I wonder about the popularity of conspiracy theories, like flat earth or that the moon landings were faked. These go against the helpful approach of Occam’s Razor which discourages introducing unnecessary complexity into hypotheses. So why do we do it? Why do we have these intricate and complex conspiracy theories instead of just accepting the… Continue reading Why are Conspiracy Theories so Popular?
Tag: complexity
Inherent Unpredictability
I have written before about ‘unintended consequences’. Another aspect to this is the inherent unpredictability of the future and the (current) unknowability of the future consequences of our actions. For example, might it be that if the Stonewall riots had never happened, that history may have unfolded in a different way where gay rights, and… Continue reading Inherent Unpredictability
Unintended Consequences in History
Almost two thousand years ago, Julius Caesar appointed himself as dictator for life and was subsequently assassinated by the Roman Senate whose intention was to save the Roman Republic and its system of democracy. The unintended outcome was the end of the Roman Republic and the establishment of the Roman Empire, ruled by an Emperor… Continue reading Unintended Consequences in History
Unintended Consequences
China became more liberal during the years after Mao, rapidly developing economically, transferring control away from the state in some areas and transitioning towards a market economy. Then there were the Tiananmen Square protests, the protests famously ending violently. In the years since those events, and maybe as a direct consequence, China has reversed some… Continue reading Unintended Consequences
complexity
Today I was reading about a Stanford University professor called Robert Laughlin who thinks that, in a thousand years, all the carbon that we are mining today will be in the ocean. We will either have mined all the available carbon energy sources or we will have decided to leave them alone. The excess carbon… Continue reading complexity