The Analytics of Emotion
Emotion, we are told, has no place in law, lawsuits, or legal analysis. Soft, fuzzy, imprecise––emotion is not only valueless, it’s detrimental, destructive. Just imagine the consequences if emotion were to assume even a small role. There are distinct advantages, we’re assured, to emotionless, analytical thinking: it promotes accuracy; it cuts through the irrelevant, the […]
The Interstitium: Hiding in Plain Sight
Recently, researchers have announced the existence of what they believe to be a new organ labeled the “interstitium.” The article, published in Scientific Reports, received wide media coverage. In a press release announcing the study, it was reported: “The field has long known that more than half the fluid in the body resides within cells, […]
In Defense of the Human Hand
Hands, those perfectly designed, balanced, flexible, coordinated, five-fingered extensions of the human arm, capable of grasping, lifting, cupping, holding, climbing, in use always, in some ways more expressive than words, a uniquely human body part, reflective of one’s innermost personality and persona. Hands can be used to heal, to soothe, to caress, to comfort, to […]
Perfecting Prediction: A Search for the Right Detail
Part of one’s task is to predict what likely will occur in the future. Not many devote any real effort to improving this “skill.” It’s akin to mindreading––why bother to devote any time to it? There’s no point. Probability theory and statistics––these provide tools of analysis, but not the means of arriving at the values […]
Courting the Counterfactual
Each case stands or falls on its facts. There’s no assurance that a prior case will necessarily bring about the same result in a later, similar case. “Factual” thinking looks back and examines what occurred without judgment or evaluation. “Counterfactual” thinking, however, goes beyond. “Counterfactual thinking, commonly exemplified by the expression “what might have been” […]
The Power Law of Practice
Scientists have studied for quite some time the dynamics of learning. We use the term “learning curve” to refer to the amount of time required to learn new information. Small libraries have been written on various learning techniques and theories. One such theory is known as the “power law of practice.” October. There’s something in […]
Mind-blindness and the Empathetic Response
Tapping into the empathy of others can at times seem elusive. We’ve all seen instances where one would expect empathy to arise spontaneously––for example, in response to another’s injury––but just the opposite occurs. Instead of empathy there’s a distinct closing off of emotion, a hardening and desensitization. Why? What is it that shuts down the […]
Thought as Design
Patterns exist in nature, in ideas and thought, as well as in human affairs. The trick is to recognize these patterns and make sense of them. Nature’s abundance, though seemingly chaotic, conforms to certain laws. It has long been recognized, for example, that Fibonacci sequences can be seen in the pattern arrangement of flowers and […]
