From the one on Logic I discovered one my favourite books, Beyond the limits of thought by Graham Priest. The Metaphysics volume led me to three more comprehensive introductions that I later read. And in the book on Time I greatly enjoyed the explanation on the second law of thermodynamics.

The best way I know to start learning a new topic, or to revisit the fundamentals of something I believe I understand, is to read a Very Short Introduction thereof.

They are usually excellent. These are some of my favourites.

What a great initiative by @oxunipress.bsky.social ! Thank you!

It's cool to realise that independently discovered notions of universality are essentially the same. And it's useful, as well.

Work with Tobi Reinhart just published in PRE.

journals.aps.org/pre/abstract...

Visca! Felicitats @rgsait.bsky.social ! És un llibre preciós. Em va fer somniar molt.

Thanks, @ricardsole.bsky.social ! That's very interesting. I wonder how this relates to the impossibility of a universal inductive machine by Putnam's diagonal argument

philsci-archive.pitt.edu/15137/1/solp...

… i quina xerrada tan interessant i esperançadora va donar el Ricard Solé a la magnífica biblioteca JV Foix de Sarrià… Hem après tant sobre el temps en els últims dos-cents anys! Quina sort tenim de viure banyats de tant coneixement

Que bonica va ser la Conversa Nat que van mantenir la Prof. Eva Miranda i el Prof. Doyne Farmer, moderats pel Prof. Ricard Solé, l’altre dia al Born. Quin ambient intel·lectual tan estimulant hi ha a Barcelona! Gràcies al Ricard per iniciar la conversa del temps 🥰

Tomorrow I'll give a colloquium for Prof. @evamirandag.bsky.social 's group at the Maths Dept at UPC, Barcelona

I'll talk about the scope of forms of universality and unreachability in logic, spin models, Boltzmann machines, and philosophy.

Everybody is welcome!
imtech.upc.edu/2026/01/26/g...

Ricard Solé: “No hi ha cap màquina ni cap IA capaç de viatjar en el temps com fem els humans” Investigador ICREA a la UPF i l’Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (IBE UPF-CSIC)

De curiositat contumaç, Ricard Solé (Barcelona, 1962) engolia tots els llibres de segona mà que arribaven a la biblioteca familiar. Aquelles lectures esperonaven encara ...

But I am perplexed by the claim of some physicists and philosophers that the passing of time is only an illusion of our brain. That there's nothing special about the now (and here). That time behaves like the spatial dimensions.

I am willing to give up many illusions, but not this one (yet)...

I have enjoyed learning about the neuroscience of time in "Your brain is a time machine" by Dean Buonomano (2017). For example, that there are various clocks in our brain, adapted to different time scales. And that the circadian rhythm is given by a negative feedback loop of the gene Period.

📣 Avui a les 18:30 h!

La #investigadoraICREA @gemmadlc.bsky.social ( @upf.edu ) imparteix la xerrada “De la intuïció a la física sobre el temps” dins del cicle de filosofia Què és el temps? 📍a la Biblioteca del Poblenou.

No t’ho perdis!
ajuntament.barcelona.cat/biblioteques...

Gràcies, Ricard! 🥰

A la Biblioteca del Poblenou - Manuel Arranz (C/ Joncar, 35), aquesta tarda a les 18:30.

Tothom hi és benvigut; hi haurà molta estona per qüestions.

ajuntament.barcelona.cat/biblioteques...

Demà a les 18:30 a la Biblioteca del Poblenou parlarem de les lliçons sorprenents de la física quant a la naturalesa del temps.

Gràcies al Prof. Francis Garcia Collado per la iniciativa i al Prof Ricard Solé per iniciar la conversa amb l’exposició “La invenció del temps”.

Us sembla que el present és com un ganivet gegant que talla tot l’espai en dues parts, el passat del futur? Aquesta idea és equivocada, perquè el present és relatiu a l’aquí.

Us sembla que el temps passa igual de ràpid a la platja que a la muntanya? És una altra il·lusió de la nostra mida...

Michael E. Cuffaro & Stephan Hartmann (eds.), Open Systems: Physics, Metaphysics, and Methodology (2025: Oxford University Press) - PhilPapers This book consists in seventeen chapters devoted to physical, metaphysical, and methodological questions concerning open systems. The chapters in the volume address questions such as: Are (theories of...

Some such thoughts can be found in the chapter “Quantum Theory: Ideals, Infinities and Pluralities” for the book “Open Systems: Physics, Metaphysics, and Methodology”, edited by M. Cuffaro & S. Hartmann, published by Oxford University Press (2025).

philpapers.org/rec/HAROSP

It also surprises me how we theoretical physicists deal with problems: We first solve an ideal case which tends to involve an infinity (the thermodynamic limit, zero temperature…), and use this as a fulcrum to approximately solve the finite case. But the ideal case cannot exist...

It always surprised me how lightly physicists treat infinity — anything “somewhat large” is susceptible of being treated as infinite. But infinity is conceptually very different from a large number.

In computation, the (potential) infinity is reserved for the length of the tape, and all other quantities are finite. And we tend to endow computation with some physical value...

The discreteness of information reminds of the Pythagorean maxim by which only things with a bound make sense.

Quantum Gravity and Computation: Information, Pregeometry, and Digital Physics This volume argues that concepts from the theory of computation—including information theory, formal languages, and discrete structures—might provide novel paths towards a solution to the problem of q...

Is the world at the fundamental level made of tiny indivisible pieces, or can it be divided ad infinitum? Perhaps our modern understanding of computation can shed some light on this ancient question.

I gathered some thoughts for this book chapter.

www.routledge.com/Quantum-Grav...

La meva experiència recent en events semblants (com la taula rodona sobre Quàntica i Filosofia en la Biennal de Ciència i Cultura) és de resultar impressionada per l'interès de la gent i l'ambient intel·lectual de la ciutat. És un gust. Fa molta il·lusió.

Jo tindré el gust de fer-ne una el 13 de gener a les 18:30 a la Biblioteca del Poblenou sobre "La desfeta de la intuïció del temps".

Procuraré compartir lliçons sorprenents de la física, com que no hi ha un ara independent d'un aquí, que el temps passa més lent als peus que al cap...

Per acompanyar la magnífica exposició sobre el temps comissariada pel @ricardsole.bsky.social, el Prof. Francis Garcia Collado ha organitzat un cicle de conferències a biblioteques sobre "Què és el temps?" pel gener i febrer de 2026.

ajuntament.barcelona.cat/biblioteques...

El temps no existeix (o sí) a la Ciutadella Una mostra al Centre Martorell d'Exposicions combina disciplines científiques i humanístiques per reflexionar sobre un concepte central per a la vida humana

El temps existeix realment o és tan sols una percepció? Quin és l'origen del temps? Per què percebem el temps només en una direcció? Les plantes poden preveure el fu...

Our new science exhibition “The Invention of Time” has just opened in Barcelona. Come explore time in physics, brains & life, from Evolution 2 relativity. We even have a working Time Machine (that’s me using it) @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social @icreacommunity.bsky.social museuciencies.cat/en/exposicio...

They defend the thesis that most people are good, or decent. The thesis is justified on a number of psychological experiments (which, ironically, I had read about in other books arguing the opposite). The books gave me hope, which I find very necessary to live by.

Now that festive times are approaching, and given our constant exposure to bad and sad news, it may be a good time to share two books I recently read which gave me hope in humankind: `Utopia for realists' and `Humankind’ by Rutger Bregman.

Informació de servei: No confieu en Correus. Vaig enviar un paquet certificat el setembre a Viena. No ha estat entregat, no se m'ha informat, ni se m'ha retornat. A més de no responsabilitzar-se'n, mala atenció personal a l'oficina. Per si us pot ajudar a decidir-vos per una altra empresa...😅