Recognizing Patterns

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Let's suppose that there's patterns behind every seemingly random series of events. A bit like in Magnolia, a bunch of people that have nothing to do with each other are connected by unlikely coincidences.

We humans are pattern recognizing machines. It's what we do, all the time. If it weren't so, we wouldn't necessarily be alive. This ability might sometimes go on overdrive with amazing results, like in the case of conspiracy theories. But it cannot however be denied that there wouldn't be a pattern, no matter how unseemly it might appear at first.

So let's make this as a game, sort of. If you recognize some pattern, some things happening that seem to have a connection, post your findings here. As to will others see the same pattern is open for discussion. You can describe the event, the pattern or you can post your link if it's in a webpage.

For instance: Which album(s) did you listen to today?

Notice a pattern in those album names? Not all, but most of them might be considered to have some elements that, when put together have a message of sorts as a whole. This message is IMO of course totally meaningless, but it's an amusing coincidence. If you see a pattern there, that is.

It's a bit like what's been already discussed in Entertaining ads. Only this time, the whole world of funny coincidences is our playground.

Get to it.

 

Umm... those ads ain't coincidental. They use keywords from the page to choose the ad.

 

You are right chaos does not exsist, the only reason we can't fortell the future is because we don't know enough about whats hapening before we try to foretell the future.

Howvere there is no pettern in a persons actions, if i see somebody jump out from thier window i have no idea why he did it but i can calculate his speed. Nature always have a pattern but we don't.

 

That's exactly right! Nothing is! That's why there's patterns, even in human action. One thing leads to another, not as a causal relation, but as a chains of probable outcomes. No single action is performed in a void, without the context affecting the decision. No such void exists.

Our perception is limited, but we do see patterns. How detailed these patterns are depends on how much we know and how much we're able to see.

 

So you are suggesting that in any group, what they do is not always a co-incidence? There is merit because normally a group has some common ground as a definition. Therefore, members of such a group who have a particular hobby (like Gaming for us here), may also like elements of certain types of music. It also stands to reason as some members gain credibility with others on the board, that these others may be partial to the recommendations of said members.

Likewise, some of us have gravitated to more specific discussions. In any given day where both Adelf and I both have Free time, it's a good bet that we both played Civ IV.

My point, as opposed to mere spam, is that this particular group may be biased towards certain results...

 

Um, no. The ads aren't chosen by any underlying fate, as you may imply. The programming of the adbots will take the details of each website they're being shown on and select an appropriate ad from their 'libraries' to be displayed.

Nothing ulterior or subtle about it - it's quite overt and facile.

I suppose you could say that the people that programmed the adbots are being manipulated by Fate, but then, that's verging on hard-core fatalism, which can lead to the trap of "Why do I bother thinking about anything? Whatever I decide is fated to be anyway; I'll just flip coins from now on..."


But to put the pedant's hat on the shelf for a minute, there may or may not be an overarching, Grand Design/Fate/God/etc that all events are occurring in accordance with, but as others have said, humans being falible, mortal creatures, we can but know a tiny glimpse of the 'Big Picture', if we are to do something more meaningful with our finite lifetimes apart from sit quietly and contemplate. I.E. You can know God's plan, or you can bring about God's plan (unknowingly), but you ain't got time to do both.


Or, as George Carlin said:

(sorry if I have affronted anyone, but it seemed to be getting WAAY too serious here for a bit )

 

Humanoids aren't natural?

And in keeping with whatever the track of this thread is: patterns.

 

By nature I mean the orbit of the planets, the speed of bodies under given circumstances e.t.c.

 

Oh this whole think was doomed into AoDA. Well, doomed anyway

 

Hey-hey-hey; don't beat yourself up - it's a topic with potential for fascinatingly deep philosophical discussion, it's just that not everyone has the time/energy/inclination to get all philosophical - in my case, today is the first day in about a week it's NOT raining, so I'm getting over a depressive funk, and have a pile of outdoors stuff I gotta get done.

And what's wrong with the Alleys, exactly? I don't post much there, but I read lots; it's very satisfying. Sadly, I don't expect to have to think much when I come to Whatnots; maybe that's my fault...

 

You come up with a philisophical topic and want people to post these thought-provoking ideas. Then, you post it in the catch-all forum with silly quizzes and the joke thread.

I don't come to Whatnots to *think*. I stay away from reality as best I can, which is why I don't read much in the Alleys.

@Stardust - You're talking about physics, not nature.

 

That's why I posted this topic here. You guys take it far more seriously than I meant it.

Well, maybe, but it can also be taken lightly, as a game or as telling amusing little stories. Ever read Kierkegaard? Philosophical subjects can, and maybe should be a source of serious laughter.

 

Is physics not natural? What is it then?

 

Physics is natural, but there is more to nature than physics.

 

/me bites lip, but DOES smile about this...