Intelligence and the Scientific State of Mind

Image Source: FMD May 28th, 2012

intelligence - 1a (1) : the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations - merriam-webster.com

scientific state of mind
1. fruitful question - "means that the question must take into account, as far as possible, everything  already known about the object, event, or process under scrutiny and, amid this richness of information, must single out a salient mystery or obscurity."

2. hypothetical answer - an abstract construction of the suspected truth concealed behind the question

3. hypothesis tested  -

4. new questions - a successful hypothesis opens up new questions (loops back to No.1)
information source:  Jane Jacobs, Dark Age Ahead [Page 66-68]


"Ït is the child of logos, which is always looking forward, seeking [outwardly] to know more and to extend our areas of competence and control of the environment."- Karen Armstrong (2000)

Action (passive & direct)

action - the natural or determined mental or physical response to something sensed

direct action - an action which not only acknowledges something sensed but is also determined to do something about it; an action fueled by determination, understanding, motivation and energy, an action which makes something less susceptible to external influence, force or control.

passive action - an action which acknowledges something but is determined to do nothing about it; an action lacking determination, understanding, motivation or energy; an action which makes something more susceptible to external influence, force or control.


I wrote these definitions a number of years ago in an attempt to understand an act of bullying I observed with a group of adults. There were in this group a few individuals whose responses were direct and a significant group of others who were passive.

definitions derived from a number of sources  currently unknown.

The radial organizational chart

I have a number of thoughts on the subject of organizational structures. I used to build 3 dimensional models for fun and found a number of really interesting views. For starters, organizations are complex organic structures, yet visualizations of them rarely move beyond the two-dimensional, hierarchical model:

 Image Source: http://www.enotes.com/

I imagined myself within the structure of the traditional two dimensional org chart. What I saw was that there was a clear vertical line of movement upward. After having attempted to chart one "extremely" (as I discovered) large corporation it felt as if I was looking up at a skyscraper from the sidewalk. The top level so distant, almost obscured from view.

Image Source: boostinspiration.com

The only direction for the individual to move within this paradigm is up; consequently, value is ascribed to various roles based on their position within the hierarchy. The inter-connectivity and relational nature of different departments and roles is not portrayed and co-operation and lateral movement is discouraged... 

 Image Source: ipadwallpaper.eu  

By re-imagining the organization as a three-dimensional manipulative, relationships can be depicted more accurately: inter-departmental and even inter-organizational connections can be explored and the complexity of the organization and its relational ties can be more fully appreciated.  In this context, the worth of an individual role is not subjective; it is not at the bottom of a tree or on the edge of a chart - it is radial and defined by connections, whether formal or informal, to all other positions within the structure.

There are 3 images below expressing the relative position of one memeber of an organization (Joe).

Traditional org chart1 - FMD

 

 

Radial org chart1 - FMD

Lessons learned weight watching - different data views

This is not a part of my usual blogs on concepts and social consciousness. 

 

 

Since September 12th 2009, I have been recording my weight almost daily.

 

Fig#1



 

Fig#2

 

No matter what my observed weight was I recorded it.  If my weight increased by 2 or 3 pounds over a period of a day I would write it down (as I saw it). As a result I learned a number of things.

 

1. Weighing myself once a week (or once a month) gives a poor idea of how much I really weigh.

2. Drinking a can of soda could raise my weight 2-3 pounds in one day.

3. Eating increased amounts of bread affects weight gain.

4. A two week average of data is a better indicator of weight gain or loss (see Fig#3).

5. Cutting my intake in the evening had the greatest affect on weight loss

6. Cutting my intake in the evening over a longer period has the greatest effect. this was the easiest way to loss weight with minimal discomfort. I ate pretty much what I wanted during the day but just cut my evening meals by half or stopped snacking. it wasn't a pound a day kind of loss but found it to be around between 0.2 and 0.8lbs per day.

7. A person can lose an average of 17 lbs over a period of two years just by watching their weight (as compared to those who don't) - check out bluezones.com 

 

Fig#3

 

Epistemology

Epistemology -  the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity - Merriam Webster

Epistemology - a branch of philosophy concerning the nature and scope of knowledge and asks some of the following questions: what is knowledge? how is it acquired? and to what extent is it possible for a given subject or entity to be known? - Wikipedia

Origin of Epistemology - Greek epistēmē knowledge, from epistanai to understand, know, from epi- + histanai to cause to stand — more at stand. (word first used around 1856) - Merriam Webster

I remember coming across the term a couple of years ago while compiling lists. If there is any particular study that relates to this blog I think this might be it. 

Envy

envy - [a] painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage. - Merriam Webster

envy - "a reluctance to see our own well-being overshadowed by another's because the standard we use to see how well off we are is not the intrinsic worth of our own well-being but how it compares with that of others" - Immanuel Kant, The Metaphysics of Morals,  1797

I had some difficulty visualizing this word as a young person, partly because of the feelings associated with it and the fact that I never bothered to look it up. Plus, my mind was focused on a singular view point; from the perspective of  the envious person and therefore I could not see the concept clearly.

To visualize envy I had to see two objects; the one who envies and the one being envied. Imagine two equally sized stars, one bright and one not so bright. It is the brightness of the one which illuminates the darkness of the other. This causes the darkened object to see himself more correctly (relatively speaking). If the person has a misdirected view of himself the light would hurt. The motivation then would be to eliminate or reduce the severity of that discomfort...

Danger in believing

I have observed that there is always the potential danger when we believe something in that once a thing is accepted as true (see definition of belief) we often fail to reconsider it or some aspect of it. The problem with that, is that an omission to consider something can or will, over time, work against the very thing one has believed. - FMD - 2007

The mind

The mind -  a universe of concepts and ideas

I used to think that the mind was likened to a universe where percepts and concepts were planets and stars and complex ideas, galaxies.  - FMD - 2009

Riddle #3: What am I?

I am a highway thoroughfare
And you are on me unaware that
You are automatic
Moving from your destination

FMD 2005

Belief - The Snowball Analogy

To me belief is likened to a softball sized ball of snow sent rolling down a snow covered hill. As it descends, it gathers to itself more and more sticky white snow; increasing its mass and speed with each passing moment until the slope merges into the valley below, slows and comes to a stop.

I came to the understanding that the moment I accepted a concept I no longer questioned its validity. It became a regular participant within the arena of my thoughts.

Also, I have observed that there is a danger in believing concepts in that over time its core becomes less visible and I lose sight of what it was that I first concidered. If I just accept a concept without instituting some kind of condition, it would take off on me (imaginably) until it met its logical and ultimate end (for good or bad).

I have found a way in which one can believe something and be able to consider it. I think of it as a condition of acceptance. The benefit is that the snow ball never leaves the top of the hill and its core and content are never really beyond my grasp.I guess then the danger is not in the believing but in the implied determination not to consider it again.

The image above and the analogy I constructed in 2005.