It just occurred to me as I embarked on the same sequence of events with the hope of achieving different results that I was being insane. This is the common definition I guess. Yet I’ve found myself doing many things like this and what is to be said? Am I nuts? Sure but not because of these reasonably inane things. I think that the complexities of technology and such that the speed with which this society is moving are driving all of us a bit insane in this way. What’s the best way to get a computer that is inexplicably not working to work? Restart it. Okay sometimes that works sometimes it doesn’t there is a rationale behind this action but it is usually a hully gully approach toward solving a problem that does not have an immediate solution. And what about the principle of persistence? The if first you don’t succeed adage? Perhaps it’s too wordy to say: “try try again but do it differently”. Still, it seems to me that in life there are many scenarios and situations where the results will vary and do vary dependent upon many factors and that we mortals in our infinite ignorance might always miss something.
Perhaps this insanity is a bit inevitable though I suppose it works only in a retroactive sense to attempt something with a priori expectations can only take one sofar. It is insane to do something that you know won’t work but you never really know any results until after the event has occurred and it is at this time that one is insane; not for taking the action or even having the expectation since this expectation is simply a skeptical assertion against previous empirical data. Rather the insanity comes from not understanding the results and not showing due regard toward the further validity of that empirical data to test this data is a human prerogative to dispute the results is simple insanity but to expect the same results for what is seemingly the same situation is in many cases is just as insane since it is not necessarily in our power to eliminate the aspect of uncertainty. Taking a hard line semantic approach, the point is moot since the same actions and circumstances is not seemingly the same, it is the same. On paper, in words, insanity is clear but in the real world I just don’t think that is the case.
Hmmm… I don’t know. It really all depends on whether you are speaking of interactions with inanimate objects or interactions with people. It is not insane for me to always expect 2+2=4, and it is insane for me to expect 2+2=666. However, once you are expecting things from people, the whole dynamic changes. Of course, you can learn to understand people to a reasonable degree. Hmmm… I dunno. I’m not sure I understand the exact point you are trying to make.
clarify, damn it!
Since we cannot predict the future and in some circumstances fully understand and control all factors of a situation we occasionally might do the same thing, while being fully sane and yet expect a different result. In a world where more things warrant skepticism it seems that this is a reasonable claim. WHAAA!
oh, i completely agree with you there. i was pretty sure that was what you were saying.
especially when dealing with people it is easy as hell to do the same thing and expect different results.
it is an ugly, ugly thing. i personally am sick as hell from wishing. *sigh*