Are we getting dumb?
Our attention spans are shrinking…
People prefer the simple to the complex and the familiar to the unfamiliar. This is not surprising, because our attention spans are shrinking.
It’s a perpetual vicious circle:
- people have a shorter attention span,
- so marketers strive to keep copy simple and short.
That is because complex language is particularly frowned upon in marketing.
However, this leads to readers being confronted with simple texts where they are not challenged in any way!
Everything today has to be simple to understand, because people don’t want to take the time to read something.
You might have heard about the rise of the online writer who can convey simple information in a short paragraph. But what you end up reading are articles full of platitudes and truism portrayed as life changing advice.
One could argue that it is the rise of social media and fake news. But these are only symptoms of the problem, which is that society as a whole should focus on more complex topics.
So you have to actively decide to deal with the complex.
But how do you do that when you just want to have peace and quiet in the evening after coming home from your job?
It seems people have given up on any serious effort to engage in an intellectual discourse. However, there are still people who read books. Especially complex books...
By occupying ourselves with complexity, we get much more than the thing itself. We receive the occupation with this thing as a new experience that helps us to occupy ourselves with another thing.
In addition, we now have more confidence that we will be able to solve new problems more easily in the future. Because the approach to a problem is not clearly the same for every problem, but by learning to be flexible, we can respond to new problems more effectively.
In the course of studying and learning mathematics — and probably also due to a coincidence that occurred during this time, which I will tell you about in a moment — I found enthusiasm in this complex formal science.
The aforementioned coincidence occurred when I searched for an old class mate on the Internet and found out that he was a professor of mathematics at the University of Hamburg. His topics were:
- Quantum Symmetries
- Knot Invariants
- Skein modules, and
- Topological manifolds.
I have never heard about these things before but I was eager to explore them on my on. Since then, I have studied these concepts in more detail and improved my understanding of the universe and life itself.
Encountering my old classmate’s achievements in mathematics, where he became a professor was a pivotal moment for me. It ignited my passion for mathematics and sparked a deep curiosity about these intricate concepts that I had never explored before!
As I delved into studying these topics, initially unfamiliar and complex, I found myself drawn into a world of abstract reasoning and profound mathematical structures. Each concept I encountered challenged me to think differently, to see connections where I hadn’t before, and to embrace the beauty of mathematical abstraction.
Connecting with these advanced mathematical concepts has been a transformative experience, reinforcing my belief in the power of learning to enrich one’s understanding of the world around us.
What began as a chance discovery on the internet transformed into a journey of personal growth and intellectual discovery:
- Studying Quantum Symmetries opened my mind to the underlying symmetries governing physical laws at the quantum level.
- Knot Invariants introduced me to the elegance of mathematical objects that encode information about tangled knots.
- Skein modules provided insights into algebraic structures tied to knot theory, revealing unexpected connections between topology and algebra.
- Exploring Topological manifolds deepened my understanding of space and dimensions beyond our everyday experience.
Through these studies, I not only expanded my knowledge but also honed my problem-solving skills and cultivated a deeper appreciation for the intricate tapestry of mathematics. Each insight gained felt like a small victory, contributing to a broader understanding of the universe and its mathematical underpinnings.
This journey has been profoundly fulfilling, shaping not only my academic pursuits but also my perspective on life itself.
