Vladimyr Ivan Burachynsky wrote circa 10-12-08 10:29 AM: > It seems conclusive to me that most conspiracy theories can be attributed to > Gross Stupidity and the Secrecy imparts an air of reasoning where none > exists. ( We refuse to believe some affairs are complete and utter nonsense, > hence all the sightings of Jesus in concrete stains. Our brains impart > patterns where none exists) How much effort is expended to reveal that some > agency was incompetent or stupid (Air India, Lockerbie Bombing).
Although this perspective on 6 sigma thoughts (e.g. conspiracy theories) is reasonable and practical, it's also dangerous. We, as a population depend fundamentally on the thinkers in the tails of the distributions. Those people do the due diligence none of us practical, reasonable people are willing to do. Sure, it's true that most of what those (us) wackos spend their (our) time on ends up being rat holes and dead ends. But the benefit is worth the cost. Without wackos like Penrose speculating about quantum decoherence in the brain or astrobiologists _wanting_ to demonstrate the functional equivalence of chemical constituents in compounds like DNA, we'd be lost. Our progress, if we made any at all, would be made by blunt thinkers whose best contributions enslave us to machines like assembly lines or standard accounting practices. Even more to your overall point, the wackos, albeit in the tails of some distributions, can be thought of as the _most_ human, the grounding points for other distributions. What's more human than the plight of a paranoid schizophrenic? What's more human than strapping on a diaper so you can make good time stalking the object of your affection? _These_ are the people who save us from becoming _objects_. They must be cherished and treasured for their humanity. Don't be too hard on the wackos. And don't resist becoming a wacko yourself. Let your freak flag fly, man. ;-) -- glen ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
