I have been underestimating the presence of, the need for, comparisons. My hunger sensing equipment and my eyes and their nerves know more about comparing than my conscious mind, I think.
Ornstein wrote quite a while ago that the nervous system uses a hierarchy for its messages and functioning. Recency is the top variable. What just happened? No, not that. That is so 30 seconds ago! By comparing what happened a bit ago with what we sense now, we know what has changed.
"Side-by-side" comparisons are very helpful, such as when two cameras are on a table for our matching up. The experience, the view angle, moving or still, close zoom or far-off, all matter. Side-by-side checklists or tables are helpful and often used:
| Camera | A | B |
price | $$$ | $$ |
features | many | few |
convenience | lo | hi |
Of course, the accuracy of the information in the cells, the adequacy of the table, and its readability all matter. Maybe we need more or different camera columns in the table, maybe more or different rows of variables for the comparison. In today's society, we are increasingly aware of the importance of the user of the camera. Maybe that person can't carry a heavy camera. Many older people have an unsteady hand and need one that continuously corrects for tremors and slight jiggles. Who will use the camera and for what?
When I went to buy a new computer, the first words out of the mouth of the saleswoman were "What will you use the computer for?" I wanted to say "Everything" and to say "How can I know before I try it out?" and to say "Whatever I discover it can do that I want done." Actually, I answered,"Nothing special. Just email and web browsing."
Because humans have both memory and language, including the time-spanning tool of writing (less than 10,000 years old and not currently available in any form to much of the world's living population), we can compare, at least roughly, what we did last year or my great grandfather did 80 years ago with what we are doing lately. The comparison may frighten us into thinking we are doing bad things to ourselves or our world or give us confidence we are doing better than Grandad.
In addition to the modern extension of the comparisons to consideration of the individual (rather than some ultra, final decision as to the result of the comparison), I think we are becoming more aware that the context, background, setting in which the compared items lie matters, too. Especially as to time. Conditions change, often in ways we didn't suspect they could change, and such changes can affect our comparisons and what we are trying to conclude from them.
--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
