Models, dogma, and entrenchment

It is a ridiculously beautiful day here in Chapel Hill. The leaves are at their peak color, the sun is out, and the temperature is warm. It doesn't get any better than this.

I spent the morning outside with a stalwart band of Fifth Ape trainees and the wonderfully talented photographer Beatrice Yaxley getting some martial arts and barefoot running photos taken for the website. I had a blast rolling around in the leaves, crawling in the sand, and running barefoot down some trails - it was a beautiful start to a beautiful day.

I then read this wonderful post by the always insightful Josh Leeger. You should go read it, but I'll summarize here - all medical/health/exercise systems and models should be viewed as tools, not laws.  After my beautiful morning, it got me thinking...

The appeal of a model is that it makes infinitely complex systems relatively simple and understandable. As our little species attempts to make sense of the universe around us, it helps to have a lens to look through. The problem, of course, is that every model must leave out and/or ignore much more than it explains. The great statistician George E.P. Box said it best:  "All models are wrong. But some are useful."

The problem, as Josh points out, is when we start codifying a model into a law. We stop asking questions and start accepting what we're told wholesale. Thus, we've come to accept certain "truths" in our society such as "The key to health is a low fat diet" and "In order to run safely, you need a fancy pair of shoes." We're only now starting to wake up to the fact that neither one of these is actually true.

(Sadly, I fear the reactions to these dogmas are rapidly becoming just as dogmatic. Paleo fanatics promote high saturated fat, zero carb diets, and statements like "barefoot running is the only way to run!" keep popping up.)

Once a system becomes dogma, it is entrenched. It's supporters rally around the banner, dig their foxholes, and prepare to repel borders. They cease trying to fit their system into the world and instead try to force the world into their system. As the challenges and inconsistencies pile up, the zealots become increasingly shrill in their defense - until the whole system implodes under the weight of its own hypocrisy.

(For a humorous modern day example, look into the blog wars between the vegans and the paleos - ridiculous.)

(For a less humorous example, look at every fundamentalist religion)

The wise among us look at models and systems as tools - used to gain a particular perspective, then taken apart to look at the underlying assumptions. Use models to inform opinions, but never stop questioning and evolving your worldview.

Of course, that's just what I think. You should form your own opinion.