Dear Friends,
It seems to me, we can be described as the aggregation of a complex system of force vectors. Our appetites, wants, likes, hates, inner voices, knowledge, attitudes, etc. are all force vectors. The big five personality traits are vectors. Each vector is in and of itself… a complex system. These complex force vectors, however, are nested within a complex system of complex systems. The world. They emerge from interaction, interdependence, and self-organize. This means that simply counting the vectors and assigning a numerical quality to them is insufficient, because we and the world must be understood as a shifting landscape. Pragmatically though, complex system vectors allow us a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world. To better allow us to exist within it.
Some might argue this proves we’re simply meat robots, but I disagree. Take the example of a person who is facing a lion attack. Almost everyone will flee the lion to safety. This holds true if one is very agreeable or disagreeable, the introvert will flee as fast as the extrovert, no open minded person will talk instead of run, few will stop to tie their shoes no matter how conscientious they are, meanwhile the neurotic and the psychopath will be neck and neck in flight. Does this mean personality is irrelevant? Obviously not. The vector of a lion attack outweighs all other vectors. Anyone could choose to stay and fight but they’re weeded from the gene pool. Once the lion attack is averted… other vectors come into play. Which simply means reality often forces us to expedience despite our free will.
Understanding our drives, motivations and even who we are as people, in the light of a series of complex force vectors within a complex system, helps us understand ourselves. If you are overly agreeable, or disagreeable to the point it negatively affects your life outcome, then looking at the vectors within the vector of agreeableness could help. Change one sub-vector and the entire direction could change as well. This same insight holds true for any unwanted or wanted quality. We don’t have to make huge changes to get huge results. All we need do is find the easy to change sub-vector… that will change the entire system. This is only possible because the vectors are complex systems, embedded within complex systems, so a small change can have an outsized effect.
There are real world applications to this philosophy. Have you ever done something and looked back in shock and horror? Some say this is a factor in PTSD. When our actions are viewed through the lens of vectors within a complex system, then we can understand why we act in ways that violate our core principles. This both allows us to move beyond self-recriminations, and to a place where our ethics have more power within the complex system of life. Not that this understanding eliminates blame for sin, but gives context and a way out. If you were being chased by a lion and tripped the person next to you… the survival vector may have overwhelmed your morality vector. This understanding could give context and awareness that could change the paradigm later.
I’m not sure how one would go about falsifying this hypothesis. Though I’m certain many people much smarter than I will give it a go immediately upon reading this article. This would give the hypothesis a pseudo-falsification… if the arguments thought up are rigorous, reliable… and rejected. The idea that we are a complex system of force vectors has merit in a pragmatic sense though. The hypothesis allows us to contextualize, understand, and synthesize our actions in such a way as to allow us to forgive ourselves, and forestall future actions that offend… with small changes. Maybe some brainiac will quantize each vector and build a complete algorithm to be predictive. Such a brilliant invention would be falsifiable. Until that happens… it is an interesting idea, isn’t it?
Sincerely,
John Pepin
