Metaphorically speaking...

It's a dimension of chaos! Shall we battle, or ride the waves?

They say it's a catchy phrase, but I know what they're thinking. They hear words like, "dimension", "chaos", or "battle", and think laser guns and villains with curling mustaches and deep, evil laughs. They hear "ride the waves" and think of blond-haired muscular heroes being cooed at by girls in polka-dot bikinis. They smile, and thus cheered, move on with their lives. Maybe that's what they think. If so, I'm inclined to let them be. Others, who understand why I obsess over fractals and philosophical notions of existence and value, know "to battle or ride the waves" is a much deeper dilemma.

Wait! We were in the middle of a series on history and environmental change, weren't we? What's all this about dilemmas over existence? Can we go back to those bikinis and guns?

Maybe in a bit. There is a point where it all comes together--ecology, history, culture, geometrical forms, the laws of thermodynamics, epistemological and ethical questions--in other words, the big picture.

Yikes. Are you crazy?

Perhaps. But I promise, it won't hurt. Much. In fact, as we continue to look at the changes of the land and culture around the Front Range, we'll see a simple pattern emerge. The pattern, while simple, contains an aspect of uncertainty--tomorrow may seem more curious than ever. That is where we will find that "dimension of chaos"--and understand what it means to battle or ride the waves.

Some readers from my old site may see where this is leading. Others might understand it, instinctively. Anyone who studies any branch of science understands that life boils down to energy--energy converted to mass, mass converted to energy--yet describing what happens to that energy takes multiple disciplines of study. I've always been curious about what happens, as well, but rather than study individual reactions, I've been looking at why it happens to the big picture. Why is the big picture so complex and unpredictable? Why is it impossible for even an individual person to make plans about their own expenditures of energy, or make predictions of their own futures? To answer these sorts of questions, I need to enter that stigmatized realm of study, metaphysics.

Metaphysics!? Now I know you're crazy. Where's the bikini girls?

I've always hated that term, actually. I've met people who notice I collect mineral specimens, ignore the fossils and unattractive meteoric lumps, and say, "oh, you're into crystals." Some say it with a snort, some say it with admiration. I raise an eyebrow at all of them. At least, I can explain to people why I'm a rockhound. Explaining why I chose to study metaphysics is a bit harder. (I think this may be why philosophers tend to be hermits.) So, rather than take the classical approach, examining change and uncertainty with traditional philosophic terms like "metaphysics", I reach for analogies, like "ride the waves." Over at The Scientific Activist, Nick has an excellent review of an article concerning the use of metaphor and analogy in science:

Roberts' article explores analogy not as just a device used by scientists to communicate their work, but as a fundamental tool of inquiry, a point that is particularly compelling since it usually doesn't receive a great deal of attention, especially in the popular media.

I agree that there is a necessary distinction between the two types of metaphoric use. The quote I began this post with is a mixture of both. As I'll discuss eventually, that uncertain aspect of the big picture can best be described as "a dimension of chaos". I don't mean this in the sci-fi sense, that is, an alternate universe where everything is evil. Rather, I mean it in the more literal sense, as sort of homage to the second law of thermodynamics. I believe chaos is a dimension of nature in the same sense that time is--a fundamental aspect that defines the shape of things. The analogy is necessary for me to describe the aspect. What is important here, to explain the quote above, is how this aspect leads to the struggles of life. That's where I use the metaphor to communicate without resorting to philosophical terms, in a way that the non-philosopher can understand. Battle, or ride the waves? Either fight against the inevitable struggle, changing the situation even further, or adapt to the changes that arise from it.

Sometimes, I see the phrase "ride the waves" and it fits perfectly. This morning, I found it in a New York Times article, describing a new technology which harnesses energy from ocean waves:

NEWCASTLE, England -- There is more riding the waves here than surfers, thanks to a growing number of scientists, engineers and investors.


A group of entrepreneurs is harnessing the perpetual motion of the ocean and turning it into a commodity in high demand: energy. Right now, machines of various shapes and sizes are being tested off shores from the North Sea to the Pacific -- one may even be coming to the East River in New York State this fall -- to see how they capture waves and tides and create marine energy.

Here, "ride the waves" means "adapt" to the demand for clean energy, as well as describing the way to do it.

I found the phrase again over at Cosmic Variance, where Sean used it in the middle of a discussion dismantling Boltzmann's theories on entropy:

"Life requires motion and evolution, riding the wave of increasing entropy."

Botzmann tried to explain why we are riding this wave, and Sean explains how he pretty much failed to do this. It's possible my theory about why we ride (or battle) may be as easily dismantled. (That's what theories are about, right?)

I'll get into this a bit more tomorrow, when I'll have a post on the development of a swath of farmland, mingled with a discussion on epistemology and ethics. (Don't worry, I promised it wouldn't hurt, didn't I?)

Before I go, I wanted to point out one more thing from Nick's post, the title: "Scientists as Poets". While it is an apt title for an excellent discussion of metaphor use, it bears one small flaw. There's no poetry. Since I'm on the same topic, I figured I could throw in one little poem about riding the waves. (I've written a few.) I keep this one pasted in odd places around the house, because, as the title says, it's a reminder:

Reminder

Slamming into me
The world in my senses
Variables
Some expected
Others not.

Frustration... Chaos.
Ride the waves
Ride the waves.

Not that it is easy
Always seeing life
Understanding
Knowing
What might be.

Ignorance is bliss
Or so they say
And I might agree
I feel it... knowledge
Is pain.

But this does not mean
That I want battle
Or... to give up
Cringe... breathe
Proceed.

Life is just Chaos.
Ride the waves
Ride the waves.

KLF (3/10/05)

Hey! Where's the guns and bikinis?!

Oh, I didn't forget. Here ya go, even though it has little to do with the subject:

Bikini Girls With Machine Guns by The Cramps. (Click to play)

Man, I love that song. I've said it before, the Cramps are a great choice for riding the waves.

Thanks Out the Other for the link and Project Peru for the picture. (Although, for the life of me, I can't figure out why a charity fundraising organization is keeping archives of punk rock album covers.)