Teasing is a disguised form of shaming…

Teasing is a disguised form of shaming.  It stifles creativity and damages people, a hypothesis confirmed by recent experiments.

– Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKensie

Demise of the scientists ethos of sharing information?

Prior to 1665, in medieval Europe, scientific knowledge was confined to a secretive exclusive few.

Then, in 1665 the Royal Society published the first issue of its Philosophical Transactions. This was a seminal moment in the history of science, it was the beginning of open access to scientific information. The journal was committed to the idea that all new discoveries should be disseminated as widely and freely as possible.

Today, an increasing share of scientific research and development is funded by corporations. These corporations have an economic incentive in protecting information rather than disseminating it widely.

Example: recently we have seen instances of companies funding studies and then demanding that they be suppressed when the results do not come back to their satisfaction.

The challenge the scientific community faces today is whether it can survive the growing commercialism of scientific endeavors.

– Extracted from The Wisdom of Crowds by James Suroweicki

What symbolism does ET use?

The simplest and universally known symbols are the integral numbers, represented in the Arabic notation by 0, 1, 2, …, 9, 10, 11, …, 98, 99, 100, 101, …

We are so used to these symbols that we think that they always existed.  However, it wasn’t until the 11th century when an Indian mathematician, Bhaskara, created them.

We see these symbols as obvious and natural.  And now we can’t imagine any other way of expressing numbers.

It’s interesting to ponder how a civilization on another planet symbolizes integral numbers.  It’s highly unlikely that they use the same symbols.  Perhaps they’ve created a symbology which makes things easier.  Perhaps it has enabled them to progress their mathematics and technology at a faster rate.  I wonder if their symbology uses base 10?  I wonder if we humans will discover an even better symbology than the notation we currently use?

“The symbols for integers illustrate the enormous importance of a good notation.  By relieving the brain of all unnecessary work, a good notation sets it free to concentrate on more advanced problems, and in effect increases the mental power of the race.” [Whitehead]

“Before the Arabic notation was introduced multiplication was difficult, and the division even of integers called into play the highest mathematical facilities.” [Whitehead]

I wonder if we are creating today any symbolism that will “increase the mental power of the race”, and will endure for centuries or millenium?

The Peculiar Character of Knowledge

Most commodities get used up and looses value as it is consumed.

Knowledge, however, does not get used up as it is consumed and can therefore spread widely without losing its value.  In fact, the more a piece of knowledge becomes available, the more valuable it potentially becomes, because of the wider array of possible uses for it.

– The Wisdom of Crowds by James Suroweicki

Are all ideas subjective? Are there objective ideas?

 We are likely to think that all ideas are things that occur within our mind and are thus subjective.  It may be difficult to imagine that there are objective ideas.  But there are objective ideas, and it can be understood by examining the meaning of the word “idea.”

Subjective Ideas

The first meaning of “idea” is the content we have in our minds when we are thinking. It includes the sensations and perceptions we have, the images we form, the memories we summon up, and the conceptions or notions that we employ in our thinking.

When the word “idea” is used in this way, all the various items referred to are subjective. My sensations or perceptions are not yours; the images that occur in my dreams or the memories I dwell upon when I reminisce are mine alone; so too are the concepts or notions I have formed as I study a difficult topic.

To call them “subjective” is simply to say that they are private, not public. When I speak of them as mine – my perception, my memory, or my concept – I am saying that the perception, memory, or concept in question belongs to me alone. You can have no access to it, just as you cannot have access to the toothache I am suffering.

Objective Ideas

In its other meaning, the word “idea” refers to an object that two or more persons can have access to, can focus on, can think about, can discuss.

If we disagree about a decision just handed down by the Supreme Court, we may find ourselves challenging each other’s views about justice. It I ask you for your view of justice, I am asking you to tell me what you think about it, and I am also prepared to tell you what I think about it. The “it” here is justice as an object of thought, both your thought and mine, not justice as a concept in your mind, but not mine.

We each have concepts in our minds – concepts we think with when we think about justice. Furthermore, your concepts and mine are distinct. But that does not prevent both of us from thinking about one and the same object – an object of thought we call “justice”, and sometimes we refer to as “the idea of justice.”

– Six Great Ideas by Mortimer J. Adler

“Anecdotal evidence” is an oxymoron

[Definition] Oxymoron: two terms that contradict each other; a contradiction in terms.

Interesting stories (i.e. anecdotes) don’t prove anything.  They could be far from the typical. Anecdotes are not evidence.

Example: a person saw a crow drop walnuts onto a street as a car was approaching.  The car ran over the walnut, breaking it apart.  The crow then flew down and ate the contents of the walnut.

This is an interesting story, but in no way does it prove that crows are clever enough to learn such a neat trick as using human drivers to prepare their meals for them.  In fact, a scientific study was done and it concluded that crows do not possess this ability.

Lesson learned: an anecdote is just that - an interesting story.  It doesn’t prove anything.

– Extracted from Unspun by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson

Not everything that can be counted counts …

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”  [Albert Einstein]

Example: when researching a species these things are important, but cannot be counted: the texture of the skin, the color, the smell.

So, it’s not only quantitative data that is useful when collecting evidence and information.

– Extracted from Hard Facts by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton

Fallacy of Massive Unemployment after a War

Fallacy: after a war, as many thousands of men and women are released into civilian life, there will be much unemployment.

It is true that when many thousands of soldiers are suddenly reintroduced into civilian life, it may take time for private industry to reabsorb them.

However, since the government will cease to support the soldiers, the taxpayers will be allowed to retain the funds that were previously taken from them in order to support the war.  Consequently, taxpayers will then have additional funds to buy additional goods, and this results in a greater number of jobs in private industry.

– Extracted from Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt

The whole is equal to the sum of the parts … versus … The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

The whole is equal to the sum of the parts.

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

These expressions represent two very different types of systems.

When someone buys a newspaper at the corner drugstore, it has no effect on my decision to buy a tube of toothpaste at the supermarket. The two events are independent. The whole is equal to the sum of the parts.

If lots of people start buying various products then it may influence others to buy products. This reinforcing behavior may create a boom in the economy. Conversely, if lots of people stop buying products then it may influence others to save, and thus create a recession. The actions by the individuals are dependent. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Systems where the whole is equal to the sum of the parts are called linear systems. Each component is independent of the others.

Systems where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts are called non-linear systems. Each component may influence other components. A non-linear system is a vast web of incentives and constraints and connections. The slightest change in one part causes tremors everywhere else. “We can’t help but disturb the Universe”

– Extracted from Complexity by M. Mitchell Waldrop

Meet People Where They Are: Avoid Advice-Giver Power Hierarchies

Scenario: your friend is unhappy in his job.  You are assertive in your suggestions to him, you tell him: “You need to talk to your boss” or “I want you to interview for this new job.”

Psychologist Carl Rogers warns that this kind of expert advice-giving, though intended to help, actually has the opposite effect.  When confronted with an aggressive push, most people shut down and become even less likely to change.

Rogers practices a different approach.  Rather than suggesting ways for his client to change, he would acknowledge their experiece: “So, you’re unhappy with your job.  That must be difficult.”

Rogers assumes a peer relationship and listens intently.

As Rogers focused on listening and acknowledging his client’s experience, something amazing would happen.  The client would find his own solutions to the problem.  “You know, I don’t like being trapped.  I think I’ll look for a new job.”

When we give advice to someone, we automatically create a power hierarchy.  The advice-giver is superior to the reciepient.  In a decentralized organization this kind of hierarchy is detrimental.

– Extracted from The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom