THINKER'S ALMANAC - February 12

How did Charles Darwin go about systematically deciding whether or not to get married, and how can this help us to make better, more thoughtful decisions?

Subject:  Pros and Cons - Darwin Contemplates Matrimony

Event:  Birthday of Charles Darwin, 1809

Today is the birthday of Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the Victorian naturalist known for the theory of evolution.  From 1831 to 1836, Darwin sailed aboard the HMS Beagle to the Galapagos Islands and the coast of South America.  Based on the observations he made on this five year trip, Darwin published, in 1859, the single most influential book of the nineteenth century, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.  Darwin’s work not only revolutionized science, especially the fields of biology and anthropology, but it also sparked furious philosophical, religious, and ethical debates–debates that continue even today.

After his five-year voyage, Darwin returned home to an intense internal debate, not about issues of science but issues of matrimony.  Having fallen in love with his first cousin Emma Wedgwood, Darwin contemplated whether or not to pop the question.  Being a scientist, he approached the matter in a rational and methodical manner, sitting down and writing out a list of pros and cons.

                                                                Image by 巻（Maki） from Pixabay 

Under the heading “Marry” some of the notable arguments for having a wife were “Constant companion . . . better than a dog” and “someone to take care of house.”  As for the cons, under the “Not Marry” heading, he listed, “Less money for books” and “cannot read in the evenings.”  Despite the fact that Darwin’s “Not Marry” column included more reasons than his “Marry” column, we know that in the end, he decided to marry.  He and Emma were married on January 29, 1839.  They had ten children and remained married until Charles died in 1882 (1).

Of course, Darwin was not the first to use the pros and cons method of decision making.  It dates back to Roman times.  “Pros and cons” is derived from the Latin pro et contra, which translates into English as “for and against.”  Another noted man of science who advocated the pro et contra method was Benjamin Franklin.  He wrote a letter to a friend on September 19, 1772, in which he praised this rational method of putting your thoughts on paper:

And tho’ the Weight of Reasons cannot be taken with the Precision of Algebraic Quantities, yet when each is thus considered separately and comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I can judge better, and am less likely to take a rash Step; and in fact I have found great Advantage from this kind of Equation, in what may be called Moral or Prudential Algebra. (2)

It was the Greek tragedian Sophocles who warned, “Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.”  A pros and cons list is a great way to slow down your thinking and force yourself to see at least two sides of an issue.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  What key life-decision was Darwin contemplating, and what method did he use to help him decide?

Challenge - Decisions, Decisions:  What are some of life’s major decisions that require the kind of careful thought and deliberation that require a pros and cons list?  Create your own pros and cons list based on an important life decision that you might make in the future.  Force yourself to go beyond your own biases by trying to create a list that has a balanced proportion of pros and cons.  With Valentine’s Day drawing near, for example, you might consider whether or not to pursue a relationship with a significant other.  Below are some other examples of crucial life decisions:

Marry/Don’t Marry

Go to College/Don’t Go to College

Own a Pet/Don’t Own a Pet

Buy a Home/Rent a Home or Apartment

Buy a New Car/Lease or Buy a Used Car

Have Children/Don’t Have Children

Staycation/Vacation

Work for a Company/Be Self-Employed

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

-February 12, 1809:  Abraham Lincoln was born on this day in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky. He said, “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

-February 12, 2002:  U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld presented what we might call the “Gettysburg Address of Epistemology” when he discussed evidence regarding Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction:

Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult ones.

Sources:

1-”A Wife is Better Than a Dog: Darwin’s Reason for Marrying”  The Telegraph. 12 Feb. 2016.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/a-wife-is-better-than-a-dog-charles-darwins-main-reason-for-marr/

2-Benjamin Franklin's Rule for Making Decisions. FS Blog. 

3-Shermer, Michael. “Rumsfeld's Wisdom” Scientific American 1 Sept. 2005.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - February 11

For the French philosopher Rene Descartes, what is the one indubitable thing?

Subject:  Mind-Body Problem - Descartes’ Skull

Event:  The death of Rene Descartes, 1650

On this day in 1650, French philosopher Rene Descartes died. After moving from France to join the court of Queen Christina of Sweden in 1649, Descartes became ill and died of pneumonia. 

  

Unfortunately, the story of what happened to Descartes’ body post-mortem is neither a restful nor peaceful one.  He was initially buried in a cemetery in Stockholm, but in 1666 his body was exhumed in order to be returned and reburied in his native France.  During the French Revolution, his body was exhumed again.  Because of fears that the revolutionary rebels might defile his corpse, his bones were hidden in the Museum of Monuments.  Finally in 1819, while the bones were being collected for a third and final burial, French officials discovered that Descartes’ skull was missing. After an extensive search, the skull was relocated.  It turns out that when Descartes’ body was first exhumed in 1666, one of the Swedish guards took the skull as a memento of the intellectual giant before it could be sent to France.  

                                                                            Image by Colleen from Pixabay 

Today all of Descartes’ body resides in Paris, France; however, his skull and body are still separated.  The skull resides in the Museum of Man, an anthropology museum, and the body is buried in the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (1).

Although the posthumous saga of Descartes’ body and skull is an interesting one, a far more important philosophical concept associated with Descartes is the mind-body problem.  The problem -- also known as Cartesian dualism -- relates to the separation of mind and matter.  How do we account for the separation between our physical body -- which includes our brain -- and our non-physical 

thoughts?  For Descartes, reality is made up of two substances:  thinking substances, which are abstract and non-physical, coming from the mind; and extended substances, which take up physical space and include the body and the brain. 

One of the thinking substances that consumed Descartes’ mind was the concept of doubt.  Being skeptical of the knowledge he was supposed to accept on faith from his teachers, Descartes employed doubt in a quest for indubitability:  the quality of something that he could believe to be unquestionably true and free of all doubt.  How could he be sure, for example, that his “reality” was not just a dream?  Likewise, how could he trust his senses?  Are the things he saw, heard, and felt reality or just false perceptions?  Is it possible that some kind of supernatural, diabolical demon was deceiving him, crafting a world of illusion to distort reality?

Descartes finally arrived at the conclusion that there was one indubitable thing:  thoughts.  Since existence is a prerequisite for thought, his thoughts, including his doubts, are the best evidence for existence.

Welsh philosopher Mark Rowlands sums it up as follows: 

Thinking that you don’t exist, it seemed to Descartes, is enough to guarantee automatically that you do in fact exist -- because you can’t think that you don’t exist unless you are around to do the thinking.  Or, to put the point another way, doubting your existence automatically guarantees your existence, because otherwise you couldn’t be around to do the doubting. (2)

The result of Descartes’ rumination and cogitation is today seen as the most famous of all philosophical pronouncements:  cogito ergo sum  -- I think, therefore, I am.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How did Descartes overcome his doubt about his own existence?

Challenge - I Think, Therefore, I Quote:  Besides Descartes’ famous sentence, what are some other examples of single sentences packed with philosophical insights?  Do some research on some important philosophical quotations; then, select one and explain why you think it is important.

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

February 11, 1847:  American inventor Thomas Edison was born on this day. He said:

Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think;

and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.

February 11, 1990:  Nelson Mandela, who led the movement to end apartheid in South Africa, was released after spending 27 years in prison. While in prison, he acquired a smuggled copy of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations (For more on Marcus Aurelius, see THINKER’S ALMANAC - March 7).

Mandela never forgot the day that he left prison:

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.

Sources:  

1- “5 historical figures whose heads have been stolen.”  Strange Remains July 23, 2015.

2-Rowlands, Mark.  Sci-Phi:  Philosophy from Socrates to Schwarzenegger.  New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2003.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - February 10

What is the relationship between the rock group Van Halen and brown M&Ms, and how can this teach us to be more strategic thinkers?

Subject:  Strategic Thinking - M&M Rider

Event:  Van Halen’s self-titled album released, 1978

Imagine you read the following about a rock band:  that the band demanded a specific menu of snacks in the backstage break area, and one specific item was M&M candies, but “ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES!”  Would you jump to the conclusion that this was the typical behavior of prima donna rock stars?

                                                            Image by Berenice Calderón from Pixabay 

The above scenario is based on the contract of an actual band, Van Halen, whose self-titled first album was released on this day in 1978.  And instead of being the 

behavior of a group of rock-and-roll divas, it was actually a demonstration of deft, strategic thinking.

As the band became more and more popular in the 1980s, their audiences grew and the size of the venues where they played became bigger and bigger.  Included in their contract was a “rider,” a specific listing of specifications for lighting and sound, as well as details on other necessities, such as the set up of the backstage area, including details on what foods should be at the ready.  This is where the rider stipulated that there must be M&Ms; however, it also stated “WARNING:  ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES.”

Van Halen’s rider was a 53-page tome, full of specific technical details, such as requirements for electrical power, for physical space, and for load-bearing capacity.  In order for each show to be both successful and safe, the band needed to ensure that each detail in the rider had been followed to the T.  This is where the absent brown M&Ms came into play.  When arriving in a new city, the absence or presence of brown M&Ms provided a quick method for the band to determine whether or not the local promoter had paid attention to detail.  If they found M&Ms sans brown ones, they could be pretty sure that the rest of the rider’s requirements had been met; however, if they saw brown ones, they could be certain that the rider had gone unread.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: What is the M&M Rider, and why was it a sign of sound, strategic thinking rather than a sign of arrogant, narcissistic rock stars?

Challenge - Seeing is Succeeding:  Van Halen’s M&M rider is a great example that illustrates how paying attention to detail is an important skill for success.  Do some research to discover some other examples of how paying attention to detail is an important ingredient in the recipe for success.

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

-February 10, 2009:  On this day Representative Bruce Bradley, an Iowa Democrat, introduced the Plain Writing Act to the U.S. House of Representatives.  The stated purpose of the bill was “to improve the effectiveness and accountability of Federal agencies to the public by promoting clear Government communication that the public can understand and use.”  Bradley’s bill passed Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 13, 2010.

-February 10, 2015:  The book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind was published on this day in 2015.  In his book, Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari celebrates imagination as the single trait that most distinguishes the human species:

Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations. As time went by, the imagined reality became ever more powerful, so that today the very survival of rivers, trees and lions depends on the grace of imagined entities such as the United States and Google.

Sources: 

1-Levitt, S. D., & Dubner, S. J. Think Like a Freak. Penguin Books, 2015.

Reading Check:

-What was the ultimate purpose of the brown M&M rider?

-What quality was Van Halen looking for by including the brown M&M rider in their contract?

THINKER'S ALMANAC - February 9

What can the most successful rock band in history teach us about the relationship between talent and effort?

Subject:  Success -- The 10,000 Hours Rule 

Event:  The Beatles first appear on Ed Sullivan, 1964

On February 9, 1964, a British band made its first appearance on the Ed Sullivan television show.  Approximately 73 million Americans watched as The Beatles launched what became known as the “British Invasion.”  Instead of military might, The Fab Four used musical might to conquer their audiences. Anyone who watched that night saw firsthand the effects of Beatlemania:  teenage girls screamed, hyperventilated, and swooned as they watched the band from Liverpool play.

                                                                The Beatles Statue in Liverpool

                                                                Image by thaifly99 from Pixabay 

Most Americans who watched that night assumed that The Beatles were an overnight success, but those who knew their true story realized that Beatlemania was actually a slowly spreading pandemic, beginning seven years earlier in 1957 when Paul McCartney first met his partner John Lennon.  In 1960, the band traveled from Liverpool, England, to Germany where they played in various clubs in Hamburg’s red light district.  In Hamburg, they learned their craft.  Back in Liverpool, their gigs were only about an hour each; in Hamburg, they played eight-hour sessions.  This allowed them to build stamina and skill.  The long sessions required them to learn how to woo an audience and how to hold its attention.  They became more confident performers and much more accomplished musicians. Before returning to England, where they got their first recording contract, it is estimated that The Beatles performed live twelve hundred times.

In his 2008 book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell pointed to The Beatles as an example to illustrate what he called the 10,000 hours rule.  The rule, according to Gladwell, is what separates the greats from the average.  Talent is important, but nothing can replace deliberate, focused practice of a craft, whether it's playing the guitar, swinging a baseball bat, or learning to program computers (1).

Since the publication of Gladwell’s Outliers, some have questioned the validity of the 10,000-hour rule.  Certainly, deliberate practice is important to master any skill, but is it really a ticket to greatness, and does it guarantee success?  Reviews of psychological research reveal that other factors such as genetics, life experience, natural talent, and temperament play a big part in the complex recipe that makes up individual success (2).

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: What is the 10,000-hour rule, and how did Malcolm Gladwell illustrate it with The Beatles?

Challenge - Secrets To Success:  Do some research on “the key to success.”  What have different people said about the secret to success, and which one key factor would you identify as the most important?

Sources:

1-Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.

2-Resnik, Brian. The “10,000-hour Rule” was Debunked Again.  That’s a Relief. Vox 23 August 2019.

Reading Check:

-Where did The Beatles put in most of the 10,000 hours that made them great musicians?

-The 10,000 hour rule deals primarily with the relationship between what two factors that add up to success?

THINKER'S ALMANAC - February 8

How can studying London taxi drivers encourage us to continue to learn throughout our lives?

Subject:  Hippocampal Plasticity - London’s Taxi Drivers

Event:  The movie Taxi Driver, released 1976

On this day in 1976, the film Taxi Driver was released.  The film is a psychological thriller that tells the story of a New York taxi driver, played by Robert De Niro, and his descent into insanity, which includes a plot to kill a presidential candidate.  

While the events of Taxi Driver are fictional, there is a very real psychological battle going on in the streets of London, England, where potential London taxi drivers must use their minds to conquer one of the most taxing of all exams.

The streets of London are such a confusing labyrinth that taxi drivers are required by the city to pass a grueling exam that tests their ability to recognize and navigate the city’s 25,000 streets.  The exam is appropriately called “The Knowledge.”  Most drivers spend three to four years studying and practicing for the exam, and even after investing all that time and effort, only about 50 percent pass.

                                                        Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay 

Seeing a unique opportunity to study the human brain and its memory, neuroscientist Eleanor Maguire of University College London designed an experiment to determine how much the intensive study by London’s cabbies actually impacted the growth of their brain.  Specifically, Maguire was interested in the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped part of the brain’s limbic system, integral in the formation of new memories and in the retention of long-term memory.

Maguire followed two groups:  one was made up of 79 cabbie candidates and the other was 31 people who did not drive taxis but were similar in age, education, and intelligence to the drivers in training.  At the start of the study, Maguire measured the size of all the participants’ hippocampi with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).  

After four years, MRIs revealed that the hippocampi of the 39 trainees who had passed “The Knowledge” grew larger.  

As explained by Scientific American writer Ferris Jabr,

There are several ways to explain the ballooning hippocampus. The hippocampus may grow new neurons or hippocampal neurons may make more connections with one another. Non-neuronal cells called glial cells, which help support and protect neurons, may also contribute to the increase in hippocampal volume, although they are not generated as quickly as neurons. (1)

The results of the cabbie study support the concept of neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to continuously change and learn throughout an individual’s life span, not just in childhood or adolescence.  Just as physical exercise produces physical changes in the body’s muscles, cognitive exercise produces changes in the brain.

In recognition of her research on hippocampal plasticity, Eleanor Maguire was awarded the 2003 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine.  The Ig Nobel prizes are awarded each year to scientists whose work “first makes people laugh -- then makes them think” (2).

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: What are neuroplasticity and the hippocampus, and why should everyone, not just taxi drivers, be interested in Eleanor Maguire’s research?

Challenge - First Laugh, Then Think:  Do some research on past winners of Ig Nobel Prize. Find one study that you find particularly interesting. What was the study, and why do you find it interesting?

ALSO ON THIS DAY:  

-February 8th Each Year:  Parinirvana is a Buddhist festival that commemorates the death of Buddha, who said, “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.”  Buddhists believe that having attained enlightenment in his lifetime, Buddha left this world at 80 years-old in a state of meditation, free from the cycle of death and rebirth.

-February 8, 1834:  Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleev was born in Siberia.  Mendeleev’s great invention was his Periodic Table of Elements, which he said came to him in a dream:

In a dream I saw a table where all the elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper.

Sources:   

1-Jabr, Ferris. “Cache Cab: Taxi Drivers' Brains Grow to Navigate London's Streets.” Scientific American 8 Dec. 2011.

2-List of Ig Nobel Prize Winners

Reading Check:

-Why did Eleanor Maguire study London cab drivers?

-What is neuroplasticity?