Although we think of information overload as a contemporary phenomenon, throughout evolutionary history organisms have always had to grapple with a world brimming with noisy data. Ever present and life threatening features such as camouflaged prey, lurking predators, strategizing competitors, invasive species, weather changes, and insecure food supply have always been part of the challenges… Continue reading Fluency and Its Illusions
Tag: Uncertainty
The Study of Others
As fundamentally social primates living in and dependent on exceptionally large and heterogeneous groups, other humans are among the most important features of the environment for humans. For humans, having the capacity to infer the intentions, goals, and feelings of others is essential for the Darwinian goals of survival and reproduction. In fact, the networked… Continue reading The Study of Others
Wild Places
In the Tale of a Springbok, I narrated the story of a springbok approaching an empty but hot desert watering hole in Etosha National Park, unaware of the two lionesses sitting underneath the bush in the periphery. As the scene unfolded, I anthropomorphized and looked on with mixed feelings vacillating from suspense and excitement to… Continue reading Wild Places
A Tale of a Springbok
In my last essay, I wrote about the bold (if foolish) springbok who left the safety of the herd and made his way to the watering hole on a sweltering Namibian day. Although he seemed to be aware and on the lookout for theoretical lions as he episodically and intently scanned the periphery, he was… Continue reading A Tale of a Springbok
S-Fxn 