Studies have shown us that babies think logarithmically when it comes to figuring out quantities. They do not realize by default that the "distance" between every sequential whole number is identical. For them, the difference between one and two is massively greater than the distance between eight and nine, for example. It's not until children are 2-3 years old that they begin to grasp what we all take for granted, and only after it being drilled into them.
Non-modern societies who do not have any adults who think the way we do about numbers still think logarithmically. They were never taught out of it. They often don't have any words for quantities greater than three or four. They simply lump everything larger into one quantity translated as something like "a lot."
This provides a hint that modern societies have not completely purged themselves of this way of thinking either. We, too, after reaching a certain numeric quantity don't really grasp the reality of very large numbers, even if we do give each a unique name.
If we pay attention--really pay attention--to what our minds do when we are presented with large numbers, we will notice that meaning disappears and an unquantified haze takes over. When we teach ourselves the equidistant digital method of quantifying the world, it still has limits. We don't have the ability to understand these things because, like children, we still hit a wall where everything on the other side of it is simply "a lot." All we've done is move the point after which numbers are all basically identical.
(Another example of this type of mental reaction is when we first encounter a very long word for the first time. The now famous volcano in Iceland named Eyjafjallajokull is a perfect example. Most people will attempt to sound out the first two or three syllables but then give up.)
This is crucial to the way we make decisions about very important things like federal budget deficits and how we understand the distance to the next solar system. This also likely plays a role in the fact that people who commit multiple crimes before getting caught do not get proportionally more punishment than those who break the law once or twice. One hundred counts of dealing drugs does not get 100 times the punishment of doing it once. Killing 20 people is not really seen as proportionally worse than killing two.
Murdering millions is literally incomprehensible. Therefore, many don't even try and might even assert that it is impossible, claiming such things haven't happened at all. This kind of mental activity might also be one of the reasons that religious believers will dismiss science. If they can't understand it because the details are lost inside that other side of the wall where "a lot" is the only value, there's no reason to accept it. Going with a simple book of easy explanations and magical beings we're not supposed to understand is seen as a valid alternative.
Our minds are wonderful things and can figure out quite a bit. But, we do have limitations and tend to skew reality in favor of easy answers. We need to be diligent about everything we think, trying to pay attention to our thoughts in order to catch those mistakes we accept too quickly and too easily. Evolution isn't done with us yet, so we do have some changes to anticipate. Hopefully they will include mental improvements, including the ability to recognize our flaws more easily.
Non-modern societies who do not have any adults who think the way we do about numbers still think logarithmically. They were never taught out of it. They often don't have any words for quantities greater than three or four. They simply lump everything larger into one quantity translated as something like "a lot."
This provides a hint that modern societies have not completely purged themselves of this way of thinking either. We, too, after reaching a certain numeric quantity don't really grasp the reality of very large numbers, even if we do give each a unique name.
If we pay attention--really pay attention--to what our minds do when we are presented with large numbers, we will notice that meaning disappears and an unquantified haze takes over. When we teach ourselves the equidistant digital method of quantifying the world, it still has limits. We don't have the ability to understand these things because, like children, we still hit a wall where everything on the other side of it is simply "a lot." All we've done is move the point after which numbers are all basically identical.
(Another example of this type of mental reaction is when we first encounter a very long word for the first time. The now famous volcano in Iceland named Eyjafjallajokull is a perfect example. Most people will attempt to sound out the first two or three syllables but then give up.)
This is crucial to the way we make decisions about very important things like federal budget deficits and how we understand the distance to the next solar system. This also likely plays a role in the fact that people who commit multiple crimes before getting caught do not get proportionally more punishment than those who break the law once or twice. One hundred counts of dealing drugs does not get 100 times the punishment of doing it once. Killing 20 people is not really seen as proportionally worse than killing two.
Murdering millions is literally incomprehensible. Therefore, many don't even try and might even assert that it is impossible, claiming such things haven't happened at all. This kind of mental activity might also be one of the reasons that religious believers will dismiss science. If they can't understand it because the details are lost inside that other side of the wall where "a lot" is the only value, there's no reason to accept it. Going with a simple book of easy explanations and magical beings we're not supposed to understand is seen as a valid alternative.
Our minds are wonderful things and can figure out quite a bit. But, we do have limitations and tend to skew reality in favor of easy answers. We need to be diligent about everything we think, trying to pay attention to our thoughts in order to catch those mistakes we accept too quickly and too easily. Evolution isn't done with us yet, so we do have some changes to anticipate. Hopefully they will include mental improvements, including the ability to recognize our flaws more easily.
No comments:
Post a Comment