Chihara.

Yes. Would he be an admirer also?

I think so. I think a success in science at an early age carries unsuspected burdens. And the greatest of these is fear. Chihara would know about that.

Fear? Of what?

Of being wrong. When Dirac was asked recently why he didnt just come out and announce that the particle lurking in his calculations was an anti-electron what do you think he said?

I dont know.

Pure cowardice.

What else?

Re Gödel?

Yes. He seems to take up a lot of space.

The 1931 papers were motivated by Gödel’s reading of Russell and Whitehead’s Principia. Russell believed that Gödel was the only person to have read it in its entirety and he was amazed at Gödel’s grasp of it. Of course it was never finished. Russell saw the problem with it and he begged Whitehead not to publish it. They seldom spoke afterwards. A situation not helped by Russell’s continually trying to fuck Whitehead’s young wife. Russell had a limited social life at the time and he said that if you couldnt fuck your friends’ wives then who were you supposed to fuck?

He didnt say that.

No. Or not to my knowledge. I think it was more just an unspoken principle with him. Whitehead tried to finish the fourth volume on his own but in the end he had to give it up. I think working with Russell all those years had given him a false evaluation of the difficulty of the project.

Russell was a really good mathematician.

Yes.

But he gave it up. Mathematics.

Yes.

Because of Wittgenstein?

Most people—Russell included—say that it was because of Wittgenstein. But the real reason is that Russell wanted to be famous. And he knew that mathematics couldnt do that for him. And of course he was right. And he did become famous. He was recognized the world over and he had endless women. Not all of them the wives of friends.

Did he give up philosophy?

Essentially. He took to writing popular books. I think he came to see attempting to understand the universe as a fool’s errand.

A universe containing neither light nor dark.

Nor certitude nor peace nor help for pain.

Something about a darkling plain.

Yes.

Why are people not more interested in science?

They’re afraid of it. Even educated people often prefer craziness. Aliens, Velikovsky. Flying saucers.

Craziness.

Yes.

Well. So much for Gödel?

Gödel is forever.

Do you believe that?

No.

All right. Can you juggle?

Well, you did it.

I did what?

You finally surprised me. Can I juggle?

Yes.

Yes. The basics. Three tennisballs. Why?

I just thought it was something you would try. What else can you do?

I dont know. Such as what?

Anything.

I can read backwards. I can read something in a mirror. Who is that? Leonardo? I can write a paper so that the margins are justified. Not the contents necessarily. I dont think Leonardo could do that. Even if he had a typewriter.