Skip to main content

Impossible is an Impossible Word

Impossible is a vague word. Yet, we use it all the time.  It has several meanings, and it’s best to be aware of which you are using next time you evoke the word.


·        Impossible currently? – As in a disease uncurable today but maybe not next year. Rabies, polio, tuberculosis, and measles, once impossible are now cured.

·        Impossible logically? - As in some kind of paradox that has no resolution. The barber paradox is just one example.

·        Impossible problem? – As in some problems unsolvable and no hint to solve. Many in mathematics and physics are so numerous, it would take a book to explain them.

·        Impossible situation? – As in a real-life situation that cannot occur. How about the flying elephant, unicorn, and all manner of Utopias?

·        Impossible project? – As in a wicked problem that may have multiple solutions. Just try to build a beltway around a large city and you’ll see a zillion problems with no clear starting point and multiple solutions.

·        Impossible forever? – As in some problems, that can never be solved. For example, “What is the origin of the universe?” All we ever get is the next, best – oh, and final model. Goodness, do humans have an ego or what?

 Impossibilites are ever-present, like a desert stallion forever wild. They represent what we can’t do and sometimes even can’t even think. They are the ultimate unknowns.  Yet, by centuries and one by one, impossibilities are tamed. We ride on to the next one.


Impossibilities are ever-present, like a desert stallion forever wild. They represent what we can’t do and sometimes even can’t even think. They are the ultimate unknowns.  Yet, by centuries and one by one, impossibilities are tamed. We ride on to the next one.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Please Comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Behavioral Science and Problem-Solving

I.                                       I.                 Introduction.                Concerning our general behavior, it’s high about time we all had some understanding of how we operate on ourselves, and it is just as important how we are operated on by others. This is the wheelhouse of behavioral sciences. It is a vast subject. It touches our lives constantly. It’s influence is pervasive and can be so subtle we never notice it. Behavioral sciences profoundly affect our ability and success at problem-solving, from the elementary level to highly complex wicked problems. This is discussed in Section IV. We begin with the basics of behavioral sciences, Section II, and then through the lens of multiple categories and examples, Section III. II.     ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Lemming Instinct

  In certain vital domains, a pervasive mediocrity among practitioners can stifle genuine advancement. When the intellectual output of a field is predominantly average, it inevitably produces research of corresponding quality. Nevertheless, some of these ideas, by sheer chance or perhaps through effective dissemination, will inevitably gain traction. A significant number of scholars and researchers will gravitate towards these trends, contributing to and propagating further work along these established lines. Such a trajectory allows an initially flawed concept to ascend to the status of mainstream orthodoxy. However, over an extended period, these prevailing ideas invariably fail to withstand rigorous scrutiny; they are ultimately and conclusively disproven. The disheartening pattern then reveals itself: rather than genuine progress, an equally unvalidated or incorrect idea often supplants the discredited one, swiftly establishing its own dominance. This cycle perpetuates, ensurin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Principles of Insufficiency and Sufficiency

   The principles we use but don't know it.  1.      Introduction . Every field, scientific or otherwise, rests on foundational principles—think buoyancy, behavior, or democracy. Here, we explore a unique subset: principles modified by "insufficiency" and "sufficiency." While you may never have heard of them, you use them often. These terms frame principles that blend theory, practicality, and aspiration, by offering distinct perspectives. Insufficiency often implies inaction unless justified, while sufficiency suggests something exists or must be done. We’ll examine key examples and introduce a new principle with potential significance. As a principle of principles of these is that something or some action is not done enough while others may be done too much. The first six (§2-6) of our principles are in the literature, and you can easily search them online. The others are relatively new, but fit the concepts in the real world. At times, these pri...
Post a Comment
Read more