Flight From Entropy: Signal, Noise & Algorithms

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/thepast33yrs Modern information war—and our modern, mass society, for that matter—is increasingly a problem of signal and noise. At the military and state-level, this is true, but it is also true on the individual level—the level on which we operate—and in this video, we will explore an analytical lens that will provide a means to better pull signal from noise. As the techniques of information war become increasingly sophisticated and complicated, we the individuals—the targets of information war—should seek to up our game. If for no other reason than in a futile attempt to keep the game interesting—never hurts to try, after all, and it probably beats being drowned in a sea of noise. Too much noise and no signal, doesn’t make Jack a dull boy, but rather it drives him mad. In this video, we will begin by exploring four different models or principles of human behavior referenced in Ludwig von Bertalanffy’s 1969 book “General System Theory. These models may collectively be referred to as the “Robot Model of Human Psychology;” these will help us better understand the detector in question—the human mind. In addition, we will explore these models using concepts from thermodynamics and information theory, concepts such as: entropy, feedback loops, surprisal, and the distinction between open and closed systems. As part of General System Theory, we will also incorporate discussion of automata and cybernetics—where, more simply, cybernetics is a system of feedback loops that steer a system to some kind of goal state or target. For a guided missile system, the missile is steered cybernetically to its target—for a cybernetically steered person, perhaps, the goal state that the person is steered to is merely the feeding trough, the streamlined online check-out process—click here to buy now—or, in the information space, to an endless stream of noisy, salacious, and deranging information. #systemtheory, #psychology, #sociology, #cybernetics, #automata, #bertalanffy, #entropy, #physics, #AI, #philosophy SOURCES: Ludwig von Bertalanffy, General System Theory, 1969, George Braziller, New York Centola, D., et al. 2018. Experimental evidence for tipping points in social convention, Science 360(6393):1116-1119 Wikipedia, Asche Conformity Experiment, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments) National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 120 Years of American Education: A Statistical Portrait, Thomas D. Snyder, 1993, (https://nces.ed.gov/pubs93/93442.pdf) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), TED: The Economics Daily, 61.4 percent of recent high school graduates enrolled in college in October 2023, (https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/61-4-percent-of-recent-high-school-graduates-enrolled-in-college-in-october-2023.htm) Education Data, Education Attainment Statistics, (https://educationdata.org/education-attainment-statistics) Federal Reserves, Distribution of Household Wealth in the U.S. since 1989, (https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/dataviz/dfa/distribute/chart St Louis FRED, Distribution of Household Wealth in the U.S. since 1989, (https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/dataviz/dfa/distribute/chart/) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Hideo Kojima (Quotes related to AI, entropy, information, etc). MENTIONED BUT NOT DIRECTLY CITED: James Burnham, The Managerial Revolution, 1941, John Day Company Edward L. Bernays, Crystallizing Public Opinion, 1923, Liveright Publishing Co. Jacques Ellul, Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes, 1962 (French), 1965 (English), Vintage Books/Random House Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society, 1954 (French), 1964 (English), Vintage Books IMAGES: Wikicommons, USER: Christophe Dang Ngoc Chan, Recording from a thermogravimetric analysis device, CC BY-SA 3.0, [NOTE: Color Modified] (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Analyse_thermo_gravimetrique_bruit.png) Wikicommons, USER: Jorge Stolfi, An image of digitally-generated white noise, CC BY-SA 3.0, [NOTE: color modified], (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/White-noise-mv255-240x180.png)