When building new conceptual models in one’s mind, as discussed in “Foundation for entanglement,“ the objective is to structure them in a manner that enables entanglement with existing conceptual models. For this process to be successful, and thus functional, there are two fundamental requirements. One must sustain an imaginative or creative state of mind, while maintaining coherency across conceptual models.
Coherence
In quantum mechanics, coherence is a foundational principle which guides the application of quantum mechanical concepts in the macro world. Robert Konik summarizes quantum coherence in his article “Quantum coherence confined” in Nature Physics as follows (emphasis added):
Quantum coherence refers to the ability of a quantum state to maintain its entanglement and superposition in the face of interactions and the effects of thermalization. It is indispensable for quantum technologies…
From an investor perspective, as was done in “Foundation for entanglement,” superposition can be transformed into ideas such as investment opportunities. The ideas, or superpositions, are then presented to the entangled conceptual models of one’s mind for consideration and processing.
When a system loses coherence, it transforms into a state which is best described by the ’lower level’ potentialities of classical mechanics. The practical importance of maintaining coherence in processing new information is captured well in the language of statistics, as noted on Wikipedia (emphasis added):
Coherence in statistics is an indication of the quality of the information, either within a single data set, or between similar but not identical data sets. Fully coherent data are logically consistent and can be reliably combined for analysis.
Creativity
While maintaining coherence in thought processes and conceptual models requires constant diligence, it is largely a rational process which can be steered more or less ‘scientifically.’ In contrast, sustaining a creative state of mind is incredibly difficult, it is more an art than a science.
As such, the key challenge for investors is in simultaneously sustaining a rational and a creative state of mind. While necessarily complimentary, purely rational and creative thinking are distinct ideals and skillsets. The trouble with developing and using conceptual models for the purpose of sustaining a creative mindset is that formality of thought is the antithesis of imagination and creativity.
Stretching Noodles
To sidestep the formality trap when developing creativity-inducing conceptual models, it is helpful to utilize concepts which embed imagination and thus uncertainty at their core. With the stipulation that imagination and uncertainty are at the core of creative conceptual models, black holes offer an ideal hunting ground for structuring concepts.
In particular, the event horizon of black holes provides a relatively robust conceptual model for sustaining creativity, “spaghettification,” also known as the “noodle effect.” The noodle effect is a metaphor used to describe what happens to information (or matter if one prefers) as it nears the event horizon of a black hole. In a famous example, an astronaut is used to represent the matter, or information, from Wikipedia:
Stephen Hawking described the flight of a fictional astronaut who, passing within a black hole’s event horizon, is “stretched like spaghetti” by the gravitational gradient … the singularity would be much stronger at one end of the body than the other.
As the astronaut descends into the event horizon, he will be incomprehensibly stretched out and compressed to form the shape of a long, minutely thin string of spaghetti. The information, or astronaut in Stephen Hawking’s example, is completely transformed prior to entering the singularity of the black hole.
In terms of creative conceptual models designed to sustain a creative mindset, the noodle effect, or “stretching noodles” along the event horizon is a robust conceptual model.
Summary
Using one’s mind as the black hole in the noodle stretching metaphor, the stretching noodles conceptual model mirrors the manner in which a black hole processes information. As black holes remain exotic and shrouded in mystery, conceptual models built on black hole dynamics offer an ideal foundation for sustaining an imaginative and creative mindset.
As new information travels along an investor’s accretion disk and arrives at the event horizon of one’s mind, the task is to first ‘stretch’ the information so as to view it in its entirety. The goal of stretching information prior to entry is to reveal its true nature in all respects, prior to processing it in the singularity of one’s mind.
Once revealed, or fully stretched, the new information can then be viewed within a full spectrum, which is a prerequisite for later transformation. With a full spectrum view and the prism of entangled conceptual models, the information may be creatively transformed or quickly discarded.
As it is for black holes, so it is for investors, creative and coherent information processing is all about stretching noodles along the event horizon.