Matrix reasoning

[Hygro]

Been meaning to write this one for a while, but I've put it off because I haven't been able to figure out a good OP for it. But life is short so I made do:


It's hot to declare your love in gushing, determined emotion.
It's cool to let the love happen naturally.

It's hot to be loud and fierce.
It's cool to be nonchalant.

These things look like a case for a dichotomy of hot vs cool, but that would be a fallacy. Often at odds, these things can just as easily coincide. Singing in front of a live audience is cool and hot.

Instead of thinking as things as an either-or, we should use matrix reasoning.

Live singing:

    Hot  Cool
yes X     X
no

Often in the case of fallacious dichotomies (as most discussed dichotomies are), someone will suggest a third way. While improving the analysis, this is cluttered and is an incomplete examination. It's easier to think in binaries but intelligent thinking is better served by thinking in matrices. It ends up being almost as fast.

Getting wicked drunk/schwasted in front of strangers:

    Hot  Cool
yes X     
no         X

Classic "spring break" partying:

    Hot  Cool
yes X     
no         X

Viking Folk Metal

    Hot  Cool
yes X     X
no

Making art and not getting paid:

    Hot  Cool
yes       X
no  X

sometimes a 2x2 matrix is not sufficient and we need to add a new category.

Beer pong 2x2:

    Hot  Cool
yes               
no  X      X

As we can see above, beer pong is neither hot nor cool in of itself. So we add "fun" to the list.

beer pong 3x2:

    Hot  Cool   Who cares, it's fun
yes                 X
no  X      X

which then presents an interesting bit when you add another matrix to the previous one

Fun:

    Hot  Cool
yes X     X               
no

Making beer pong, lame and not-hot on its own merits, both and hot cool by proxy. We might then consider, in our quest to matrix all things as (not) cool and (not) hot to add not a 3rd column of "fun" but a 3rd row "yes by proxy". But that would be incomplete and would suffer from that clumsy incompleteness, because if something can be cool/hot by proxy (like beerpong), something can be made uncool/not hot by proxy as well. Motorcycles are hot, but are debatably cool. On their own accord, they are very cool. However, riding them is generally lame because getting injured while trying to be cool is not super not cool. To a lesser extent, it's not hot for the similar reason. The injury in this case is the proxy.


Motorcycles:

                Hot  Cool
yes             X     X               
proxy yes
no
proxy no        X     X

Notice that there can be contradicting scores (yes with proxy no).

Generally though, an A/B over a 1/0 is enough.
Matrix reasoning is understanding something (like a seeming dichotomy) in a two dimensional way instead of a one dimensional way

 

[Kyriakos]

I thought this was going to be about

 

[Gori the Grey]

<nvm>

Just take the red pill.

 

[Kyriakos]

^What if it told you that taking the red pill really has the same effect and it was all a placebo?

 

[BvBPL]

The question of whether or not something is hot amounts to "is it sexually exciting?" Coolness is a question of whether or not one is one's own person rather than following in the steps of others. As you note, they can be both at the same time.

 

[classical_hero]

What is real?

 

[Hygro]

The question of whether or not something is hot amounts to "is it sexually exciting?" Coolness is a question of whether or not one is one's own person rather than following in the steps of others. As you note, they can be both at the same time.

Yes, ish, that's for a different thread. I'm using a broader definition of hot that I haven't explained here.

 

[BvBPL]

Right.

So is topical menthol cool or hot?

 

[Hygro]

Right.

So is topical menthol cool or hot?

Neither?

 

[BvBPL]

Both!

Spoiler :

 

[Borachio]

Matrices

                                                 hot  cool
yes                                                       
no                                                        
yes and no                                                   
neither yes nor no
both yes and no and neither yes nor no              
neither yes and no and both yes nor no       
don't know                                             x

 

[Hygro]

Matrices

                                                 hot  cool
yes                                                       
no                                                        
yes and no                                                   
neither yes nor no
both yes and no and neither yes nor no              
neither yes and no and both yes nor no       
don't know                                             x

That could be simplified to

             Hot     Cool
Yes          +/-     +/-
No           +/-     +/-
Unsure        -       +

Remember that gender picture we were discussing a year ago? You said you were having trouble wrapping your head around one of the concepts. To understand that concept required matrix reasoning in lieu of a dichotomy.

 

[Kennigit]

I dont see how logical statements can be paired with subjective statements. It only works iff you clarify with iff statements

All this is cleared up if we just all agree to start using xor in daily speech

 

[Borachio]

Remember that gender picture we were discussing a year ago?

Er... nope. (A year ago! What? I can't remember where I put my shoes yesterday.)

You said you were having trouble wrapping your head around one of the concepts. To understand that concept required matrix reasoning in lieu of a dichotomy.

I have loads of trouble understanding stuff.

I think I'm going to have even more trouble as time goes by.