Reasoning: Narratives, Models and Constructs

 (This post is part of series of posts, beginning here. It is recommended they be read collectively, and in order.) 

I kind of thought the last post would open the floodgates for this series. Not so. There are a series of ideas which I want to explore, but they are so intertwined that I am struggling to determine the correct order to present them, in order to progress to a complete, coherent end point.

I think perhaps a couple more definitions are in order next:

 

As previously noted, reality – truth is likely beyond our ability to comprehend. We don’t actually live in reality.

We – each of us – have and live within a narrative we have constructed based on the paradigm we have composed, and the perspectives from which we observe the world.

Narrative – The story we each inherently create in our attempt to understand reality from our limited perspective. This story can be created intentionally, or unconsciously. It can be influenced by others, by events, by experiences, and it in turn influences others, and can even shape future events.

As an example of the latter point, Consider the following two studies:

“Mind over milkshakes” -Individuals were given an “ordinary milkshake”, but were either told it was an indulgent milkshake, or it was a low-calorie milkshake. Based on what they believed about the milkshake, their Ghrelin (a hormone that influences appetite) levels were influenced. If they were convinced the Milkshake was high in calories, they experienced a higher satiation of their appetite. If they were convinced it was a low-calorie milkshake, they were less sated. Not just at the level of their psychological perception, but at the physiological level.

“Mindset matters: Exercise and the Placebo effect – In this study, convincing Hotel room attendants that the hard, exhausting labor they did every day was in fact healthy exercise, caused them to experience physiological improvements in weight, body mass index and blood pressure.

 Whether you believe this phenomenon is the result of faith calling down power from heaven, or the result of the universe manifesting your deepest desires, or simply the result of the placebo effect is – for the purpose of this conversation – irrelevant. The fact remains – regardless of the cause – your beliefs, your narrative can literally shape the future.

 

Model – The universe is a big, complicated thing, even if you set aside the claim, they we can’t actually see it for what it really is. Our brains are- relatively speaking - rather limited. They can only focus on a few ideas at a time. Furthermore, we can only understand or define things through comparing them to other things or concepts we already understand:

“What is a clementine? It’s a citrus fruit. It’s similar to an orange…”

“What is hot? It’s the opposite of cold…”

This is part of the reason complex or abstract concepts are such a challenge for us- each person has a different understanding or definition of these simpler terms, (Cold can mean something very different to someone from Arizona, and someone from northern Sweden).

To wrap our head around new and/or complex concepts, we use models- a simplified, analogous object, system, or concept which allows us to focus on a particular aspect of characteristic of the actual thing we are attempting to understand.

We – Us, our bodies, are incredibly complex ecosystems. We are composed of various cells created using a genetic blueprint, specialized to perform a variety of unique tasks. But there are even more components- bacteria and viruses – which are also a part of that healthy, functioning ecosystem, which exist and operate independent of our genetic code. The entire system is too large and too complex for us to observe and understand. So, we create models to work with manageable bits of all that information.

For instance, we often refer to the body as a machine. A machine is a fairly well defined and simple concept- a collection of interconnected parts which work together to perform some task. That’s an easy way to understand how the skeleton, muscles and tendons interact to walk, run, jump, lift, carry, etc… We can understand the machine’s need for fuel, and therefore understand the role of food, of calories.

We also model it as a computer sometimes – A kind of machine that takes inputs – things we see, hear, taste, feel, etc., uses some algorithm to make a decision based on those inputs, and then delivers some output (we touch a hot stove, we “feel” pain, and we quickly move to put distance between ourselves and the source of that pain”).

Models are useful, but they are ultimately only models, they aren’t reality, they approximate some aspects of truth, but they are not truth in and of themselves. Sometimes we forget that.

 

Construct- a construct is something we create within our narrative. A model or collection of models, which we collectively use to navigate the complexity of reality. Constructs are not reality, though we often treat them as if they are. They are a mass illusion. Frequently useful but ultimately ephemeral. Below are some examples:

 Money is a construct – It is a useful way to handle the complex transactions of a complex society, but ultimately it has no real value. In a society of two or three people it would serve no purpose. They would simply work together and share resources to ensure their collective survival. We use it because those transactions of sharing resources, time and energy are so complex, and involve so many people, that little scraps of paper, or metal coins, or even bits of data in a computer are a useful way to keep track of those transactions.

What if tomorrow, 99% of the worlds’ population decided to no longer recognize the US dollar as having any value?  Or if the 99% of the population decided diamonds no longer had value and were no longer desirable? Many fortunes would disappear in an instant. Sure, many would still be wealthy due to the goods or services they hold or produce. Those whose wealth was solely in dollars or diamonds would find their circumstances radically changed.

Society is a construct – Businesses, towns, cities, states, countries… They only exist because we collectively permit them to exist. They are convenient- providing a sense of order and collective security, but they are not necessary and can be dissolved as readily as they are created. There are countless anecdotes of individuals who have become disillusioned with society and have abandoned it, either turning to the life of a hermit, or in engaging in active efforts to disrupt and destroy society. The former we observe with curiosity or amusement, the latter we incarcerate, to protect the construct.

Government is a construct – What if tomorrow, 99% of the US population agreed together to no longer recognize the US president, the Congress and the Supreme court as having any authority, and instead chose to recognize Bjorn - a carrot farmer from Norway – as King of the United States? Overnight those people, would become irrelevant (and many would likely become homeless in short order, given their reliance on political prestige for their wealth).

Their power over us is a collective illusion, which must be maintained by one or more of the following mechanisms

1.       Tradition – “This is how it has always been and will always continue to be.” (We humans like the familiar and fear the unknown. Even if we don’t like the person currently in charge, that is still preferrable to burning it all down and starting over). Change is uncomfortable and generally avoided.

2.       Charisma – The “cult of personality” effect. This can be the result of competence, or con artistry. They must do their job well or at least make us believe they are doing well. Or convince us the other option is far worse. (Note: Understanding this sheds light on certain characteristics of modern government. Our nations are large, populous, and complex. Nobody is likely to be sufficiently competent in a sufficient number of facets of managing such a system to be able to do everything necessary well enough to retain our confidence. Hence the ever-falling ratings of most, barring some stroke of luck with respect to current events. Thus, Modern leaders tend to obtain their position through “handshaking” and then retain it through “vote-buying” or through divisive, fear-based messages about the “evil others” who would “destroy the world as we know it”.

3.       Force – This is really just another facet of charisma but deserves separate treatment. A leader can attempt to maintain authority through a show of force – through intimidation. This however is also an illusion. Again, if 99% of the population reject the leader, the leader will not have sufficient resources to subdue the population.  In the very worst case, said leader might have sufficient resources to compel the masses to choose between submission or death.  The leader's Success still requires a sufficient number of the masses to collectively accept the illusion. Failing that, said leader will either be subdued, or will be forced to drive the unwilling masses to extinction, in which case he is left alone, with none to lead.

 There are a number of other rather critical constructs which deserve attention. They will be treated separately, in later posts. For now, I believe the above is sufficient to lay the framework for what is to follow.