Examples

Scientifically an example is not relevant. It is a single instance, a sample of one. Such a small data point is not reliable. It cannot point to a characteristic of a population. An example is anecdotal in many cases, subject to exaggeration and interpretation. It is not solid.

But, it is interesting, that most of our memories and the prototypes of our beliefs and behaviors are all in the form of examples. The instance of one comes to represent a concept for an entire population for every situation that a person encounters. Much of the Biblical New Testament is a series of examples … stories of events that illustrate a moral of behavior or a characteristic of society. In many ways, region can be based on examples.

Scientifically we ask people to conduct experiments. Collect data on large populations. Look for trends that span many more than one instance. Even a qualitative researcher will interview multiple people in an attempt to identify and generalize a principal that is present across a population. They use examples to illustrate, but the example is not the foundation of the study.

I remember relatives, my own past, and significant events in the form of examples … snippets of brain-video that carry images, sounds, feelings, and meaning. What is the file type of this memory? A JPEG file carries graphic information. An MPEG carried graphics with sound and text. What format carries feelings and links to other snippets?

Principles of truth are almost always stored as a part of an example. There does seem to be a rulebook in my head that is like a textbook without pictures. But it is not written in words. It is written in symbols … some form of YES, NO and MAYBE are encoded to pop up when I think of an idea. Perhaps a stop sign is similar to the symbols in my head. When I see a snake, the rulebook says stop. Once this is accomplished, then the brain begins to consider what it should do about the situation. I might compare the situation to previous examples in my brain and find one that suggests the best reaction to this.

Life appears to be made up of examples. The non-scientific literature is all about examples and illustrations. Notice that the management advice books provide an example of a situation and suggest that this example will stand you well for all similar situations.

So if our minds are full of examples, then they are unscientific … but still effective. Our ability to function should be improved by creating a more scientific approach to problem solving. In fact, in the field of system dynamics, that is one of their main premises. They notice that intuitive reactions to stimuli or information are often wrong. Only by studying relationships over time can you really understand the effects of specific actions taken. Is it possible that the world will evolve into higher levels of complexity and our minds must adopt a systemic way of thinking merely to make daily decisions? This begs the question … In general, is the world evolving to higher levels of complexity? Certainly we all feel that our world is becoming more complex. But we must not trust our feelings on this. They may confuse a higher volume of simple information as a higher level of complexity.