Post by terence ip on Sept 6, 2015 22:35:31 GMT
Patternicity or “finding meaning in otherwise meaningless things” is something that humans have developed through evolution or it can be as described as an error in the cognition. From the book You Are Probability, “Traditionally, scientists have treated patternicity as an error in cognition. A type I error, or false positive, is believing something is real when it is not (finding a nonexistent pattern). A type II error, or a false negative, does not believe something is real when it is (not recognizing a real pattern)… When it is, we have learned something valuable about the environment from which we can make predictions that aid in survival and reproduction.” Why people believe it and why people see it are two different things. I believe that believing these patterns are nothing more than coincidences can be both useful and harmful, but seeing it can be either an error in our cognition or maybe humans are just aware of coincidences.
I am a sceptic in things such as conspiracy theories, miracles, and even a “higher being”. So when someone tells me something is a “sign” I don’t really believe it. I do want to believe that everything happens for a reason and there is no such thing as a “sign”. For example, from the online reading “The Hidden Side of Wolfgang Pauli” the significance of the number 137 to Wolfgang Pauli and the theory of synchronicity that Pauli had been “haunted” by strange phenomena his entire life. Although I am a sceptic, I believe people see these patterns and come to a conclusion that they mean something because they are looking for a sign in the world and in their time of need. For example in the book You Are Probability, Elliot Benjamin had just lost his job in mental health. A couple days later, he sees the letters ACT in a license plate on a car in front of him and sees that they are significant and not just, as other human beings would see it, plain old three letters on a license plate. To him, ACT means Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. A workshop that he had done on accepting disappointments and difficulties in life. Benjamin saw it as a sign for him to accept losing the job and to move on with his life. Sometimes finding meaning in what seems to be meaningless patterns can give you hope and encouragement.
Believing a pattern as more than mere coincidence can save your life. For example, the rustling in the bushes can either be the wind or maybe an animal. Maybe a person have learned to be well aware of their surroundings because of past experiences. Maybe every time the person hears a rustling in the bush, it really does mean danger. They will learn to get away from the situation. The issue is that some people believe that all “patterns” they see are a sign of something. For example, in my group of friends, there is a girl that some would say is very superstitious. One instance occurred when we were all getting ready to go to the beach. As we were driving, a series of things happened that caused her to believe were signs that we shouldn’t go. One being that she came out of her house with a stray black cat in front of her house. She saw that as an omen and she believed something bad was going to happen. The second being that the freeway was closed and we had to follow detours. She said that that was another sign that we should turn back. Long story short, as the trip went on, the more and more ridiculous her reasoning started to become.
I am a sceptic in things such as conspiracy theories, miracles, and even a “higher being”. So when someone tells me something is a “sign” I don’t really believe it. I do want to believe that everything happens for a reason and there is no such thing as a “sign”. For example, from the online reading “The Hidden Side of Wolfgang Pauli” the significance of the number 137 to Wolfgang Pauli and the theory of synchronicity that Pauli had been “haunted” by strange phenomena his entire life. Although I am a sceptic, I believe people see these patterns and come to a conclusion that they mean something because they are looking for a sign in the world and in their time of need. For example in the book You Are Probability, Elliot Benjamin had just lost his job in mental health. A couple days later, he sees the letters ACT in a license plate on a car in front of him and sees that they are significant and not just, as other human beings would see it, plain old three letters on a license plate. To him, ACT means Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. A workshop that he had done on accepting disappointments and difficulties in life. Benjamin saw it as a sign for him to accept losing the job and to move on with his life. Sometimes finding meaning in what seems to be meaningless patterns can give you hope and encouragement.
Believing a pattern as more than mere coincidence can save your life. For example, the rustling in the bushes can either be the wind or maybe an animal. Maybe a person have learned to be well aware of their surroundings because of past experiences. Maybe every time the person hears a rustling in the bush, it really does mean danger. They will learn to get away from the situation. The issue is that some people believe that all “patterns” they see are a sign of something. For example, in my group of friends, there is a girl that some would say is very superstitious. One instance occurred when we were all getting ready to go to the beach. As we were driving, a series of things happened that caused her to believe were signs that we shouldn’t go. One being that she came out of her house with a stray black cat in front of her house. She saw that as an omen and she believed something bad was going to happen. The second being that the freeway was closed and we had to follow detours. She said that that was another sign that we should turn back. Long story short, as the trip went on, the more and more ridiculous her reasoning started to become.