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Simple Answers to Complex Problems: Mediocrity 101

February 20, 2018

Seeking simple answers to complex problems is to an extent part of human nature. Since the dawn of time, humans have had the need to find explanations to the grand mysteries surrounding them. And so thunder was the work of Zeus. Earthquakes occurred because titans were wrestling. As for seeing the moon mysteriously disappearing every now and then, that was a result of a hungry dragon. Right? Right?

Part of the issue of seeking simple answers to complex questions is related to human nature; particularly our relationship to time.

[Reflection] endows man with that thoughtfulness which so completely distinguishes his consciousness from that of the animal, and through which his whole behaviour on earth turns out so differently from that of his irrational brothers. He far surpasses them in power and in suffering. They live in the present alone; he lives at the same time in the future and the past. They satisfy the need of the moment; he provides by the most ingenious preparations for his future, nay, even for times that he cannot live to see. They are given up entirely to the impression of the moment, to the effect of the motive of perception; he is determined by abstract concepts independent of the present moment.

(Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation. 1 st ed. 1958. Translated by E.F.J. Payne. New York: Dover, 1969. p 36)

But what does that mean, especially for our topic, that is the tendency to seek simple answers to complex problems?

simple answers to complex problems
People seek simple answers to complex questions as a method of coping
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Bandwagon Fallacy; or, Welcome to the Internet

January 28, 2018

Being ignorant is bad, but being ignorant while pretending to know is even worse. I was browsing the topics of an online forum, and a thread on the democracy of ancient Athens drew my attention. One of the participants mentioned Plato’s praise of democracy as a form of government, and several others agreed.

Now, that in itself was surprising to see on a forum (and a Greek forum, to boot), since you’d expect someone bothering to comment on such a thread to know that Plato despised democracy. But there was worse in store for me: I came face-to-face with the Bandwagon Fallacy – or Appeal to Popularity. Welcome to the Internet.

Bandwagon Fallacy
Athens was the birthplace of democracy, Plato established the Academy in Athens, ergo, Plato loved democracy, right? Well, some guys on the Internet think so, therefore who am I (or Plato) to say otherwise…
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Fake News, Based on a True Story

December 27, 2017

Why Are There Fake News?

There’s a question that has suddenly become relevant. But just because the question has acquired momentum, it doesn’t mean fake news is a new thing. It’s all about narrativeaffect, and control. Here’s a piece of fake news that’s already a couple of thousand years old: “God comes to earth in the body of his own son [sic], he is crucified, he is resurrected [by his own self, presumably?] and everyone is suddenly absolved [from the fact that a woman supposedly once ate a goddamn apple].

As a narrative, this fake news has a linear progression, but with plenty of intertextuality, which enhances its appeal. Crucially, it also has a personal-experience perspective. It’s not just about some random nameless character in a galaxy far-far away, but about you – yes, you, you sinner! As a result, it has great affective power, and is therefore effective in its mission: To exercise control over the populace.

The Discovered-Manuscript Trope of Gothic Fiction

Whoa, I hear you say. What kind of a leap was that? How did we get from fake news to Gothic fiction? Bare with me, and you’ll see.

Fake news, based on a true story
Fake news, based on a true story
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