Everything2
Near Matches
Ignore Exact
Full Text
Everything2

linear theory of history

created by waterhouse

(idea) by waterhouse (1.5 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Thu Sep 14 2000 at 22:35:24

Basically, that whatever you do now will affect everything else in a geometric fashion. Take the following example which my history teacher presented to his class:

You're driving home after a day at work, or school, or whatever. You're a good driver, you obey the speed limit and are careful. Unfortunately, you hit and kill a small puppy. You get out of your car and witness the dog corpse and while you are evaluating your grief, you see the owner, a small innocent boy running down the driveway. His face slowly melts from a general joy and innocence to horror and shock. Maybe, because of this one moment, his whole life is altered. What could've become another Ghandi may now destined to be the next Hitler. And, its all your fault.

Its very similar to the butterfly in Africa example, but that's a whole other node. Something to think about when you do a hit and run on the neighbor's pet rabbit.

printable version
chaos

Butterfly effect AP European History Quantum Weather Butterfly History
Base and superstructure in Marx's theory of history Beacons A Good Man In Africa
Y'know, if you log in, you can write something here, or contact authors directly on the site. Create a New User if you don't already have an account.
  Epicenter
Login
Password

password reminder
register

Everything2 Help

Cool Staff Picks
Drink up!
Letters from a Savior; Offer for a few
aircraft
Japanese numbers and counting
Alex the Parrot
Sam Phillips
Borsuk-Ulam Theorem
What is conflict, and why bother to resolve it?
Granny shot
dwarf planet
wonton
Richard Francis Burton
Mohawk
Life in Northampton, Massachusetts
New Writeups
anndandridge
Dorothy Dandridge(person)
PaulM
ignominity(idea)
Clarke
Multiculturalism(idea)
aneurin
Earl of Landaff(person)
Heitah
Pseudocide(idea)
XWiz
Google Knol(lede)
Mythi
July 24, 2008(personal)
locke baron
The fall of Earth(fiction)
BookReader
Fear the Cold(dream)
Pavlovna
Kathleen MacInnes(person)
stainedglass
1(fiction)
kalen
Three "T"s(idea)
octillion369
Undead(idea)
archiewood
Ico(fiction)
Heisenberg
Why I love Everything2(log)
E2 is a by-product of the existence of The Everything Development Company