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It is probably a great deal of luck in the choice of the word “glyph” when it comes to the representation of some physical properties of the world. Especially the choice of glyph designation for the visual representations of tensor properties makes so much more sense when this representation relies upon the properties of superquadrics (Kindlmann, 2004a, b). On the other hand, it was long realized that the evolution of plants and animals can be characterized by an evolution of the different geometrical shapes, but only lately these shapes were connected with the exquisite evolutionary properties of the superquadrics (Gielis, 2003). In view of this new development, one cannot refrain from putting into expression a thought floating around, so to speak.

The Egyptian hieroglyphs are still a great deal of enigma for us today, and their translation is a challenge, in spite of the fact that it appears to public as a done deal. In fact any scientific problem today is a matter of great scientific debate and criticism while, nevertheless, it appears to public as a done deal. For, a scientific problem is always referred, mostly by media, to one kind or another of technological achievements, a fact which seals the perception, sometimes for a long while. But, leaving these general opinions aside, and coming back to hieroglyphs, one only wonders if they are not a kind of glyphs showing the evolution of life, of man, and implicitly of the universe. The hieroglyphs are mainly animal representations. Then the ‘true’ translation of hieroglyphs should start from the idea of the evolution of shapes as mathematically revealed in the realm of superquadrics. One only needs a basis, a fundamental principle so to speak, for such a translation, and in this respect we have a reasonable candidate.

Recall the verses of the Book of Genesis: “Let there be light!” The light started everything in this world! However, the science is still far away from understanding how. It is our opinion that until it will not realize the Christian version of the Genesis, with its profound “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!”, it will be destined to ever wander far away from the truth. However, staying aside from the slippery issue of destiny of the science, the problem of visualization of tensor properties of animate matter by glyphs brings the light as a principle, as it should rightfully be. For, in spite of the current opinion, endorsed by and large through technological achievements, about its vectorial character, when it comes to its measurement properties, the light has actually a tensor character. But this tensor character is not enough in order to reveal the local properties of light: as the tensor glyphs representation shows (Kindlmann, 2004a), the qualities of a tensor should be further rendered by the properties of superquadrics. This fact has a firm mathematical basis, perhaps just as firm as the Newton’s fundamental invention – the forces.

Therefore, scientifically speaking, the hieroglyphs are only glyphs. This is just the manner of desecrating them, as science always does, but this time with a noble cause: to elevate this very science to the sacred things! The principle is the light. Then the challenge for our mind should be this: what are the sacred signs telling us? It should be certainly something about us, inasmuch as, according to the New Testament, this telling should refer to light as a physical principle!

References

Gielis, J. (2003): A Generic Geometric Transformation That Unifies a Wide Range of Natural and Abstract Shapes, American Journal of Botany, Vol. 90, pp. 333 – 338

Kindlmann, G. (2004a): Superquadric Tensor Glyphs, In Proceedings of the VisSym 2004: Joint EUROGRAPHICS – IEEE TCVG Symposium on Visualization, pp. 147 – 154

Kindlmann, G. (2004b): Visualization and Analysis of Diffusion Tensor Fields, PhD Dissertation, School of Computing, University of Utah