glossary of terms

conservation of information

 

RETRODICTION > LAW > PREDICTION

 

every bit of time in time as valuable: no asymmetry between past and future in LAW

 

asymmetry > past nonnegotiable, future negotiable

 

 

hermenutic reading

 

Understanding the hermeneutic circle is key to critical reading. The hermeneutic circle refers to the idea that our understanding of a text as a whole is based on our understanding of each individual part, as well as our understanding of how each individual part refers to the whole text.

 

 

entropy

 

“disorderliness”

scramble (reassemble) the egg > entropy increases (cannot be reversed)

scrambling : influential event

the big bang : influential event

 

influential events contextualise the arrow of time > the arrow of time is not a fundamental law, it exists in the aftermath of an influential event

theory of affordances

 

American psychologist James Jerome Gibson was influential in changing the way we consider visual perception. According to his theory, perception of the environment inevitably leads to some course of action. Affordances, or clues in the environment that indicate possibilities for action, are perceived in a direct, immediate way with no sensory processing. Examples include: buttons for pushing, knobs for turning, handles for pulling, levers for sliding, etc.

 

Based upon Gestalt theories, Affordance Theory has various implications for design, human-computer interaction, ergonomics, visualization, etc. Some believe that good design makes affordances explicit.

incorrigible propositions

 

“a belief that is held so strongly, people will not believe it wrong even when faced with strong evidence (to the contrary)”

  • Martin Hägglund, 2020

immanent critique

 

“...locates a contradiction between the avowed ideals of an institution or an ideology and the actual practical form it legislates for itself.”

  • Martin Hägglund, 2020

equanimity

 

noun [mass noun] 

calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation: she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity

  • dictionary.com

updated continually