Science and Social Change
3 activist tips from electrons
I had the most fascinating discussion with Darin Hitchings, Ph.D. on LinkedIn last week. To say that our brains work differently would be an understatement. Darin is an algorithms engineer, applied mathematician, and software engineer. He excels at applying sophisticated mathematical techniques to large and intricate computer problems.
I’ll venture to say that our brains have significant overlap when it comes to analytical skills, but our approach to solving problems diverges dramatically. Darin veering towards the hard sciences (math, engineering) while I veer towards the social sciences (economics, social psychology). What I found absolutely fascinating about our discussion is the similarity between the sciences, how the social sciences follow or mimic the hard science observations, and how the interaction is portrayed in literature.
Electrons can teach us about activism.
In our wide-ranging discussion, Darin mentioned Isaac Asimov’s books, of which he said,
“But my favorite idea from the books (which is never spelled out explicitly... but I connected the dots) is the following: human beings are to electrons as societies are to electrical currents. Electrons are quantum mechanical in nature and go flitting around teleporting across atomic distances according to the uncertainty principle. They never have a path through space-time which is continuous at all. In the language of probability theory, the length of their trajectories which is analytical (ie smooth, differentiable) is a set of measure 0 (an empty set). So just like it's impossible to predict the motion of an electron, deterministicly, so too is it impossible to predict the decisions and behavior of an individual human being. However, here's where the law of large numbers and the central limit theorem and the 2nd law of thermodynamics comes in. These ideas say that the more continuous valued random things you add together, the more and more you end up with a Gaussian bell curve distribution... it's like the randomness fights with itself and eventually cancels itself out. "Entropy always increases" and the most maximally random continuous valued probability distribution is the Guassian one. So whereas individual electrons are unpredictable and unknowable, if you put enough of them together you get a cohesive order that behaves according to well known laws of electrical engineering such as Ohm's Law and Gauss's law and the other 3 equations of E+M as summarized by Maxwell. In other words you get order out of disorder. So the central premise of Asimov's books are that similar ideas apply to large populations of people. It's impossible to predict the futures of individuals... but societies as a whole have their own flavor of Maxwell's equations that govern them. And these principles can be understood and manipulated. Culture can be engineered.”
How utterly fascinating is that? What completely floored me was the direct parallel between the physical sciences and the behavioral sciences and how we humans act similarly to electrons, essentially the patterns of electrons are replicated in activism. Individuals can be unpredictable and unknowable, but when you have enough of them together, you get order out of the disorder. You get social change.
In social change we refer to the tipping point, “the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place.” The concept, as applied to social change, was the theme of Malcolm Gladwell’s 2002 book of the same name. Roughly 25% of people changing their attitudes and behaviors indicates the point at which social change initiatives move from theory to wide-spread practice and acceptance. It can be as low as 10%, or as high as 40%, but 25% seems to be the norm. Think women getting the vote, gay rights, and widespread seatbelt use as examples of social change which were unthinkable for decades, but now are the norm. The change is not always positive. Witness the divisiveness of the culture wars, the drift towards authoritarianism and nationalism.
What can activists learn from electrons, essentially working with them instead of against them?
Find the right people and encourage broad collaboration. Working together for a common goal is always more effective than randomly bouncing around on your own.
Identify 25% of the population that is open to changing their attitude and behavior and focus on them. Gather your like-minded electrons close. Do not waste your time on people who will never change or who hold diametrically opposed views. All you do is given them oxygen and energy to find their own group of electrons to energize.
Actively seek out people who are heading in the same direction, even if they are on a different path. Chances are you’ll learn something new that strengths your approach, or find a new group of people that accelerates your forward motion.
Thank you for letting me share our conversation Darin! Absolutely fascinating and a highlight of my week to correspond with someone so intelligent, curious, and engaged. You challenged me to think of an issue in a totally new way, it was completely exhilarating.