Dave's Thinking: Life as a study of the conservation of angular momentum

Life as a study of the conservation of angular momentum

Sometimes I think the same law that keeps a gyroscope upright keeps me upright: the conservation of angular momentum. In the physics sense, the law relates to the rotational component of momentum, in a less geek-squad view sometimes I am less sure I am making progress in any specific direction but that I am spinning around terribly fast and that perhaps that alone keeps me from falling over.

Conventional wisdom says it is important to know your center, especially since everything seems to spin around it. Pull things into the middle and everything moves faster, just like a figure skater when the arms are drawn into the body.

I think because of my background I like to at least notionally try to break down life in terms of physics, however this last weekend I found that others had done this much better using statistics.

The documentary Freakonomics is based on the 2005 book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. It tackles controversial topics like crime and the raising of children through a strictly mathematical glass. The stunning conclusions include among other things that children can be bribed into doing better in school and the concept of naming children is reflective of a lot more than just parent preferences.

Yesterday I noticed one of my favorite authors, Davd Brooks, from the New York Times has also come out with a new book about society and culture called "The Social Animal". Brooks basically contends that it's wrong to argue that you're a highly rational person, reaching decisions only after weighing all the pros and cons. We aren't primarily the products of our conscious thinking, but of thinking that happens below the level of awareness.

So, should I be thinking harder to understand things? Or is Brooks right and there is only so much I will ever know about that?

My head is spinning.

Hey, maybe I am right.