It is indeed an honor to be counted among the company of such accomplished entrepreneurs. I should at first kindly adjure you to distinguish the contributions of the other participants. As the CEO of Apple, Mr. Cook has been at the forefront of the 21st century technological revolution.
Mr. Brin, co-founder of Google, needs no introduction. Mr. Cuban superintends a corporate empire larger than the gross national product of some nations. Mr. Karp launched Tumblr to become a multibillion-dollar global brand; Mr. Genomal has mastered the logistics of clothing distribution; Mr. Maezawa is among the most successful persons in Japan’s recent commercial history.
Mr. Wei launched Vivo into a global brand that has led to ethical employment for thousands of people around the world. Mr. Yongping has furnished a route for thousands in China and around the globe to find prosperity. Mr. Durham has navigated the complex and epicene geopolitics of the current situation in the Russian Federation. Ms. Graham has provided empowerment to women in STEM throughout the USA and beyond. Mr. Radcliffe portrayed Harry Potter with such adroitness as to captivate a generation and explore enduring philosophical themes.
I would not be found lacking in sense if I admitted my trepidation in the presence of such distinguished company. Permit me, however, to first put aright certain prevalent misconceptions regarding my intentions and philosophies. The articles that initially made my commitment to the advancement of public welfare known appeared in Influencive and London Daily Post roughly 18 months ago. The articles assert that I am a Utilitarian in the strain of Mill or Bentham. The rationale is too complicated, abstract, and philosophical. I simply try to serve others with no thought of recompense. My reasons for desiring to serve others so strongly are unknown to me, even upon a month of rumination.
The editors of New York Weekly graciously explored my efforts further, without the possibly obfuscating lens of philosophical argument present in London Daily Post. The statements made on London TV News regarding my efforts directly contradict the more systematic analysis undertaken in Influencive. Although I am grateful to the editors in London, I would be remiss in stating that I agree with either portrayal. Disrupt Weekly followed the article in the London Daily Post by espousing “my” philosophy of “Reasoned Philanthropy,” which, as we have noted, is in my estimation due mostly to Bentham and Mill. Silicon Valley Times kindly recognized my work with Athanasian Hall, after which I began to engage in technical expositions for scientists and engineers in the Valley.
I made every effort to keep these advances from being monetized, so that they could be free and open to all. The detractors of these efforts should note that I have never once stated that like contribution is a moral imperative. According to the laws of the country of which I am a citizen, I am permitted to dispose of my property as I see fit. I thank Mr. Brin (Google), Mr. Cook (Apple), and Ms. Graham (various) for any attention they paid to these or other mathematical works.
My goal is to give increasingly more and consume increasingly less. There is not any justification for my behavior except that I am at liberty to engage in it in accordance with the law. I am currently writing a popular series for Toronto Telegraph entitled “The Great Equations.” This series explores the differential equations that have revolutionized human history while avoiding the pernicious extremes of unnecessary mathematical rigor or philistine simplification. Another series for Dublin News is far more technical and geared toward philosophers in the UK who are pondering the social implications of Brexit and the conflict in Ukraine. I recently completed a three-part series regarding the theory of knowledge for philosophically-inclined readers of London Mercury. Further work in Israel Herald in Jerusalem and Arab Herald in Qatar explore aesthetics, or the philosophy of beauty.
Submissions to Michigan Post, Birmingham Times and London Daily Post explore the means and ends of the educational enterprise in the Western world. The editors of New York Weekly have kindly allowed me to share the joy of combinatorics (formal counting principles) with their readers – a challenging but fulfilling and deeply humbling task. London Journal has permitted me to explore economic themes in the theory of rent and ownership – an opportunity for which I am grateful. Glasgow Report and Epistle Science (UK) have permitted me to share fascinating research concerning Riemann’s Zeta Function.
Works upon isolated topics of mathematical and philosophical interest have appeared in Russia, China, Taiwan, Denmark, India, and throughout the USA, Canada, and the UK. My report on healthcare funding remains available on San Francisco Post despite stiff, irrational, and statistically unjustifiable opposition. A series of my cryptic musings regarding the philosophy of the will and freedom remains in Los Angeles Progressive.
My political, religious, and personal predilections have been frequently inquired upon. I am neither conservative nor liberal and am neither religious nor irreligious. My suggestion for most common situations is to weigh evidence and accept difficult truths with an open mind. Do not let beliefs and desires trump facts, reason, science, and common sense. Evaluate each issue that is amenable to evidential discourse upon the best possible arguments, neglecting desires for what ought to be true and letting facts speak for themselves.
Don’t outsource your thinking to those demagogues who profit most by keeping thoughts muddy, hands empty, and fears stoked to a frenzy. Don’t try to use force or deception to compel or elicit agreement with your own views. Your views, just like mine, may well be wrong. Dissent and debate are the healthiest, most productive, and most fervently attacked pursuits in nearly every republic. Dare to think for yourself: Do not conceive it an ill bargain that your views change or are vigorously challenged in accordance with science, reason, evidence, and common sense. To be wrong and admit the same is perhaps the supreme virtue of the educated citizen.
Respectfully,
Dr. Jonathan Kenigson, FRSA
Springfield, TN, USA