3/6/13

From Gary... Canberries, Rhubarb and "Smarts"


Remember the chess victory of "deep blue" over Gary Kasparov in 1997?  It was the first time a computer won at chess over a player who had reached grand master status!!!   It didn't know much about him, so I looked him up on Wikipedia...


"Garry Kimovich Kasparov (RussianГа́рри Ки́мович Каспа́ровRussian pronunciation: [ˈɡarʲɪ ˈkʲiməvʲɪtɕ kɐˈsparəf]; born Garik Kimovich Weinstein;[1] 13 April 1963) is a Russian (formerly Sovietchess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer and political activist, considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time.[2]
Kasparov became the youngest ever undisputed World Chess Champion in 1985 at the age of 22 by defeating then-champion Anatoly Karpov.[3] He held the official FIDE world title until 1993, when a dispute with FIDE led him to set up a rival organization, the Professional Chess Association. He continued to hold the "Classical" World Chess Championship until his defeat by Vladimir Kramnik in 2000. He was the first world champion to lose a match to a computer under standard time controls, when he lost to Deep Blue in 1997.
Kasparov's ratings achievements include being rated world No. 1 according to Elo rating almost continuously from 1986 until his retirement in 2005. He achieved a peak rating of 2851,[4] which was the highest recorded until 2013. He was theworld No. 1 ranked player for 255 months, nearly three times as long as his closest rival, Anatoly Karpov. Kasparov alsoholds records for consecutive tournament victories and Chess Oscars."

At this point you may be wondering why this reference is on the same page as a quote from the comedian, Groucho Marx.  Well, the Marx brothers were very smart people.  I especially like Groucho because of his ad lib abilities.  This quote seems particularly arcane and frankly I had to read it a couple of times in order to "get it"!!!  No matter how "smart" you are, there is always someone smarter!!!  But, who is smarter than the smartest person?  For Gary Kasparov, it was a machine? What about you?  Think you are smart?  Are you better at one specific thing than everyone you know?  Theoretically, are you better than every other human being?  How about non-humans... better than a machine... better than God?  Consider this passage from the book of 1st Corinthians...

1 Corinthians, Chapter 1

  18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.  19 For it is written, 

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”

  20  Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.  22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,  24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.  25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  26 For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble;  27 but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;  28 and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are:  29 that no flesh should boast before God.  30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:  31 that, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”


Again, think you are smart... check out this I.Q. chart I obtained from Wikipedia...




The smartest person I have every known (R.S.@160) was outstanding among his fellow  chemists and yet could not understand spiritual matters.  Point is; no matter how smart you are, someone else is probably smarter and even the smartest person alive falls abysmally short of the Almighty!!!  For me, I still have problems comparing Cranberries, Rhubarb and Prunes!!!



PS.  For those unacquainted with Groucho; view the following items by clicking on the link ...