Response By

Michael Anderson

Greg Curnoe Quotation No. 2 – Gödel, 1968

oil on wood Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John H. Moore, London, Ontario, through the Ontario Heritage Foundation, 1980 © Estate of Greg Curnoe / SOCAN (2021)

Greg Curnoe’s stenciled quotation is by the revolutionary mathematician and philosopher Kurt Friedrich Gödel (1906-1978).

Response

The canvas cannot contain these words any more than logic can contain mathematics or a host can contain a virus. The system of the world is open. New truths are not necessarily implied by current beliefs; surprise is possible. The future contains the past, but the past does not contain the future. Sometimes we find ourselves in a new place, outside of the borders that previously constrained us. Ideas enlarge us, and also move us. Where will we go next?

Photo of Michael Anderson outdoors in blue suit

Michael Anderson is a Western University professor, Chair in Philosophy of Science at the Rotman Institute of Philosophy, and holds a PhD from Yale University. Michael’s research is located at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, computer science, and the philosophy of cognitive science, and has appeared in several noteworthy scientific journals, publications, and books.