptical Empiricism – The Response of the Taleban

(for Adults only)

We all know that I have, of late, been reading Nicholas Nassim Taleb. My offer for employment from a Saudi Arabian company is no news either. The philosophical discussions which are part of our family lore and the karmic rigor practiced by some members, lead me to pen these observations.

First, as usual, the disclaimers.
“Taleban” in my lingo represents the followers of Taleb – Nicholas Nassim Taleb.
Next, Opinion does not tantamount to copy right violation, - blog is opinion.
Lastly, Universal Acceptance of Opinion is to be gathered after quoting the source and placing opinion in a blog – Such should be the Form of True Democracy.

Now, on to quoting the source – The following is an extract from “The Black Swan” by N N Taleb, Page136, in Chapter Nine titled We Just Can’t Predict, ISBN: 978-0-I4I-03459I.

“…….In fact, Yogi Berra is not the only thinker who thought about how much of the future lies beyond our abilities. Many less popular, less pithy, but not less competent thinkers than he have examined our inherent limitations in this regard, from the philosophers Jacques Hadamard and Henri Poincaré (commonly described as mathematician), to the philosophers Friedrich von Hayek (commonly described, alas, as an economist), to the philosopher Karl Popper(commonly known as philosopher). We can safely call this the Berra-Hadamard-Poincare-Hayek-Popper conjecture, which puts structural, built-in limits to the enterprise of predicting……”

This, conjecture or hypothesis, has elsewhere been termed as skeptical empiricism, resulting in, a despondency reflected in the title, namely, “We Just Can’t Predict”.

Response of the Taleban -
A great member of this blog once said, “Perception is Reality” urging me to negate mentally (Neti, Na iti, Not this). Roger Penrose, another author whose work (Karma/Bhakti) in the field of intelligence is beyond comparision, talks of a “Continuum Hypothesis”.
The Member of the Blog surely knows “Jagat is Mithya” and Roger Penrose surely knows “Brahman is Satyam”. However, they out of respect (Maryada) or a natural limitation, refrain from restating this eternal truth in one language possibly only out of the fear that Hope when shared will be lost forever in the limits of continuity.
The response of the Taleban to the Despondency of skeptical empiricism is one of Changeless Hope, not Hope and Change uttered independently. This truth is declared by the statement, “Continuum is Reality” – Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudah Vadanti.
The debate over Gnana and Bhakti, Knowledge and Action, Big Bang and Big Crunch, Truth and Reality, is long settled. However, since we think joy is only in partial self-discovery, we get partial joy in the discovery of the self. (Cogito Ergo Sum, Reductio Ad Absurdum)
Permanent Joy Belongs to The Witness, Consciousness.
Such is Advaita Philosophy of (always Adi) Sankaracharya – who in the words of Rajagopalachari (an Iyengar) drank the ocean of knowledge as easily as one sips water from the palm of one’s hand.
Let us speculate together and avoid controversy by saying that he said, “Achyutaya namah, Anantaya namah, Govindaya namah” and for each of these composed the Prasthana Trayi, the three great commentaries.
Can His glory ever fade in a bipolar debate of Shivan and Shakti?

An Unconditional Apology to Nicholas Nassim Taleb
In today’s world where the slightest impropriety leads to the largest of wars, (even if they be intellectual), apology is a pre-emptive correction of consequences. Even an association in a blog with the name “Taleban” maybe an affront (for those coming from the land totally dedicated to non-violence - India, Bharat, Hindustan) and I will attempt to mollify the great man , so help me God –
In his book mentioned above, NNT talks of a Great Intellectual Fraud. Coming from a rich and varied heritage, he does it with respect. His philosophy is that the possibility that Immaculate Conception is a Rare Event cannot be discounted. Such event(s) cannot be or possibly should not be predicted in today’s world of increasing complexity. It should be observed and enjoyed, much like the Witness Consciousness.
One member of this blog, Shri. A L Visweswaran, aka Vichu Athan, has coined a term called Vichiism. It is defined as a pithy but no less popular statement coming from the most competent person of that field.
I remember one of them – “In a libel case, more the truth, more the libel”. My apology to Nicholas Nassim Taleb is a prayer - May the True Taleban be His followers.