THINKER'S ALMANAC - March 21

According to a British study, what percentage of highway accidents result from “rubbernecking”?

Subject:  Curiosity - Pandora Effect

Event: The study entitled “The Pandora Effect: The Power and Peril of Curiosity” is published, 2016.

Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect. -Steven Wright

In an ancient myth, the Titan brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus were tasked by Zeus with creating the first living creatures on earth.  Epimetheus created the animals, endowing each with a special trait. Prometheus formed man out of mud, and the Goddess Athena breathed life into the clay figure. Unfortunately because Epimetheus had given away all the special traits, Prometheus needed to improvise.  First, Prometheus made man stand upright like the gods.  Second, he defied Zeus, by stealing fire and giving it to man.

For his theft of fire, Prometheus was punished by Zeus, who chained him to a mountain; each day an eagle would come and devour Prometheus’ liver, which would grow back again each night.

                                                            Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay 

Zeus also came up with a creative plot to punish mankind for accepting the gift of fire from Prometheus.  He began by creating a woman named Pandora, fashioning her to look like the goddess Aphrodite. Zeus then brought Pandora to Earth to be Epimetheus’ wife.  As a wedding gift, Zeus gave Pandora a box but warned her never to open it.  Overcome by curiosity, Pandora ignored Zeus’ command.  As she opened the box, all the miseries of life -- greed, envy, hatred, pain, disease, hunger, poverty, war, and death -- flew out.  Pandora slammed the box’s lid closed; only one thing remained inside the box:  hope.

The Pandora myth speaks to us about the power of curiosity, and recent research by psychologists has determined that Pandora's decision to open the box is consistent with human nature.

In a study published on this day in 2016 by Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago, volunteers were given pens to use for filling out surveys.  The subjects had no idea that the focus of the study was not on what they wrote on the surveys; instead, it was on which pen they would select to write with.  One group of subjects -- called the “certain outcome” group -- was given 5 pens with green stickers and 5 pens with red stickers; the sticker on the red pens had  “warning electric shock” written on it while the green label indicated that clicking it would not result in a shock.  The second group of subjects -- called the “uncertain outcome” group -- were given 10 pens with yellow stickers that warned, “May or may not give a shock.” 

Logic might tell you that the harmless green pens would be the pen most likely to be clicked by the subjects; however, the actual results showed that the pens with the yellow uncertain label were clicked five times more frequently than any of the other pens.  Researchers call this the Pandora Effect, confirming that humans have an eager desire to fill in the gaps between what they know and what they don’t know.

The Pandora Effect can lead to negative outcomes.  For example, a British study found that 29% of highway accidents were caused by “rubbernecking.”  Based on this conclusion, the UK Highways Agency has begun a program of putting up large screens at highway crash sites in order to block them from the view of other motorists.  

Of course, curiosity is not all bad.  It’s the trait that compels us to explore and to invent.  The philosopher Thomas Hobbes said that “Curiosity is the lust of the mind,” but often this results in a positive lust for knowledge that propels us forward to new discoveries.  Nevertheless, we should remember Pandora and try to use reason to assess risks versus rewards so that we are left with something more than just hope.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  What was the result of the pen study that revealed the Pandora Effect? Why was Prometheus punished by the gods?

Challenge - The Box is Half Full:  The story of Pandora’s Box tells us the negative side of curiosity.  What is an example of a story, true or fictional, that tells us the positive side of curiosity, such as a discovery that was sparked by a curious mind of an explorer or inventor?

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

March 21, 1969:  On this day the duo Simon and Garfunkel released the song “The Boxer.”  In addition to being a great song, it also features lyrics that echo psychological insights into our cognitive biases, specifically confirmation bias:  “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."

-March 21, 1956:  Today is the birthday of American editor and writer Teresa Nielsen Hayden.  An advocate of the Oxford comma, Hayden presented the following example of a hypothetical book dedication to support her case:  “To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.”

MARCH 21

Sources:

1-Simon Oxenham.  “The Pandora Effect:  Why Curiosity Usually Beats Common Sense.” New Scientist 1 August 2016.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - March 20

Why do contestants on the game show Jeopardy answer in the form of a question, and how can this help us be more creative?

Subject: Invention - Eureka Effect 

Event:  Debut of Jeopardy, 1964

Anyone who has begun to think, places some portion of the world in jeopardy. -John Dewey

On this day in 1964, the popular game show Jeopardy made its debut. The show was created by Merv Griffin, who also composed the show’s famous theme song.  The song, which is entitled “Think,” was originally called “A Time for Tony,” since it was composed as a lullaby for Griffin’s son.

In the introduction to Alex Trebek’s The Jeopardy Book, Griffin explains that he wanted to create a trivia game show, but he was worried about the backlash from the 1950s quiz show scandals. Game shows with trivia themes had fallen in popularity because of revelations that some contestants had been given answers by the shows’ producers.  

The eureka moment that gave birth to Jeopardy came on a plane flight in 1963. Talking with his wife about the quiz show quandary, Griffin took note of a seemingly off the cuff comment by his wife:  “Why not just give them the answers to start with?”

                                                                    Image by Aquib Azad from Pixabay 

Griffin originally called his show “What’s the Question?” but that changed when he pitched his game to a network executive. The executive was concerned that the game lacked drama since once a player had a sizable lead, he could play it safe. The executive commented, “I like what I see, but the game needs more jeopardies!” It’s that comment that changed the show’s title and the show’s format. After the executive’s comment, Griffin added the climactic moment that makes or breaks the show: Final Jeopardy (1).

Appropriately enough, the word jeopardy began as a French gaming term from chess, meaning a divided or even game. It evolved, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, to mean any game in which the chances of winning or losing were even (2). So when the executive told Merv Griffin, “The game needs more jeopardizes,” he was most likely not referring to the modern sense of the word, meaning danger or peril, but to the gaming sense of the word, meaning, “Let’s keep the final outcome in doubt until the end.”

The sudden, unexpected flash of insight known as the Eureka Effect takes its name from the apocryphal story of Archimedes, the Greek mathematician and inventor.  Asked by the King of Syracuse to determine whether or not the royal crown was pure gold, Archimedes went to work to solve the problem, but after hours of diligent thinking became frustrated with his inability to determine an answer.  Tired and needing a break, Archimedes decided to take a bath.  As he climbed into his tub, he noticed how the water in the tub rose when he submerged his body in the bath.  This brought his flash of insight when he realized that he could measure the volume of the crown by immersing it in water.  Leaping from his tub, he proceeded to run through the street naked, yelling “Eureka!,” the Greek word meaning “I have found it!”

The moral of the story of “Archimedes’ Tub” is that although conscious, effortful reasoning is important for solving problems, we should not underestimate the power of our subconscious mind to work on problems even when we don’t consciously realize we’re working on them.  Whether taking a bath, taking a nap, or listening to a spouse's seemingly off the cuff comment, the subconscious remains on task and can generate an idea when you least expect it.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  Why does the game show Jeopardy require contestants to state their answers in the form of a question? What problem was Archimedes working on when he encountered the Eureka Effect?

Challenge -“Five Funky Facts for Five Hundred, Please”:  What is a general category that you know enough about to write quiz questions for?  Brainstorm some Jeopardy categories, such as Authors, Novels, The Beatles, or Game Shows.  Then, write 5 answers and questions in the Jeopardy format.

For example:

Answer: This game show debuted on March 20, 1964.

Question: What is Jeopardy?

Sources:

1-Trebek, Alex and Peter Barsocchini.  The Jeopardy! Book: The Answers, the Questions, the Facts, and the Stories of the Greatest Game Show in History. New York: HarperCollins, 1990.

2-American Heritage Dictionary.  “Jeopardy.”

THINKER'S ALMANAC - March 19

How would Jefferson's Declaration of Independence be different if it were published today on a social media website?

Subject:  Lists - Listicle

Event:  Birthday of Irving Wallace, 1916

Because we can process information more easily when it’s in a list than when it’s clustered and undifferentiated, like in standard paragraphs, a list feels more intuitive. In other words, lists simply feel better. -Maria Konnikova

Today is the birthday of American writer Irving Wallace (1916-1990). Wallace's parents emigrated from Russia and settled in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Irving grew up.  From an early age, Irving, whose father was a clerk in a general store, dreamed of being a writer. When he was still in high school, he sold his first published article to Horse and Jockey Magazine for $5.

After graduating from Williams Institute in Berkeley, California, Wallace began writing full time in 1937, selling freelance fiction and nonfiction to magazines.  He also wrote for Hollywood, producing a number of screenplays for major studios.

Wallace is best known, however, for his books — both fiction and nonfiction, which he began writing in the 1950s.  His 16 novels and 17 nonfiction books have sold more than 120 million copies.

In 1977, working with his son and daughter, Wallace published The Book of Lists.  It was the perfect book for the dawning information age and quickly became a bestseller (1).

                                                        Image by Paul Christian Glenn from Pixabay 

The Book of Lists is more than just a compilation of lists.  Each of the book’s lists is annotated with fascinating facts and storylines.  Here’s a small sample of some of the tantalizing titles of the book’s lists:

10 Famous Noses

6 People Whose Names Were Changed by Accident

13 Mothers of Infamous Men

14 Highly Unusual Recipes

33 Names of Things You Never Knew Had Names

17 Pairs of Contradictory Proverbs

5 Famous People Who Invented Games

9 People Who Died Laughing

27 Things That Fell From the Sky (2)

The Book of Lists inspired hundreds of imitation volumes, and with the advent of the World Wide Web in 1990, the list article (or listicle) has become a staple method for writers to deliver information.

Lists fascinate us because they appeal to our inherent need for organization.  A list’s title gives the reader immediate and easily categorized information, such as “The Ten Commandments” or “Thirteen Signs You’re Addicted to Lip Balm.”

Lists are an essential tool that assists writers in shoveling up heaping helpings of savory details for the reader to enjoy.  Too often writers dwell too much on abstractions and generalities. Lists remind the writer that the reader is hungry for concrete details.  Readers can be told things for only so long; they prefer, instead, to be shown things, things that they can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel.

Although the listicle seems like a recent innovation, it’s nothing new.  Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, for example, might be called a listicle that gives the rationale for revolution.  If it appeared today it would be entitled, “Twenty-Seven Reasons Why We’ve Had It With King George.”

As his own listicle on why listicles are so successful, the writer Steven Poole lists the following as his number seven reason:   

A listicle feels more democratic than a hierarchically structured argument, as well as more in tune with a conception of history and the world as just one damn thing after another. The foundational text of Protestantism was a listicle nailed to a church door: Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” posted at Wittenberg. So it makes sense that in our culture, which makes a fetish of anti-authoritarianism, the listicle should have spread everywhere, like mold. (3)

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How many reasons did Jefferson give in his listicle, The Declaration of Independence? If a listicle is called a "decalogue," how many items does it contain?

Challenge - It’s the Listicle You Can Do:  What are ten possible topics for interesting listicles?  Brainstorm at least ten specific topics that you might package as a listicle.  Use the words below to help you determine some possible organizing principles for your lists, such as “10 Reasons to Read More,” or “10 Secrets to Getting an A in English”:

ways, reasons, things, places, people, principles, rules, secrets, lessons, keys, habits, tips, myths, best, worst, mistakes, steps

Once you have some ideas, select the one list you like the best, and expand it into a listicle.  Make sure you have an engaging title that includes the number of items on your list. The number ten seems to be a number that resonates with readers; in fact, there is a single word in English, that means “a list of ten.”  Decalogue is from the Greek deca, meaning “ten,” and logos, meaning “words.”  Make sure to number each item on your list, and follow each numbered item with details that will engage your audience.

Sources:

1-Severo, Richard. “Irving Wallace, Whose 33 Books Sold in the Millions, Is Dead at 74.” The New York Times 30 June 1990.

2-Wallechinsky, David, Irving Wallace, and Amy Wallace.  The Book of Lists, 1977.

3-Poole, Steven. “nine things you need to know about 'listicles.'” The Guardian 12 Nov. 2013.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - March 18

When it comes to persuading others and getting what you want, what is the one magic word?

March 18

Subject:  Enthymeme - Mallory’s Because Justification

Event:  Mallory gives his reason for climbing Mount Everest, 1923

Why climb Mount Everest? Because it's there. -George Mallory

On this day in 1923, The New York Times published an article about the English mountaineer George Mallory (1886-1824) who was pursuing his goal of climbing Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain (29,029 feet).  When asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, Mallory famously answered, “Because it’s there.”

                                                                    Image by MLbay from Pixabay 

At the time Mallory gave his answer, no expedition had ever successfully summited the world’s highest mountain.  Mallory, himself, had participated in two previous expeditions and was preparing for his third.

On the morning of June 8, 1924, Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew Irvine set out for the summit from their camp at 26,800 feet, but they never returned.  The disappearance of the two climbers was a mystery for 75 years, until Mallory’s body was found on the mountain in 1999. No one knows for sure whether or not Mallory and Irvine made it to the summit.

Twenty-nine years after the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953 (1).

Mallory’s simple three-word answer, “Because it’s there,” became his epitaph and captured the imagination of generations of explorers and risk takers.  It also shows the power of giving a reason — any reason.

A psychological study completed in 1977 demonstrated the power of the word “because.”  People waiting in line to make copies were asked by someone behind them to skip ahead in line.  The people who gave a reason to skip, saying, “Excuse me, may I use the copy machine because I’m in a rush” were 30% more likely to be allowed to skip ahead in line than those who gave no reason.  This worked even for people who gave a nonsensical reason, saying “May I use the copy machine because I have to make copies.” 

Readers are more likely to accept your claims if you provide clear reasons that support them; this concept is known as the because justification.  Appeal to your reader’s logical side by laying down the clear reasons behind your claims. For even better results, string your reasons together using parallelism to add rhythm, repetition, and resonance (2).

The persuasive nature of reasoning is nothing new.  In the fifth century, the philosopher Aristotle wrote the first textbook explaining the art of persuasion, On Rhetoric.  Aristotle made logical argumentation accessible through a device he called the enthymeme, a sentence that explicitly states a claim and a reason.  The additional essential element of an enthymeme is an assumption, which is implicit rather than stated.

For example, as an enthymeme, Mallory’s justification for attempting to climb Mount Everest might be stated as follows:

Claim:  I should climb Mount Everest.

Reason: Because it exists.

Assumption:  The existence of a mountain is sufficient justification for climbing it.

With the enthymeme, Aristotle emphasized the role of logic (or logos) in making a sound argument.  He also emphasized, however, that effective persuasion takes more than just pure logic. Any successful writer or speaker must consider his or her audience and establish the audience’s trust (ethos).  Furthermore, the speaker or writer must not only make the audience think, he or she should also make the audience feel something (pathos)(3).

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: What is the Because Justification? When a person gave a reason that they wanted to skip in line to make copies, how much did the likelihood that they would be allowed to skip improve?

Challenge:  Unpack Your Enthymemes:  What are some current issues that people are arguing about at the local, national, or international level? What are the core claims, reasons, and assumptions that make up a specific argument? Brainstorm some general issues of controversy and find a recently published editorial that addresses one of the issues. Read the editorial carefully and analyze the writer’s argument by identifying the claim, reasons, and assumptions.  Also identify how the writer appeals to the audience by establishing trust and credibility, as well as how the writer appeals to the emotions of the audience. 

Also on This Day:

March 18, 1710:  On this day the analogy “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body” was first published in Issue 147 of the Tatler by Joseph Addison.

Sources:

1-Britannica.com.  “George Mallory.”

2-Clear, James. “The One Word That Drives Senseless and Irrational Habits.”

3-Shovel, Martin. “Enthymeme, or are you thinking what I'm thinking?” The Guardian 9 April 2015.