• Avoid First Impressions: The Uncertainty Principle

    edited by Alexander Becker on September 07, 2006 | Link

    Everything you act upon, everything you react to, and everything you interact with, is based on initial assumptions and on first impressions. It is always the working hypothesis that runs the show, especially when you think that your judgement is impartial and unbiased -- it is not. It is your first take on whatever you deal with that determines every subsequent step down the road.

    Beware of the first impression that is usually and naturally based on incomplete information. Get rid of it as soon as you have some hard facts. Assumptions are nothing more than initial working data gathered and roughly evaluated to have something to start. Eliminate the -- often inaccurate -- sticking assumptions that taint and dilute the whole course of things.

    Do not let the hypothesis influence the outcome. While this may seem impractical, even impossible, in real life you don't want to always prove what you already know. Scientific experiments are conducted on the grounds of a hypothesis which is proven right or wrong and -- if wrong -- replaced by another, more accurate theory. The last step of the scientific method, the creation of a new hypothesis, is more often than not omitted in real life.

    Assumptions do not have anything to do with their subject, they are made up in the absence of sufficient information and data. An assumption is to the facts what presentation is to content: A presentation makes content tangible while an assumption creates a bridge to the unknown.

    A simple method is to ignore first impressions altogether, to avoid making assumptions and to try to perceive as pure as possible. I understand that every interaction begins with some kind of assumption, yet it is the recognition of the assumption as an assumption that paves the way for a more accurate perception of reality.

    I like to refer this to Werner Heisenberg and the problem of influencing what you are observing.

    The Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Formulated by Werner Heisenberg in 1927 and recently made more precise, the theory puts an upper limit on knowledge. It says one can never know both the position and momentum of a quantum object -- measuring one invariably changes the other.

    Your first impression acts as a lowest common denominator that puts an upper limit of potential knowledge on everything that's based on it. Simply put -- your result can only be as clever as your assumption is. That, by the way, is proof for the self-fulfilling prophesy. You manifest your intention. Following the same logic that implies that you cannot simultaneously know both the position and the momentum of a given object to arbitrary precision, you equally cannot maintain an assumption without influencing its subject.

    Go over your methods and assumptions and you will be amazed by how simple, rough, and basic most foundations are. Try to consciously rethink and refine your working theories. Be liberal when it comes to replacing a hypothesis. This applies to relationships as well as to marketing strategies and even business plans. You will discover that your assumptions tend to be more negative than the potential outcomes and thus inhibit the quality of your results. Find the weakest links and reinforce them. Make the foundations of your thinking bulletproof.

    Think again.

    Reference Material: The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

    In quantum physics, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle or the Heisenberg indeterminacy principle -- the latter name given to it by Niels Bohr -- states that one cannot simultaneously know both the position and the momentum of a given object to arbitrary precision. It furthermore precisely quantifies the imprecision. It is one of the cornerstones of quantum mechanics and was discovered by Werner Heisenberg in 1927.

    The basis of the Uncertainty Principle is that one compares the frequency of a wave with the beats of a standard clock. In essence, this is the same as to allow the two frequencies to interfere with each other. How would one know if the two frequencies are or are not exactly, precisely the same, if one did not have an infinite amount of time to measure this and be certain?

    If one measures the difference in frequency over a finite period of time, however, then to be "confident" with ones comparison, one would have to 1) allow at least one beat of the clock, and 2) the frequency of the measured wave, for it to be observed within the given time period, must be less, ie. have a smaller period.

    Tags

    If you liked this post, please take the time to bookmark it or subscribe to get updates.

Subscribe to the new format to have the latest items conveniently delivered for free. You can also subscribe by E-mail.

Previous Posts

Free Download

Peer pressure, vanity and behavior, motivation tricks and hacks, success and pain, and how to excel, Celebrate Your Beauty -- whatever it takes. Download your free ebook.