Comments on: The Pursuit of Reasons in the Age of Algorithmic Authority https://www.openforum.com.au/the-pursuit-of-reasons-in-the-age-of-algorithmic-authority/ Open Forum offers an independent platform for Australian debate Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:24:05 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.25 By: Alan Douglas https://www.openforum.com.au/the-pursuit-of-reasons-in-the-age-of-algorithmic-authority/#comment-4265 Sun, 27 Aug 2017 00:29:41 +0000 http://www.openforum.com.au/?post_type=forumpost&p=11308#comment-4265 In the mid ’70s IBM produced a little device which they called an “Executive Decision Maker” which was a battery operated oblong box with two lights and a switch. When turned on, the lights flickered rapidly, one then the other. The idea was to formulate a decision into two parts (virtually Yes or No), then hit the switch again. The basis of this concept was to push the idea that it did not matter what decision an executive made, but that once made, it had to be carried through. Research had found that the executives who failed were those who changed their minds after making a decision.
Resent research has found that our brains tend to come to the correct decision most of the time, but that these decisions are often over-ridden by our consciousness. If we could only accept our ‘gut feelings’ we would lead better lives.
Trying to write a program to make these decisions for us cannot succeed because no program could possibly have access to all the available data, however insignificant it appears to be. Our brains are very complex and error-prone but are still more capable than any computer created so far.
Tests carried out by Cambridge university some time back showed that people who played the stock market generally had more success when they had less information than when they had access to as much data and comment as they wanted.

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