09 December 2017

On Symmetry VII (Nature)

"Nature builds up by her refined and invisible architecture, with a delicacy eluding our conception, yet with a symmetry and beauty which we are never weary of admiring." (Sir John F W Herschel, "The Cabinet of Natural Philosophy", 1831)

"[…] the lifeless symmetry of architecture, however beautiful the design and proportion, no man would be so mad as to put in competition with the animated charms of nature." (Fanny Burney, "Evelina", 1909)

"The essential vision of reality presents us not with fugitive appearances but with felt patterns of order which have coherence and meaning for the eye and for the mind. Symmetry, balance and rhythmic sequences express characteristics of natural phenomena: the connectedness of nature - the order, the logic, the living process. Here art and science meet on common ground." (Gyorgy Kepes, "The New Landscape: In Art and Science", 1956)

"[…] nature, at the fundamental level, does not just prefer symmetry in a physical theory; nature demands it." (Jennifer T Thompson, "Beyond Einstein: The Cosmic Quest for the Theory of the Universe", 1987)

"The quantum world is in a constant process of change and transformation. On the face of it, all possible processes and transformations could take place, but nature’s symmetry principles place limits on arbitrary transformation. Only those processes that do not violate certain very fundamental symmetry principles are allowed in the natural world." (F David Peat, "From Certainty to Uncertainty", 2002)

"[…] in all things that live there are certain irregularities and deficiencies which are not only signs of life, but sources of beauty. No human face is exactly the same in its lines on each side, no leaf perfect in its lobes, no branch in its symmetry. All admit irregularity as they imply change; […]" (John Ruskin, "The Stones of Venice: The Sea Stories", 2013)

"We find, therefore, under this orderly arrangement, a wonderful symmetry in the universe, and a definite relation of harmony in the motion and magnitude of the orbs, of a kind that is not possible to obtain in any other way." (Johannes Kepler)

"Nature builds up her refined and invisible architecture, with a delicacy eluding our conception, yet with a symmetry and beauty which we are never weary of admiring." (John Herschel)

"The most general law in nature is equity-the principle of balance and symmetry which guides the growth of forms along the lines of the greatest structural efficiency." (Herbert Read)

"The secret of nature is symmetry. When searching for new and more fundamental laws of nature, we should search for new symmetries." (David Gross)

"The universe is built on a plan the profound symmetry of which is somehow present in the inner structure of our intellect." (Paul Valéry)

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