Unfortunately blogspot doesn't allow images in replies so here is to a new post:
Relating life to an equation is a really cool Idea. Here is an alternate form:
corr = correlation
Exp_i - an experience vector in somone's life. The sum of all Exp_i is all their experiences.
I_i - the intensity of that experience
d_subject- is the subject that the decision relates to.
decision - the resulting decision
It is also interesting that this idea relates back to free will vs determinism. If there exists such an equation/model, then, by the time we reach a place to make a decision, we have already made it. However, this may not completely rule out free will because their may be variables such as I_i that we can consciously assign at previous points in our life.
Back to your example:
"In the Just Let Go scene, Tyler asks Jack and the two men in the back of the car, what they want to do before they die. One in the back answers, "to build a house." The other answers, " to paint a self portrait." Jack on the other hand answers that he doesn't know. "
In this model, his response may be explained by the equation summing to 0. The experiences portrayed in the movie have canceled out all previous experiences in his life leaving him without a goal.
It is interesting to see mathematics and science as source of analogies for philosophical discourse. For this particular example, the sum of all experiences, in terms of vectors, is the collective experience and makes a good point how the sum at the moment of decision was an influence on the outcome. This does bring determinism and the question of free will to the forefront of this discussion.
ReplyDeleteIn Digital Signal Processing, branch of discrete mathematics, the sum of all measurements/events of a system from the beginning of time, negative infinity, to the current state, time = 0, determine the initial conditions of a system before an event/change acts on the system. The events leading up to the current event are causal and support discussions on determinism. The caveat to this is that the previous events to not dictate where the system will go but where it starts from and possibly where it is inclined to go; assuming the system has not reached steady state before the current event. Stimulus external to the system (i.e. inputs) can either marginally or maximally influence the change in a system and are incorporated into the system's causal history which affect the initial conditions of a future event.
It is similar, in this writers opinion, to the daily interaction of people. All of the collective experiences and events lead one to an initial state of mind and a unique bias that can influence the outcome of a decision/event but does not dictate it. If the external stimulus is stronger than the bias it can determine the outcome; et vice versa. If a bias is stronger than the external stimulus the causal phrase "it was bound to happen" seems ready applicable. Bias is used as a tool to guess what is expected to happen next and if the outcome is dramatically different than what is expected (stronger external stimulus) the phrase "where did that come from?" summarizes the post-analysis of the event.
The age old argument of determinism and free will are, with respect to discrete mathematics, is the interaction of a system internal properties, current state and expected bias, and the external stimulus that influence the next state of the system. Internal properties can be monitored and analyzed to determine what comes next but the external stimulus, and its unpredictable nature, temper with what is expected and force a system to change; to what degree is arguable. This duality of the known and unknown has plagued great minds with sleepless nights attempting to make sense of all this. The argument of determinism seems to hold up best when looking into the past but finds itself in jeopardy of the present and directionless when looking into the future. Nothing is set in stone, for even a boulder can end up as a pebble.
great creative idea, Lizzie, and nice response from Henry. Cool idea.
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