The Illusion of Choice Part One: Matter Interacting in Space

            You will occasionally hear stories in the news about abusive parents that deny their children medical treatment because, “if they were meant to live, God would heal them.” It would be better thought of as, if they were meant to live, God would have let responsible parents raise them, who would have sought out proper medical treatment right away, and given their child the best care possible. Of course, it does raise an interesting philosophical question. Do we as humans actually have free choice, or is everything we do dictated by a plan that was set in motion from before we were born. Typically, the answers fall into the realms of there is a god and he did set a plan, there is a god but he gave us free choice, there is no god and thus no plan. Now let me propose a different option. This series is going to explore matter, the universe, life, humanity, the laws of physics, and much more as I explain why I believe there is a plan that is in play, but it is not God’s grand design.

            This series, in its entirety, essentially describes my entire view of life and the universe as I hold it at the present time. I would like to note that the theories and beliefs described hereafter were inspired primarily by physicists Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, and Buddhist founder Siddhartha Gautama. My collective education in psychology and other sciences, that has also helped shape these beliefs, is grounded in the works of too many others to name here.

            In this part one of the series, we will break it all down to the most basic view of everything that exists and happens in the universe. We’ll begin in the middle and work backwards. Everything tangible in this world is made of matter. Humans, cows, rocks, water, air, yes, even cats, are made up of matter, which, itself, is just various arrangements of different elements. These elements bind to one another due to interactions between the subatomic particle constituents that constitute them. They form different arrangements based upon the conditions present at the time, and this leads to matter taking on many forms. But deep down, I think we always knew that us and cats were really one and the same.

            What about nonmatter though? What about the intangible? Light for instance, or sound. These are different forms of energy. Really, when you look closely, everything you know is either matter or energy. What constitutes energy then? That is a question for a physicist. So, let’s ask one. Who is the most famous physicist you can think of? Oh! Of course, Albert Einstein. Didn’t he have some famous theory about energy? Okay, enough with the rhetorical questions. Einstein developed the equation, E=mc² which describes the energy equivalency of a stationary mass. To avoid making this article any more complicated, it essentially suggests that matter and energy are the same. This has had countless applications in the field of theoretical physics, but for our purposes, the biggest implication is that we now have one less thing in the universe to account for.

            What’s left? Think of anything that exists, and it is some form of energy. All that leaves is empty space. I like to think of space as a chalkboard. You have words and pictures, but they can’t just exist without being tethered to the board. If you try to draw an “A” not on the board it won’t work. Space is that chalkboard and matter is the words and pictures. Just like you can’t draw a picture of a cat not on the board, a real cat needs space in which to exist.

So, we have a board and a picture of a cat. Let’s draw a couple more cats. No problem. Now, what if we draw a dog on the board. So far so good. Now, draw a dog over one of the existing cat drawings. Here is where things get interesting. Matter can exist apart from itself all day long, but when it interacts with other bodies of matter, it becomes much more complicated. A concept exists called the theory of everything. The idea is a single, coherent equation which would describe all physical interactions. Nothing is random. Energy behaves according to predictable patterns based on the variables at play. At present, no such equation has been derived, but I would assert that such an equation must exist, as the universe and the interactions that it would define exist. It is likely that certain variables merely elude us and our current technology. Were we to truly know all variables present at any one time, we could predict any outcome.

            Take a minute to reflect now. It seems obvious because of how general it is, but we have effectively just described everything. Everything that exists is energy. It must exist within the matrix that is space. The interactions between different bodies of energy are consistent and predictable, described by a yet to be defined equation that accounts for all physical principles. In basic terms, everything is energy interacting in space. This is the framework through which I view everything, and upon which my entire belief system is derived. This is the framework upon which we will build for the remainder of this series.

            -AMS

Communicationism

            Words are fun. But of course, I’m a writer, so obviously, I believe that. There are some words that I don’t much care for, however, and I don’t mean words like moist. That actually doesn’t bother me. My problem is with words that fail to convey what they intend to. You see, the universe supposedly exists, but all anyone will ever know are the interactions between themselves and the physical world. Every person is slightly different, and so are their interactions. So, the universe as you know it is different from the universe as I know it, and the only way we can bridge the gap between yours and mine is through interpersonal interactions. For humans, this is primarily accomplished through spoken or written language. As you can imagine then, clear wording is kind of a big deal. But it comes at a cost. I have talked a lot about oversimplifying data. Now let’s look at some cases of overspecificity.

            Our first word is race (the ancestry one, not the competition of speed one). Race is a concept that has been used to justify and condemn actions for centuries, but the more humans have started moving around the planet, the more race has become confused with ethnicity to the point that no one can seem to agree upon a definition. Typically, race is recognized as a biological distinction, whereas ethnicity is recognized as a cultural distinction. That is to say that race would distinguish a person whose ancestry was in Asia from a person whose ancestry was in Europe. Ethnicity, on the other hand, would distinguish a person who speaks the language and observes the culture associated with Japan, from the person who follows French customs and speaks French, even if that person ultimately has Asian lineage.

There is ongoing debate about which racial distinctions merit use. It is commonly accepted that the genus to which humans belong came about in Africa. The point in the evolutionary tree at which humans migrated out of Africa and into other regions of the world however, is not exactly clear. The phenotypical differences between humans are in a large part due to microevolutions that occurred since this time. That is, the color of one’s skin has to do with adaptations to daily sun exposure in the region in which that person’s ancestry is derived. Classifying these differences often becomes arbitrary, however. How different, really, is a German from Frenchman? So, while there may be little discrepancy between classifying someone as hailing from Africa, Asia, or Europe, as well as perhaps some additional groups (such as native Americans, Australians, etc.), it begs the question of what is racially distinct. The whole thing becomes even more complicated once you start accounting for individuals of mixed race. How many labels do we really need? You might be a melodic metalcore band with reggae influences, but I’m still just going to call you rock.

The other problem with race is its confusion with ethnicity. A common misnomer is to refer to both individuals of immediate and distant African ancestry as African American. African American as an ethnicity indicates either an African who immigrated to America or their progeny. An American who is no longer associated with the culture of their ancestral country is not ethnically African American, but simply American, identifying with the culture of the United States, and having an African racial makeup. An analogous claim would be referring to me, having predominantly German heritage, as a European American.

One could argue that American culture is comparable to European culture, but this would only further complicate the issue by grouping all assimilated Americans into the ethnicity of European, regardless of race. There have also been attempts to segregate the American culture into different groups, one of which being represented largely by Americans of African descent. The claim is based on differences in speech patterns and cultural attitudes among other factors. Such a distinction could possibly be made, but again, would only include individuals who identified with that culture, independent of their race. This would also imply further distinctions, such as that between New Englanders, Southerners, and Appalachians, among others. One could also argue that different socioeconomic classes make up different ethnic groups, as well as even rural, urban, or suburban residents. This is another case of hoagies and submarines. At some point, we all have to just be sandwiches.

            What’s the resolution to all of this then? I have advocated for not oversimplifying for the sake of data, and here I am condemning labels. The point is that most of the labels are unnecessary and even counterproductive. Use factual, concrete labels where applicable. Your grandparents are either from Africa or they’re not. For ethnicity, however, don’t bother to label it at all. Let me tell you what my cultural values and customs are. I might hail from Germany, but I speak English as my first language. I might be American but I don’t celebrate Christmas.

            Let’s briefly discuss another similar concept. Sex and gender. Sex and gender are basically analogous to race and ethnicity. Sex is what you are biologically, and gender is what you identify with. And like race and ethnicity, the terminology has been flooded with unnecessary labeling. The resolution is the same. Leave the concrete labels. What chromosomes and organs do you have? For all else, let it be on an individual basis. To whom are you predominantly attracted, what kind of clothes do you prefer to wear, how do you walk and talk? Labeling these items collectively only furthers stereotypes. A man can wear dresses and be sexually attracted to women, those items are not mutually exclusive, and that combination certainly does not require a unique term all its own.

            To reiterate words are great, but labels are not. So, please stop with trying to categorize everything and let us use our own words to tell you about ourselves. I will check the box for male, but I don’t even know what Caucasian means. Am I white? Paler than most, but I didn’t see a box for MC1R mutations. Because you don’t actually care if I burn in the sun, you want to know if I was “privileged.” Well then put a box for, “have been discriminated against,” and I’ll check “no.” Trying to counter racism is inherently racist. It reinforces the differences between people instead of attempting to bridge them. Let’s stop with the racism and sexism and other ‘isms and start with the communication, because that is why we have words.

            -AMS

A Metaphor

            The scene: a dialogue between Matt and Brian, two coworkers at a chain retail store.

            “Hey Matt, aren’t you excited for Christmas.”

            “I mean, we get the day off of work, so that’ll be nice.”

            “Yeah, but also Santa Claus!”

            “I thought you didn’t have any children.”

            “I don’t”

            “Well then, what are you so excited about Santa Claus for?”

            “Free presents, of course. Last year I got a brand-new sofa.”

            “From… Santa Claus?”

            “Yeah, what did you get?”

            “Um…. Nothing.”

            “Nothing? Were you bad last year?”

            “What? No. Do you seriously believe in Santa Claus?”

            “Of course I do. Do you not?”

            “No. I mean, it’s Santa Claus, he can’t possibly be real.”

            “Why not?”

            “He’s a man that lives at the north pole and flies around in a sled pulled by magic reindeer delivering presents to millions of people over the course of one night. He even gets in by going down the chimney. Do you really think he brought that new sofa of yours down the chimney? It’s simply not possible.”

            “Anything is possible.”

            “No offense, but how could you believe in something so farfetched?”

            “You just have to have faith. And if you do, you get rewarded with presents every Christmas.”

            “Do you really think it’s Santa bringing you those gifts every year? I mean, it’s probably just your parents.”

            “But my parents are the ones that taught me about Santa in the first place.”

            “Exactly. If I were to tell you now, as an adult, that there is a magical bunny rabbit that, one day out of the year, delivers baskets of candy and colorfully painted eggs to people, what would you say?”

            “I would say that is ludicrous. Santa is the only one that brings people presents every year. Besides, there is so much evidence that Santa is real.”

            “Like what? No one has even seen him before”

            “Well yeah, he comes when your sleeping. Besides, he would just disappear back up the chimney. And then, you might not get your presents.”

            “If you want to believe in Santa Claus, go right ahead. It doesn’t affect my life any.”

Brian would go on to teach his children about Santa Claus, live his life according to Santa’s “naughty and nice” policy, and even advocated for a law that would protect the right of believers in Santa Claus to refuse offering products or services to people, who might be using them for Easter, or other anti-Santa purposes.

            In this day and age, why are we still pulling punches. Believe what you want to believe, but realize that, to nonbelievers, this is what it sounds like when you attempt to justify legislation with non-evidence based beliefs. Also, no one is making you sell Easter candy, but if I want to buy your Christmas candy to put in an Easter basket, it’s not hurting Santa and it’s not hurting you, so let’s stop with the blatant discrimination. Thanks.

            -AMS

Teachers, Students, and Grades Part Two: When Did We Start Giving Kindergarteners Letter Grades?

            I once heard an ad for an electronic school which boasted about its ability to collect data from students. Since the entire curriculum was carried out online, they could collect data from every answer a student gave and how long it took them to give that answer. Sounds great, but where is all of that data going? Are they actually using any of that to structure their curriculum? Possibly, but more than likely the algorithm just generates questions from a set representing the topic from which the student had given incorrect responses. Data is great, but there are limitations on what our resources will allow us to do with them. What is not great, is wasting resources collecting data that are not being utilized, or are unnecessary compared to a simple subjective evaluation.

Yeah we can have students complete a 100-question standardized exam, that was developed over years of research costing thousands of dollars, and costing even more to implement annually, all to determine the areas of math in which they are struggling. Alternatively, I can ask their teacher, that spends every day with them observing their abilities in math, in which areas they need additional help. Is it as accurate? Maybe not. However, with the latter method, schools have lots of additional time and money to devote to helping those students actually improve in those areas of math with which they were struggling.

Data is great, it tells us where we need improvement. What it doesn’t do is improve anything. That part is still on us. So, while some data is necessary, we really only need enough to point us in the right direction. Anything more than that is a waste of resources. That brings us to the title of this week’s discussion. Remember all of that work you did in elementary school? Here’s a secret. A quarter of it was probably thrown away without even being looked at. I know, it’s an outrage. But somehow, you still learned to read, write, and ‘rithmetic, even without that data. The fact is, you weren’t doing those assignments for your teacher, you were doing them for yourself. Grades are really only good for showing areas in which students need improvement. As such, they really don’t need to be taken very often. For the most part, assignments are meant for students to practice the concepts they just learned, and to see for themselves the areas where they need more practice or to have questions answered.

Why on earth, then, are we giving letter grades to kindergarteners? Not every school does this, but even for older students the practice doesn’t make much sense. Within schools, there has a been a shift in focus from learning to achieving. It’s not about how well you know the material; it’s about how well you play the game. It is very possible for a C student to have a better grasp on a concept than an A student. Outside of school, though, grades don’t really matter. Employers don’t care how smart you are if you can’t communicate with clients, it doesn’t matter what your GPA was if your business can’t turn a profit, and despite having memorized every bone in the human body, if you can’t work under pressure, you might very well kill someone working in a hospital.

When it comes to grades, I think the kindergarteners had the right idea. You either did satisfactory or unsatisfactory and need more practice. If you happen to have done really well, you might even get an outstanding, but that is about all of the feedback you really need. This way we can shift the focus back to actually learning, internalizing, and putting concepts to practice, because those are the skills that actually matter.

Okay, maybe we don’t need grades for primary or even secondary school, but surely college students are a different story? Nope. Forget for a moment, that professors are notoriously poor at creating accurate assessments (I could write a whole essay on this alone). Satisfactory or unsatisfactory is still all you need. The standard for receiving a satisfactory grade would, of course, be higher in order to differentiate the students, but letter grades are unnecessary. But then how will we select students for exclusive programs and dole out scholarships? This is where that putting concepts to practice thing comes in. Rather than focusing on what grades a student gets, look at what that student does. Can they construct a sound scientific experiment, can they write a compelling essay, can they give a heartfelt speech in front of a large crowd? Those are the things we should be recognizing; those are the skills we should be fostering. There are students in graduate programs that still can’t give a decent presentation to save their life, but they can get an A with some rote memorization and strategic test taking.

To sum up this two week look at the American education system, the main take away is that we desperately need to reallocate our resources. Do I foresee all schools restructuring their entire curriculum and throwing out grades entirely? Not anytime soon. What we can do, and do right now, though, is better fund our education system. Provide schools and teachers with more resources, smaller class sizes, and better compensation, and I am confident that we would see a positive change in our students’ outcomes. That being said, let me just reiterate, the greatest thing you can invest in is education.

            -AMS

Teachers, Students, and Grades Part One: Don't You Know, You Could Make More Money as a Computer Programmer?

            I’ve said it before. Our society is obsessed with data. This has bled into our education system. Students are assessed constantly. Honestly, it is surprising they have time to learn anything between all of the tests they have to take. These aren’t one page, 10 question tests either. These assessments can take an hour or more, and I’m not just talking about those for high school students. Anyone who has spent an hour with a first-grader can attest that sitting for extended periods of time and focusing on one thing is contrary to their nature. So, who is to blame for all of this nonsense? Let me assure you that it is not the teachers. They are just trying to make sure that their students actually learn something when they’re not busy jumping through hoops. We are going to take an in depth look at the education system in the United States and the many problems that plague it. First we will discuss the classroom environment and the many struggles that teachers face, then next week we will look at those pesky assessments, and all of the problems that stem from them.

One of the main issues with our education comes from a disconnect between the ideal and the practical. In a perfect world, a teacher could assess each individual student to identify their areas of strength, and the areas in which they need additional help, then custom tailor a plan of action for each student to insure maximum progress. In the real world, teachers in the United States typically have over 20 students in their class, and rarely do they have assistants. Add on top of that, the spread of students. Remember, grade level is based on age, not ability. A fifth-grade class might have reading levels ranging from first-grade to eleventh-grade. As ridiculous as that sounds, it’s not an exaggeration. And that doesn’t even include all of the special cases.

Now put yourself in that position. You have 25 students, one that struggles with Nancy Drew, and another asking you about the metaphorical meaning of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Additionally, two students are English as a second language learners, coming from Somali and Mexico, respectively, and have been in the United States for about a year with no prior English instruction. Their parents also speak no English, and are unable to help their children with their school work. Yet another student is dyslexic and, while perfectly capable with comprehension when read to, struggles with the fundamentals of spelling and syntax. Two more of your students come from impoverished homes (a low estimate, really). One is the fourth child of a single mother who works two jobs in order to provide for her family and has little time to devote individual attention to each of her children. The other comes from a broken home with an abusive father. This child is frequently absent, and often unfocused when present. You have six hours a day with these students split up between reading, math, lunch, physical education, special assemblies, perhaps music or art, and science and history if you are feeling really ambitious. Your students are assessed quarterly by a standardized exam, and each student is expected to make adequate progress based on their grade level and national averages. The ESL students and the documented dyslexic student are given accommodations due to these factors, however, the two students that lack adequate support from home are treated the same as any other student despite their obstacles.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well it might be hard work, but you’ll be well rewarded for your efforts. In fact, you will get paid about the same as a general manager at a McDonalds®. Well, not at first, of course, but after about four or five years on the job you’ll get there. Let me just take this time to recognize all of the teachers in this country for everything that they put up with. Now, how do we fix it? I am not even going to pretend like I have the solution to all our education based problems. I do have an idea where to begin though.

One of the main struggles of a teacher is accommodating all of their students’ individual needs. Since grade level is based on age, this can vary widely as I demonstrated earlier. I believe the entire education system should be restructured. I feel that teachers could be more effective if everyone in their class was reading the same book, be that Dr. Seuss or Shakespeare. This would also alleviate the problem of teachers who were trained to teach middle childhood having to adapt to first grade level instruction. This wouldn’t be without flaws, of course. You certainly couldn’t have a class of six-year-olds and fourteen-year-olds together without a whole new set of issues. It would be a start though. The start of a process of trial and error and of continual development.

Then there is the obvious step toward improvement. The reallocation of resources. The greatest thing you can invest in is education. You want to lower unemployment? Invest in education. You want to lower crime rates? Invest in education. You want to decrease healthcare costs? Invest in education. Well-educated individuals are more likely to find employment and less likely to resort to crime (why would you steal when you make a six-figure salary?) Okay that makes sense, but smart people get sick too, right? True, but that job they got, came with health insurance, they also have a better understanding of nutrition and the money to buy fresh foods. The real kicker? Low health literacy alone accounts for over a billion dollars a year. That is money that is essentially wasted due to a lack of education. Trust me when I say, invest in education and you will make your money back and then some.

-AMS