He only knew his name: Kaspar Hauser
When a young man appeared in Nuremberg on Whit Monday in 1828, nobody expected the events that would unravel. The strange young man could neither walk nor talk properly — baffled by this sight, Nuremberg authorities were at their wit’s end and arrested him. Locked up in prison, he only tolerated water and bread. He didn’t know how to use the simplest objects of daily life. It was evident that he had lived in isolation for a long time. The only clue he was able to give as to who he was was his name: Kaspar Hauser.
The mystery surrounding the alleged prince’s son
He was released from prison and given into the custody of school professor and poet Georg Friedrich Daumer. During these relatively peaceful first months with the Daumers, young Kaspar learned to read, write, and draw. …
Philosophy is not flourishing, it is letting us down.
What is the significance of philosophy in the 21st century? In the past, philosophy was regarded as the high art of seeking and finding meaning in life and the world. However, philosophy has lost touch with how we live and approach the world, and as a result, it has lost its impact on society.
In her article Ten great female philosophers: The thinking woman’s women, Camille Paglia, professor of Humanities at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia,) states that:
“In modern times, religion among the educated classes in Europe and North America has lost ground, and intellectuals are neglecting the basic human need to find answers. Philosophers are now at the margin. …
The story of the mysteriously devious Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, also known as “the lama”
This is the story of one of the most despised women in German history, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche. Her crime: forgery. Her victim: the world-famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, her brother. Research on the two siblings today shows a picture of the two, which seems rather creepy.
Although she has idolized her brother all her life, there have always been rifts between the two. Whenever his interest turned to another woman, she tried to stop it by spinning a web of lies and intrigues. She cared for her brother and nursed him. As the administrator of his written estate, she set about using penknife and ink to ensure that her own Nietzsche image was propagated as the only valid one. …
How can we try our best to mitigate bias?
There is an interminable interest in artificial intelligence (AI). According to the AI Index 2019 Annual Report published by the University of Stanford, the volume of peer-reviewed AI papers has grown by more than 300% between 1998 and 2018. In over 3,600 global news articles on ethics and AI identified by the Human-Centered AI Institute at Stanford between mid-2018 and mid-2019, topics such as possible frameworks and guidelines on the ethical use of AI, use of face recognition applications, data privacy, the role of big tech, and algorithm bias dominated.
This highlights the importance of understanding how bias can slip into data sets and raise awareness when working towards mitigating bias. AI strikes humanity where it hurts most: It uncovers how preconceived notions affect the outcome of well-intentioned applications. While there has never been more data available to make qualified decisions, it is not guaranteed that these decisions can be put to use successfully. There have been multifold fails (this list is not…
An Introduction to machine learning thanks to a tweet
Call it a lucky find on Twitter. It definitively is. Santiago tweeted 20 questions you need to ace before getting a machine learning job. I figured I’d use these questions to understand developers’ work better and maybe get a glimpse into future applications.
The first questions were about various basic concepts of machine learning. Let’s imagine, for example, that we are given a puzzle as a gift. How do you put it together? Do you need the finished puzzle poster as a basis, or do you put the edge together first? Do you try to sort the colors? …
In September 1859 America, Joshua A. Norton declared himself “Emperor of These United States”
Have you ever wondered what your life might be like as the Emperor of America? If you’re like me, you’re especially interested in bizarre historical figures who lived contrary to the prevailing social role models. And not infrequently, real and fake nobility titles play a role in these stories, whether it be a dancer who left Bavaria in ruins or a self-proclaimed emperor.
One of the most compelling characters I have recently encountered during my research is the first and last emperor of the United States of America, the street bum Joshua A. Norton. If one were to list all the special characters who have resided and roamed San Francisco’s streets, this blog post would have to be much longer. In his article for the San Francisco Chronicle, Gary Kamiya writes that it would take the combined talents of several great authors and the U.S. Census Bureau to write such a post. And yet Emperor Norton can stand out from this illustrious circle of bizarre personalities on the streets of San Francisco. After his death, he was so popular that San Francisco residents later wanted to name the Bay Bridge after him. …
The story of a remarkable woman far ahead of her time
No stranger to being the first woman to do something, Victoria Woodhull was the first female presidential candidate of the United States after being the first woman to own a brokerage on Wall Street, the first woman to address a congressional committee, and the first woman to start a weekly newspaper. Called ‘Mrs. Satan’ by her peers, she stood up for various causes with conviction, culminating in her bid for the White House 50 years before women were even allowed to vote. Who was the woman Gloria Steinem reportedly called “the most controversial suffragist of them all”?
Born into a family owning a medicine and fortune-telling show, Woodhull learned how to present, talk, and interact with viewers. To find new clients to offer their psychic and other remedies, the family traveled a lot. The thrill and many changes in her life continued throughout her life. Victoria Woodhull overcame an abusive childhood in poverty and a horrible marriage before owning a successful stock brokerage on Wall Street. She lost her fortune due to her expensive presidential campaign, which ended with yet a second divorce. Finally, she married an English banker and enjoyed the rest of her life in the English countryside. Sounds adventurous, doesn’t it? Who was this trailblazing, controversial, and radical suffragist? …
Unselfies as an antidote to tribal and identity politics
Americans have never been as polarized as today. Whether it be the stance on issues such as the economy, racial justice, climate change, or law enforcement, among many others: Democrats and Republicans do not see eye-to-eye. Studies conducted a month before the election by the Pew Research Center found that about eight-in-ten registered voters from both political parties said their differences go beyond policies.
According to Devaka Premawardhana, we tend to associate “tribalism” with “everything toxic and ugly about politics in the Trump era. …
How Hadrian made his lover a god
When thinking about love stories in Ancient Rome, the first story that comes to mind is the love story of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. This great love story was repeatedly told throughout history, even Shakespeare wrote a play about it. However, there was another great love story from the Roman Empire’s imperial period which has not been forgotten. It is about an endless love between two men: Hadrian and Antinous.
Hadrian was born on January 24th, 76, either in near present-day Seville or Rome. During his rule, his goal was to further strengthen and unite the Roman Empire by investing a lot into infrastructure and restraining from further military actions, thus promoting prosperity throughout the vast Empire. …
Nobody cared about the painting in 1911, except for Vincenzo Peruggia
Imagine that you have an entry on Wikipedia for one infamous reason only: you stole a Louvre painting! Not just one of the more than 35,000 works of art in the Louvre… The Mona Lisa!
I doubt that anyone would like to see the notoriety of art theft under their name, but this is precisely what Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian museum worker and artist, is known for. …
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