The Theory of Everything....
Dec. 8th, 2008 08:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
j_cheneyI've been reading three distinct daily horoscopes for a couple of years now. They rarely agree with each other, and that 'brilliant success' I was promised a few days ago? I got a rejection instead.
Anyhow, I've been reading them partially in an effort to understand the patterns in them.
I'm beginning to believe that pattern recognition is one of the most powerful traits of humans....not because we're so good at recognizing patterns, but instead, because we impose patterns on the world around us. Of course, some people are really good at recognizing patterns, some people are really good at imposing patterns, and some people are just clueless....
People see patterns dictated by the day of the week we were born on (Monday's child is fair of face...), by the time of year (Zodiac), by the cards we draw from a deck (Tarot) or how we are performing that day (biorhythms). We see human emotions in the things about us, most commonly our pets, our cars, and robots (yes, we do anthropomorphise everything, which is imposing a pattern). We look for patterns in the stock market, in personality traits (MBTI and True Colors come to mind), in publishing trends, and in the number of comments on LJ posts. (One of the most elusive of all trends, but I do know if you post about food, you get more comments).
Of course, the true question is not whether or not the pattern we perceive is correct, but whether the pattern is there....(remember the scene in Contact where JF watches the static on the TV?)
How many times have I been told....'oh, your story is about....' and just smiled and nodded. I didn't write a story about what they think I wrote about, but there was evidenntly enough of a pattern for them to see it....or enough vestiges of a pattern for them to impose the pattern they saw on it.
There's a cool scene in one of the X-files episodes where a kid lays out a lot of binary-printed computer papers on the floor in the living room of his house. When looked at, it didn't make sense...until they went up onto the stairwell landing, and then the pattern became clear. (I actually don't remember what it was, but I recalled the concept).
I wonder sometimes how much of the patterns we fail to see are there, but we can't comprehend them because we're too close (metaphorically).
I think when I figure that out, that will be my singularity. I'll keep you posted when I get the answer.
ETA: In statistical terminology, this commentary concerns correlation, not causation. I'm not going to get into causation. Not my purview.
Anyhow, I've been reading them partially in an effort to understand the patterns in them.
I'm beginning to believe that pattern recognition is one of the most powerful traits of humans....not because we're so good at recognizing patterns, but instead, because we impose patterns on the world around us. Of course, some people are really good at recognizing patterns, some people are really good at imposing patterns, and some people are just clueless....
People see patterns dictated by the day of the week we were born on (Monday's child is fair of face...), by the time of year (Zodiac), by the cards we draw from a deck (Tarot) or how we are performing that day (biorhythms). We see human emotions in the things about us, most commonly our pets, our cars, and robots (yes, we do anthropomorphise everything, which is imposing a pattern). We look for patterns in the stock market, in personality traits (MBTI and True Colors come to mind), in publishing trends, and in the number of comments on LJ posts. (One of the most elusive of all trends, but I do know if you post about food, you get more comments).
Of course, the true question is not whether or not the pattern we perceive is correct, but whether the pattern is there....(remember the scene in Contact where JF watches the static on the TV?)
How many times have I been told....'oh, your story is about....' and just smiled and nodded. I didn't write a story about what they think I wrote about, but there was evidenntly enough of a pattern for them to see it....or enough vestiges of a pattern for them to impose the pattern they saw on it.
There's a cool scene in one of the X-files episodes where a kid lays out a lot of binary-printed computer papers on the floor in the living room of his house. When looked at, it didn't make sense...until they went up onto the stairwell landing, and then the pattern became clear. (I actually don't remember what it was, but I recalled the concept).
I wonder sometimes how much of the patterns we fail to see are there, but we can't comprehend them because we're too close (metaphorically).
I think when I figure that out, that will be my singularity. I'll keep you posted when I get the answer.
ETA: In statistical terminology, this commentary concerns correlation, not causation. I'm not going to get into causation. Not my purview.
