For many, this is the digital age., but for the human race, we are graphical. This blog will explain what I am talking about.
This digital age is like trying to screw a right hand nut onto a left hand bolt. We often call this "going against the grain". It is not natural. Us human have been evolving for millions years and we can't be changed from our natural behavior in a few generations. If we are so smart, why don't we try to take advantage of our natural characteristics rather than trying to put a square peg in a round hole?
Here is an example. In our school system, we focus on "right" and "wrong" when there is a lot more out there that is neither "right" nor "wrong". With the way we are now doing it, we ignore our natural tendencies and continue to try putting that square peg in the round hole. Take the data set of how tall the kids are in our 4th grade class. We have about 30 or 40 data points, but we digitally reduce them down to a single "average" number. What does that tell us? If you look at the individual data points, you may find that there is no one in the class that is exactly as tall as the average. Interesting isn't it? We night even ignore the data because it shows that all of the students in the class are not equal in terms of height and PC demands that we stress "equal".
Think of a simple graph with the number of students on the left scale and the height on the bottom scale. In one simple clear picture, we can see that there are a very few kids who are very short and a few who are very tall while most are in the middle. Isn't that the same clear picture that we all have in our minds when we look at the class all lined up? Is anyone really concerned about the "average"? I don't think so.
What if the class made another graph with the grades of the kids on one scale and their heights on the other. It would look like a bunch of dots arrayed in a circle. They would clearly see that there does not appear to be any relationship between height and grade point. If you tried to get this same point across using some kind of digital process, I can guarantee that you would have a bunch of 4th graders with blank stares on their faces.
Us humans are clearly pre-programed to deal with graphical patterns and can understand large sets of very complex data if it is presented in a way that is natural to us. The other thing about graphical or data presented in pattern form is that we can easily communicate our interpretation of the data to others. It is clear that much is lost between individuals if we are limited to things like "average", "most" or "least". We all think analog or graphical, not digital "yes" or "no". In our current political debates, if you notice, no one can get past "exact" or "perfect". Any idea that is not "exact" or "perfect" is assumed "bad". What ever happened to us humans? We have to get back to our analog roots, but I am sure that 90% of voters have no idea what analog means!
This digital age is like trying to screw a right hand nut onto a left hand bolt. We often call this "going against the grain". It is not natural. Us human have been evolving for millions years and we can't be changed from our natural behavior in a few generations. If we are so smart, why don't we try to take advantage of our natural characteristics rather than trying to put a square peg in a round hole?
Here is an example. In our school system, we focus on "right" and "wrong" when there is a lot more out there that is neither "right" nor "wrong". With the way we are now doing it, we ignore our natural tendencies and continue to try putting that square peg in the round hole. Take the data set of how tall the kids are in our 4th grade class. We have about 30 or 40 data points, but we digitally reduce them down to a single "average" number. What does that tell us? If you look at the individual data points, you may find that there is no one in the class that is exactly as tall as the average. Interesting isn't it? We night even ignore the data because it shows that all of the students in the class are not equal in terms of height and PC demands that we stress "equal".
Think of a simple graph with the number of students on the left scale and the height on the bottom scale. In one simple clear picture, we can see that there are a very few kids who are very short and a few who are very tall while most are in the middle. Isn't that the same clear picture that we all have in our minds when we look at the class all lined up? Is anyone really concerned about the "average"? I don't think so.
What if the class made another graph with the grades of the kids on one scale and their heights on the other. It would look like a bunch of dots arrayed in a circle. They would clearly see that there does not appear to be any relationship between height and grade point. If you tried to get this same point across using some kind of digital process, I can guarantee that you would have a bunch of 4th graders with blank stares on their faces.
Us humans are clearly pre-programed to deal with graphical patterns and can understand large sets of very complex data if it is presented in a way that is natural to us. The other thing about graphical or data presented in pattern form is that we can easily communicate our interpretation of the data to others. It is clear that much is lost between individuals if we are limited to things like "average", "most" or "least". We all think analog or graphical, not digital "yes" or "no". In our current political debates, if you notice, no one can get past "exact" or "perfect". Any idea that is not "exact" or "perfect" is assumed "bad". What ever happened to us humans? We have to get back to our analog roots, but I am sure that 90% of voters have no idea what analog means!
