What is the deepest/most impactful statement that you have ever seen?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on profound statements, particularly focusing on the mathematical identity e^(pi*i) + 1 = 0, which is highlighted as a deeply impactful concept despite its complexity. Participants share various quotes and reflections, including philosophical insights from figures like Thich Nhat Hanh and Theodosius Dobzhansky. The conversation also touches on the nature of randomness and determinism, emphasizing that both concepts are constructs of human understanding rather than absolute truths. Overall, the forum reveals a rich tapestry of thoughts on meaning, existence, and the interplay between mathematics and philosophy.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of complex numbers and Euler's formula (e^(i*pi) = -1)
  • Familiarity with philosophical concepts of determinism and randomness
  • Knowledge of notable quotes from literature and film
  • Basic grasp of mathematical notation and its implications
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the implications of Euler's identity in mathematics and physics
  • Research philosophical discussions surrounding determinism and randomness
  • Analyze the impact of profound quotes in literature and their philosophical significance
  • Investigate the role of mathematics in understanding complex systems, such as electrical circuits
USEFUL FOR

Philosophers, mathematicians, students of literature, and anyone interested in the intersection of mathematics and existential thought will benefit from this discussion.

spaceWizard9000
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For me:

e^(pi*i)+1=0 - I have no idea what it means, and I’m pretty sure no one else does, either, but it is the most profound thing that I have ever seen in my life.
 
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I think you would be less impressed if you knew what it meant.
Welcome to these forums!
 
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spaceWizard9000 said:
For me:

e^(pi*i)+1=0 - I have no idea what it means, and I’m pretty sure no one else does, either, but it is the most profound thing that I have ever seen in my life.
It basically means take 1 on the number line, circle it around the origin 180 degrees counterclockwise and you get -1.

I further opine that "imaginary" numbers are real while "real" numbers are imaginary. "Imaginary" numbers are quite useful for describing real things like electrical circuits and rotations while the infinite precision of "real" numbers is a fantasy.
 
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Mine is "It's Alive!", which may ring true in a few years .
 
"Where is everybody?" ... for me a profound question when wondering about humanity's chance for a long-term presence in the universe.
 
The Batman Trilogy line “Why do we fall Bruce?”
 
robotkid786 said:
The Batman Trilogy line “Why do we fall Bruce?”
If we are going Batman, then: "Some men just want to watch the world burn" has to be up there
 
jackjack2025 said:
If we are going Batman, then: "Some men just want to watch the world burn" has to be up there
Now's their chance!
 
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PeroK said:
Now's their chance!
Big fan of Nolan films. So I will add

"You remind me of someone, a man I met in a half-remembered dream"
 
  • #10
An advice from a good friend of mine...
Used to be a school student who used to tear themselves apart trying to compete with others and do well on competitions, exams etc... but now just does physics because it's what they love :D

"Life is not about who does better and who does more. Just ENJOY"

e^(i pi) = -1 is pretty cool :)
 
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  • #11
Sorry, this thread needs to be paused for Moderation...
 
  • #12
Okay, it turns out that the OP is a sockpuppet of a banned member, so they are now gone. If you'all would like to continue this conversation, I'll unlock the thread now.
 
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  • #13
"I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ: Think it possible, you may be mistaken."

via Jacob Bronowski's 'The Ascent of Man', which I first saw 50 years ago, at the age of 16, and just gets getting more important, every, single, day.

(ref)
 
  • #14
OK, seems I missed we are doing movies too and not just statements with real meaning spoken by real people :wink:
But even if movies can add a deep music score and an engaging backstory to enhance the feeling of profoundness of movie statements I still can't think of any movie statement that beats the sense of long lasting actual profoundness I still get from science in general and "where is everybody" in particular.
 
  • #15
Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution.
From: evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky.
 
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  • #16
TensorCalculus said:
An advice from a good friend of mine...
Used to be a school student who used to tear themselves apart trying to compete with others and do well on competitions, exams etc... but now just does physics because it's what they love :D

"Life is not about who does better and who does more. Just ENJOY"

e^(i pi) = -1 is pretty cool :)
One of these I heard somewhere and the other I made-up (I believe):
No matter how smart you are, there is always someone smarter.
No matter how stupid you may be, there is always someone more stupid.
 
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  • #17
One of many:

"The teaching is merely a vehicle to describe the truth. Don’t mistake it for the truth itself. A finger pointing at the moon is not the moon. The finger is needed to know where to look for the moon, but if you mistake the finger for the moon itself, you will never know the real moon." - Thich Nhat Hanh
 
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  • #18
The words of Franz Kafka from Der Prozess (The Trial), first published in 1925, exactly one hundred years ago, ring out a warning for us all:

Die Lüge wird zur Weltordnung gemacht. (The lie will become the new world order.)
 
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  • #19
"The hell of the living is not something that will be. If there is one, it is what is already here, the hell we live in every day, that we make by being together. There are two ways to scape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the hell, and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it.
The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of hell, are not hell, then make them endure, give them space." (Italo Calvino)
 
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  • #20
Measure twice, cut once.
 
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  • #21
They hate us for our freedom.
 
  • #22
The film 'Deep Impact' was neither deep nor impactful.
 
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  • #23
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Picasso
 
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  • #24
If you understand, things are just as they are. If you do not understand, things are just as they are.
 
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  • #25
I hope, when they die, cartoon characters have to answer for their sins.

Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts
 
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  • #26
One statement I really like is "feed the right wolf", though you would have to know the short tale behind it:

which-wolf-do-you-feed.webp


More: Two Wolves
 
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  • #27
berkeman said:
Sorry, this thread needs to be paused for Moderation...
Above the urinal at Uris Library:

"The future of America is in your hands"

There you go.....
 
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  • #28
Main character in a motion picture called "Running Brave", had a fictional or I guess non-fictional conversation between young athlete main character and coach. I am trying to do a search for the quote but can not find it. It went something like this:

Main character say:
If I am half indian and half white, and enter a race and win, which half of me won the race?
 
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  • #29
This one: There is no evidence for randomness at all in the real world. Randomness is a made-up idea. It can exist in our minds as a concept, but it does not actually exist in the physical world we live in.
 
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  • #30
“Whatever people say, there is right, there is wrong. There is nothing in between.”
- Hercule Poirot (Murder on the Orient Express)
 
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