Research Methods: Humble Data - 2

Dr. Culhane rationalizes our education’s way of thinking as having “straight jacketed” us “into linear habits of thinking and production” such “that it is hard to create a culture of true scientific thinking”. Culhane reminds us “our education system was set up during the early transition from an agrarian to industrial economy at a time when Taylorization and a mechanistic “Fordist” assembly line view of manufacture prevailed.” (Culhane, 2019).

Allen Watt’s video titled “Conversations With Myself” deeply resonates with my thinking.  Watts takes ideas and forms from nature to compile a mental database about the world (Marshal, 2012).  He has a wonderfully relaxing, open way of communicating and his videos feel like home.  

In this particular video you can view HERE, we go with him on a thoughtful adventure contrasting Industrialization with Nature.  Watts proposes that geometry, straight lines and modern architecture, are the human mind’s way of “making sense” of the “squiggly lines” of nature.  It is all an attempt to over-simplify a system that we simply cannot understand.  Personally, entropy in nature makes more sense to me than order (If you feel the same way, I would love to hear from you and you thoughts as to why this is.).  I believe we, as humans, control so much less that we think we do.  Our species suffers from a pervasive narcissism.  We waste, we kill, we abuse, and we call ourselves evolved and superior to other living creatures that do far less harm than we do.  So, nature makes sense to me.  I trust it.  I respect it and admire it like a young child respects and admires their parent.  I trust it knows more than us and is capable of working in a system of cycles and balance that yes, we are far too simple to ever understand, let alone respect.  Although this video is from the 1970s, it feels to me like the beginning of an awakening to the harm we do in the name if industry, economics and development (all over-simplified failing systems, in my point of view). Please watch the clip.  It is wonderful, honest, comforting and refreshing. 

Let’s consider this: Why is entropy considered “disorganized” and why is disorganized generally viewed as a negative characteristic? 

Could it be because our minds can’t make sense of nature like they can make sense of a grid laid over a city? 

Whether we believe in God, a Higher Power, or Nature itself, we must at least agree that we were not capable of creating this world and therefore we are not as intelligent as the entity that created us. Just because we cannot understand all the intricacies of our planet does not give us any right to try to restrain it to a box in a grossly crude attempt to understand and manipulate it. 

This idea can be likened to an oil painting trying to manipulate the world of its artist.  What an arrogant little painting that would be!

To take this artist-and-painting analogy a bit further, lets imagine the painting is a blue monotone; a deep look at textures and shapes, but just one color.  The artist watches from outside the window as the painting rearranges the studio so that all the blues are neatly in a line and all the other colors are tossed in a heap in the corner. Despite all the painting’s good intentions, he only succeeds at messing up the artist’s studio.  The painting however, feels better.  He understands blue.  He understands the tiny world he created. He has no understood need for any other colors.  He is blissfully unaware that is it precisely the presence of all the other colors that make his monotone blue so interesting.

"Creation: my interpretation of The Beginning"

All the while the artist watches his creation from outside the window.  The artist wonders what would happen if the painted dared to imagine something bigger and step outside the studio.  How would he/could he process it all?

Now, on to measurement: I see research sometimes kind of like the artist and the painting.  We collect data to help us understand our world. I fully believe that research is a wonderful thing.  I believe our curiosity about our world is so deeply ingrained in us that is reflects the artist who made us.  We are wise to be true to that instinct and explore our amazing world, pushing the limits of what we “know” to be true.  But, we must beware of becoming so egotistical that we forget where we stand in it all and ignorantly throw out all the colors.

Culhane, T. H. (2019). Module 3 relational summary. Retrieved on February 28 from

https://usflearn.instructure.com/courses/1364257/discussion_topics/5235605?module_item_id=12670099

Marshal, C. (2012). Alan watts on why our minds and technology can’t grasp reality. Open Culture.  Retrieved on February 28, 2019 from

http://www.openculture.com/2012/04/alan_watts_on_why_our_minds_and_technology_cant_grasp_reality.html