There’s the Chinese saying of a frog sitting in its well (井底之蛙) and it describes someone with a limited world view, as the frog sees just one little spot in the sky deep down from the waters. I frequently think of this metaphor when reading some tech blogs. Tech content aside (interesting), the authors sometimes write about popular science books (mildly interesting). The latter usually yields some buzzwords and highlights the latest fads in productivity and tech career development.

Thinking of the frog, it’s fascinating to observe how these authors then develop their own popular science, so to say. Based on their readings and some deep meditation over minutely handcrafted coffee, they then deduct some Grand Theory(tm). This is then presented as some kind of universal truth, graphs and all, How The World Works, The Way It Is, I Have Seen The Light.

Alas, things are not that simple. There is no Grand Theory. There are no easy answers. There’s only 42, but that’s fiction.

Instead, think of the spot from the frog’s viewpoint and what could possibly surround it. Ask an AI to generatively fill the picture. Every time it’s different, for different people, for different cultures, in different times - several theories existing simultaneously.

Maybe that’s the only Grand Theory: We strive for meaning, conclusions, stability, but in the end we must embrace uncomfortable uncertainty.

End Note

I told a friend about my tech blog impressions and they actually summarized it in the term “grand theory” (thanks!). While writing this post, I discovered that it was also coined by the sociologist C. Wright Mills in 1959. Of course, the idea of universal truths and theories exist much longer. If you’re curious to get an idea about the variety of theories (and that they have their own “history” rooted in their times), I suggest reading “Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory” by Peter Barry, Manchester University Press, now in its umpteenth edition. It’s a fraction of what’s out there and focusing on a specific field, but a starting point.

Image source: “A deep water well. View from bottom of the well towards the sky. realistic image” by Nightcafe/Crystal Clear XL.

Last modified on 2024-01-02