Issue 2
February 2025
Welcome to the 2nd Issue of A Reasoned Voice
The topic for this issue is polarization. We may disagree politically, but most everyone will agree that our nation feels polarized. In addition to a somewhat light-hearted introduction, this issue will discuss and demonstrate how analogy is a valuable tool for critical thinking about complex issues. And by using some analogies of polarization occurring in nature, offer some perspectives how our current political polarization might be mitigated going forward. VIEW THE PREVIOUS ISSUE
Polarization
-Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Special Report from Justin Aleeyus (ARV) - Merriam-Webster has chosen polarization as the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year[1] for 2024. It is said to have been a long and dirty election process with water-cooler advertisements that included incomplete definitions, questionable synonyms, and malicious ad‑homonyms. In making their choice, the staff at Merriam Webster was said to be deeply polarized, exposing long-seated philosophical differences between Merriams and Websters, including accusations of lexicographical misconduct and thesaurus tampering. Nevertheless a peaceful transition occurred between 2023's word of the year "authentic" and the incoming WOTY. (Which was expected, as it is the authentic thing to do.) Next year may be different, as we're hearing that some staffers are already pushing for the unprecedented change that would allow polarization to be word of the year again next year. Fittingly, the inauguration of the 21st Word of the Year took place in Antarctica at the South Pole. The ceremony was held indoors due to the cold.
The dictionary definition cited above implies that polarization is a rarity, that opinions typically range along a continuum. If we visualize the continuum as a "normal curve" (like the hump of a Dromedary camel) most opinions cluster near the middle (the mean), with extremes being the exception. Even if we assign blue to the left and red to the right, their average position remains relatively close.
But in a polarized state, opinions no longer form a single curve. Instead, they resemble two separate normal curves with a gap between them, more akin to a Bactrian (2-humped) camel. Red and blue occupy different humps. The average red opinion is far from the average blue opinion. The middle ground, once common, has become the rarity.
Yet sharp distinctions exist in our daily life without making us feel polarized. In New England, you are either a Red Sox fan or a Yankee fan, there is no real continuum. But I don't think one feels polarized. Red Sox fans attend games at Yankee stadium and Yankee fans at Fenway Park. And while there are occasional fights, most of the banter is good-natured, and everyone gets along. A one-humped camel.
Likewise, Democrats and Republicans still shop at the same grocery stores, eat at the same restaurants, and root for the same sports teams. A Republican in Massachusetts still roots for the Patriots; a Democrat in Dallas still roots for the Cowboys. Both political parties equally share the roads and follow the speed limits (or here in Massachusetts, both drive over the speed limits). Looking at someone's shopping basket at the grocery doesn't give any clue to their political affiliation. "Polarization" was never even a runner-up for Word of the Year before, so what is different now? Why do we feel such polarization now? What causes polarization?
When faced with such questions, our human tendency is to jump to an answer. For example, I suspect most readers had an immediate answer to the question of polarization and what is to blame. But such quick answers stem predominately from our subconscious, shaped by our existing political beliefs. As a result, Democrats and Republicans will likely give very different answers to that question. Which in turn fuels frustration, even anger, leading to more polarization.
Objective Problem Solving and Analogy
Analogy: - a comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of a particular aspect Abstraction: - the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events
One of the most amazing human capabilities is our ability to make analogies. The ability to make comparisons is deeply rooted in human thinking. Finding similarities and differences is an efficient way of learning and storing information, dealing with situations we haven't encountered before, and quickly simplifying complex problems. This skill is constantly reinforced throughout life; in school, we’re often asked to “compare and contrast.” A more sophisticated form of analogy is what scientists call "abstraction." Abstraction deals with ideas instead of physical representations. It allows us to use reason to apply knowledge from one space into another. We can understand something intangible by comparing it to something tangible.
Analogy and abstraction allow us to understand something we've never encountered by comparing it to something we already know. It allows us to better comprehend something complex by comparing it to something similar. We compare by identifying similarities and differences.
Our subconscious is especially skilled at this. Imagine driving down an unfamiliar street and encountering a new traffic situation—you instinctively draw from past experiences to react in a split second. Our ability to form analogies is incredibly complex. We can look at a Georgia O’Keeffe painting and recognize an orchid, even though a bee wouldn’t make the same connection. I can confidently say that your car has four wheels—even though I’ve never seen your car. We use abstraction to "paint a mental picture." In today's world, a meme is a popular form of abstraction.
Consciously seeking analogies is a powerful problem-solving tool, helping us step back and view a problem from new perspectives. Analogies shift our thinking from an immediate, reactive state to a more contemplative, objective mindset, fostering critical thought. I find that analogies from nature and the physical world are especially effective for this.
Below are some examples of analogies I have found useful for thinking about polarization:
Water and the Continental Divide
The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans sit on opposite ends of North America, making them a fitting analogy for polarization. Rain falling on the continent will eventually end up in one ocean or the other. The Continental Divide determines this fate—rain that falls to the west of the divide will flow toward the Pacific, while rain that falls to the east will reach the Atlantic.
A fascinating example of this split is Two Ocean Creek[2] which straddles the divide. Here, two raindrops swimming side by side may randomly separate—one heading west, the other east. Once divided, each follows the path of least resistance, guided by gravity, moving further and further apart until reaching an ocean. Along the way, droplets join like-minded companions, forming streams, which merge into rivers. Some face intense pressure, rushing over waterfalls and rapids; others take a slow, meandering path through lakes and plains.
We can see a similar path in society. Two people may start out at the same point, but be swept in different directions, gradually drifting further apart.
But nature also provides some exceptions to this polarized flow, not all water (or people) follow the same path.
- Evaporation: A raindrop moving west might be lifted into the atmosphere, carried by the wind back over the divide, and return to the earth as rain in the east. Notably, drops near the surface are more likely to evaporate, while those deep in the riverbed are less likely to escape. In society, like drops near the surface, those with more open minds are sometimes able to resist the flow.
- Water Can Run Uphill: This is perhaps the most mind-boggling exception—a siphon allows water to defy gravity under the right conditions. It’s a powerful metaphor for overcoming division:
- The end of the siphon must be lower than its starting point. (People need a compelling reason to fight against inertia and have a vision of an end result that is worth the struggle.)
- An outside force must start the process, pushing water uphill. (Just as people don’t change direction without an external incentive to get them over the hump).
- The flow must remain unbroken. If the stream is stopped, it won’t restart on its own. (Like water, people have short memories. Once momentum is lost, it’s difficult to regain, and may require starting over.)
Of course, there are other outside forces involved as well. Beavers in the wild or social media in society, can dam the flow, altering the natural course. There are a lot of dam problems in the real world.
Oil and Water Don't Mix - Until They Do
It's hard to imagine anything more polarizing in nature than oil and water. Water molecules like to hang together, as do oil molecules. When oil is added to water, the oil just floats to the top. Even if you vigorously mix them together, they eventually separate and return to their polarized state; oil on top and water on bottom. Oil and water, Hatfields and McCoys, Montagues and Capulets.
But water and oil can be combined through a chemical process called emulsification. This process requires a third ingredient, fittingly called an emulsifier, which acts as a mediator to bind water and oil molecules together. But it doesn't come easy, it takes considerable care and attention to the process. The oil needs to be added gradually, not all at once.
.A great example of emulsification is mayonnaise. Something you can make at home. At its core, mayonnaise is simply just acidic water (lemon juice or vinegar), oil, and egg yolk ( the emulsifier). But you can't just throw them in a bowl and mix them together, otherwise they separate. Instead, care is needed. First the egg yolk and acid are whisked together. Then the oil is introduced very slowly, a drop at a time, until they are emulsified together (no oil droplets are visible in the mix). As the mixture stabilizes, the oil can be added more quickly. Maybe a teaspoon at first, and then a tablespoon at a time.
If you add too much oil, the sauce separates, what cooks call a "broken sauce." And the only way to recover is by starting over, slowly incorporating a bit of the broken sauce can be into the new base.
The result is mayonnaise. Recipes vary slightly depending on the region, but the core ingredients are the same whether you use homemade, Hellman's, Duke's in the South or Kewpie in Japan. Without witnessing the process firsthand, one might never guess that mayonnaise is simply egg yolk and oil. Many assume it contains dairy. Even after reading the ingredient list on the side of the jar, I still found it hard to believe until I made it for myself. I had assumed mayo had dairy in it. Even now, after learning the truth, I occasionally have to remind myself. Just because I've learned it, doesn't mean my subconscious always remembers that. Years of believing mayonnaise contained dairy don’t disappear overnight.
And that’s where the real lesson lies. The drop-by-drop method of making mayonnaise reminds us that sometimes change has to happen gradually. It may even require outside intervention. Move too fast, and resistance builds, no amount of stirring can fix it.
Our polarized world may feel like a broken sauce, but broken sauces can be fixed. It takes patience, new approaches, and a willingness to step back before moving forward. The resulting synergy is worth the effort, just as mayonnaise is so much more than its individual ingredients. Few people would spread raw egg yolk and oil on a sandwich, but blended together, they create something quite tasty.
This mayo clinic is an example of how the use of analogy can provide guidance for addressing seemingly intractable problems. By using an example outside of the political arena, we can help reduce the effect of emotion and thus think more objectively.
When life gives you lemons, make mayonnaise! Whether we are talking jokes or yolks, both can make polar opposites more willing to hang together.
Moving Forward
A broken sauce is disheartening, especially when so much care and time has been put into making it. That is certainly the way I feel about this country right now. Our sauce is broken and we are tearing down institutions that took generations to build. We have become polarized into water and oil, oceans apart. It is frustrating to say the least.
But nature teaches us that polarization can be overcome through thoughtful intervention. It isn't easy. At times it may seem impossible. It takes patience. It may sometimes require starting over. It may not happen in our lifetime. And no matter what path we take, new obstacles will emerge. But we have the ability to innovate, adapt, and find new, more efficient paths.
I take heart from the analogy of emulsification and siphons. Water and oil can combine when we add a third ingredient, an emulsifier, whose job it is simply to make it easier for water and oil to live together and make something special. A siphon can make water change direction, we just have to show that the end result is better than what may seem best at the moment. It takes energy to make that happen, but once it does, the flow continues on its own.
And the implied analogy in the word "polarization" also gives some hope. The Earth has poles, yet few people choose to live there. The North and South Poles are among the least inhabitable places on the planet.. And if we keep traveling past the poles, we will eventually meet again in more welcoming climates.
Likewise, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans eventually connect. A drop of water in the Pacific many end up in the Atlantic after all. One can only imagine the joy of two sibling droplets, separated by chance at the Continental Divide, suddenly reuniting by chance at Cape Horn. And while water on land will flow downward via gravity, water in the ocean does not. Add a drop of water to the ocean and it doesn't sink. It doesn't float, it mingles.
And one last analogy. Salmon somehow are able to fight the flow and swim upstream. Their journey is exhausting. At times, they require outside help—fish ladders built to assist them past obstacles. But they persist, overcoming what seems impossible.
Of course, like mayonnaise, analogies should be taken with a grain of salt. No single analogy tells the full story. Other critical thinking must accompany any insight. After all, few would eat a mayonnaise sandwich by itself.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEXT ISSUE
References
- ↑ For a list of the Merriam-Webster words of the year (and runners-up) from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_Merriam-Webster%27s_Words_of_the_Year
- ↑ For more information on Two Ocean Pass along the Continental Divide via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Ocean_Pass
