The Renaissance Mob

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.
~Abraham Maslow

At the 2006 TED Conference, Sir Ken Robinson shared his observation that “every education system on earth has the same hierarchy of subjects…. At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and at the bottom are the arts – everywhere on earth.” He then went on to point out how today’s educational system was originally designed to meet the needs of the industrial revolution. Today, however that old hierarchy no longer works. Due to both global interconnectedness and a resulting demand for creativity, the arts (in the broadest sense) are of utmost importance. The hierarchy has been turned on its head, and the world’s education systems must to adapt to this perspective shift.

In 1992, the USDA adopted the Improved American Food Guide Pyramid (shown right) as a way for the public to better understand how to eat healthy. It showed breads and cereals as the foundation of the pyramid, with fewer fruits and vegetables, then meats and dairy and finally fats, oils and sweets – which we should eat the least of. As a result, fat-free products and synthesized sweeteners began showing up everywhere, with damaging effects to our health we are only just beginning to see. Then in 2005, the USDA decided this “one size fits all” model just wouldn’t work. So they came up with a new pyramid (shown below).

As you can see, the food groups are shown vertically. The people at the USDA felt this would better portray people’s food needs based level of physical activity. The old pyramid, while well-intentioned, was over-simplistic and may have done more harm than good.

In 1943, psychology professor Abraham Maslow proposed a “hierarchy of needs” in his paper A Theory of Human Motivation. Based on a study of the most emotionally healthy people he could find, Maslow concluded that there are five levels of needs which motivate humans to behave the way they do: Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, Self-Actualization. Maslow believed “that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs.” However, like so many other hierarchies, Maslow’s might be in need of an update.

Categories and hierarchies help us in learning and understanding, but they have limits. We may like to keep the peas from touching the gravy on our plate, but it’s just not that simple. The human being is a complex system. Chilean economist Manfred Max-Neef says that human needs are ontological, not hierarchical (as Maslow described). In other words, instead of clear-cut categories, human needs exist simultaneously. For instance, rather than requiring Safety as a prerequisite for Love, the two might co-exist as a combined need.

As we continue our pursuit of community renewal at the edge of chaos, we must be cautious about over-simplifying ourselves. We are complex beings: intellectually, physically and emotionally.

I find it amusing that people think I’m together… because I’m the most untogether person I know. In the band, they just say, ‘Here comes chaos.’
~Bono, U2

In the past few decades, Chaos Theory, along with his “backup singers” The Fractals, has become a huge rock star. He’s created cool art, starred in movies and even dabbled in the music industry (with Brian Eno, for instance). Beyond pop culture, he has applied himself in just about every area of science there is: from medical research (studies in lung disease) to computer science (the study of complex systems at the Santa Fe Institute). In fact, the only area of study scientists have had trouble applying the Chaos Theory to is… anthropology, the study of humans. Why? The short answer might be stated simply: we’re just too darn chaotic.

You see, the name “Chaos Theory” is somewhat of a misnomer. Like all good talent agents, mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot humbly admits that he did not create Chaos & The Fractals, he simply discovered them. What he was studying at the time were cotton prices in the stock market. What he found in that chaotic data were recurring patterns. In every study Mandelbrot has done since, he has begun with chaos and ended with order. But… “The Order Theory” just wouldn’t do for a rock star. It needed a stage name: “Chaos” has appeal to a …wider demographic.

So why doesn’t Chaos like to play with humans? To understand, we must go backstage and visit the Chaos “changing room.” It’s there we find that Chaos is actually a pretty neat fellow. In fact, we learn, the wild-and-crazy-guy bit is all an act (another misunderstood artists). Here are some of the consistent principles he abides by:

Highly Sensitive to Initial Conditions- Does Chaos get “butterflies” in his stomach before performing? Darn right he does! If he gets a lukewarm reception on the red carpet before the show, it will affect his performance on stage. Like most primadonnas, Chaos is temperamental. He goes by first impressions, just like the old saying, “The way it begins is the way it goes.”
Deterministic- From the very start, Chaos was destined to be a star. It was his destiny. With Chaos, those “inital conditions” we just spoke about determined everything that was to happen in Chaos’s entire life. He didn’t have a choice in the matter; his life was determined from the outset.
Recursion- Chaos likes to say “practice like you perform.” In fact, he practices constantly. His whole life is a model of each period of his life, which is a model of each set of performances, which is a model of each gig, which is a model of each song, which is a model of each “lick” he plays, which is a model of each note within the lick, which is a model of the overtone series, which is a model of… well, you get the idea.
Self-organizing/Emergent- It may seem contradictory, given what we just said about recursion, but Chaos is the king of improv. He may be recursive, but he doesn’t do much planning. He likes to say, “Things just work themselves out,” and he’s right! From chaotic beginnings his life has become organized and structured.
Intractable- If you’ve seen the mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap” you know that rock stars are difficult to manage. In fact, Chaos has burned through every manager he’s ever had. This is because he’s virtually (although not entirely) unpredictable. But that’s also why he’s a great artist. So… it’s complicated, or better yet… “complex.”

It’s a little ironic to be anthropomorphizing The Chaos Theory when it has this problem with humans we keep ignoring. Well, no more! Enter randomness, Chaos’s archrival. All the beautiful designs Mendelbrot and others have made with Chaos & The Fractals assumes the absence of random elements. Something is “random” when it has no aim or purpose. The “Mandelbrot Set” (pictured left) is computer generated with no Randomness.

Within the human life all elements of chaos are present: it’s influenced by its beginnings, it is deterministic, and it’s intractable. Into our perfectly planned lives comes Randomness. You thought Chaos was corrupting your children? Wrong! Randomness crashes “after-show” party and sends the perfectly designed Fractals in a completely different direction.

In the next few months I will be keeping a “Chaos Journal” here on the blog which will chart Chaos and Randomness in my life. (Not that my life is of any particular interest – other than being a little more chaotic that most.) This is a first step to a larger project involving more people. In fact, you’re invited to join me and make your own Chaos Journal and post your comments.

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I am the people – the mob – the crowd – the mass.
~ Carl Sandburg, Chicago Poem 1916

Characterization
Question Defined: Can a large, diverse group of individuals acting as independent, simultaneously acting agents be used in a Complex Adaptive System (CAS) environment to produce problem solving strategies with accurate, robust and sustainable results?

Observations: 1.) Minimum size of group needs to be defined,
                          2.) The greater the diversity the better,
                          3.) Actions of agents must take place at the same time,
                          4.) The group will be given only the problem – no other direction,
                          5.) Results will need to be tested independently for accuracy

Hypothesis
A “mob” of Renaissance Men/Women will exhibit characteristics of a Complex Adaptive System (CAS) and be able to solve highly complicated social problems using a collective consciousness.

Objective
To observe Chaos and Emergence in individuals and groups and apply the Complex Adaptive System Theory to social science with a practical outcome. This will be accomplished first by observing characteristics of these systems in an individual’s life, then testing how purposeful, simultaneous change can be used to solve social problems.