Hello, I’m your host, Michael Alan Prestwood and this is the April 23, 2025 Edition of the Weekly Wisdom Builder. Our goal is to cultivate your inner wisdom, empowering your inner voice, your inner coach – your philosopher guide, as Socrates would say.
To frame this week, let’s start with our “Quote of the Week.”
Epictetus: “People are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by their opinions about the things that happen.”
Now onto this week’s 4 1-minute Hot Topics.
1. Philosophy
First up, a question rooted in the minds of our great philosophers…
How does Schrödinger’s Cat relate to wave-particle duality and the multiverse?
Schrödinger’s Cat isn’t just a thought experiment—it’s a metaphor for reality itself. It forces us to ask: Is the world deterministic, or does it exist as a cloud of possibilities until we observe it?
In wave-particle duality, a quantum object exists in a superposition of all possible paths—until we measure it. The double-slit experiment shows that an atom behaves like a wave of possibilities, collapsing into a definite reality only when observed.
Schrödinger’s Cat expands this to the macro world. If quantum mechanics applies to everything, reality itself might exist as a superposition of all possibilities—until consciousness interacts with it.
This leads to the multiverse: What if the cat doesn’t “choose” to be alive or dead? What if both happen, but in different universes? The Many-Worlds Interpretation suggests that every quantum event splits reality into infinite branches, where all possible outcomes exist.
So, is reality objective and fixed, or fluid and observer-dependent? That’s the metaphysical mystery Schrödinger’s Cat forces us to confront.
2. Science
Our second of four topics this week takes us into the empirical, into science…
Is Homo affinis erectus a direct human ancestor?
Maybe—but the evidence is still thin.
The recent discovery of Homo affinis erectus in Spain, has sparked excitement. Unlike speculative claims about Anadoluvius turkae, this fossil is a hominin, meaning it belongs to the human evolutionary branch. However, whether it’s a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens or an extinct cousin remains uncertain.
So far, only a small portion of a face—cheekbone and jaw fragments—have been found, dating between 1.1 and 1.4 million years ago. Researchers believe it is closely related to Homo erectus, but its exact place in the evolutionary tree is still up for debate.
Some have suggested Homo affinis erectus could help clarify early human migration into Europe. But let’s not jump ahead—the evidence is far from conclusive. While this species may have played a role in the broader human story, whether it directly led to us remains to be seen.
The likelier scenario? Homo affinis erectus was one of several early human species that coexisted in Eurasia, part of an evolutionary experiment with multiple offshoots. With only facial bones to go on, we have no limb fossils to tell us how they moved, their body proportions, or other key details about their lifestyle.
For now, Homo affinis erectus is a fascinating addition to the human family tree—but we don’t yet know if it’s on our direct branch.
3. Critical Thinking
Our third topic this week takes us into the area of thinking well…
Perhaps at the core of philosophy is the idea of skeptical thinking. Remember, one of the few things you have control over in your life is what you allow into your mind. This week’s question is…
Thinking: Why we only remember the good parts of vacations and forget the bad?
Ever look back on a vacation and think it was all perfect sunshine and smooth sailing? That’s Rosy Retrospection at work! It’s a cognitive bias—a common mental pitfall that can impede critical thinking and decision-making.
To make sense of a complicated world, our brains simplify things. We tend to focus on the highlights, like breathtaking views or delicious meals, and forget the minor annoyances—lost luggage, sunburn, or long lines. This is also partly due to how memories are stored: positive emotions are linked to stronger memories, making happy moments more likely to stick.
This phenomenon applies to relationships as well, such as “the one that got away.” Often, we reminisce about these relationships by focusing only on the peak moments, forgetting the reasons why they ended, which can color our memories more positively than reality. Just remember, real life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
However, Rosy Retrospection isn’t always bad. Reminiscing for fun and enjoyment can leave you with a positive outlook and enjoyable memories. Just be mindful of this bias when planning to repeat an experience, whether it’s a relationship, job, or idealizing “the good old days.”
Rosy retrospection is a cognitive bias. Mastering it and making it a conscious part of your thinking abilities only requires awareness. Cognitive biases are one of the Four Mind Traps covered in the TST Framework. To explore more pitfalls of the mind, take the 10-minute deep dive into The Four Mind Traps: Logical Fallacies, Cognitive Bias, Heuristics, and Stereotypes.
4. History
Our final topic this week brings historical context to our lives. Knowing the past helps you navigate the future…
In the area of history, this week’s question is…
What are the AI Milestones, Past & Future?
add this…
Fast forward to 200 BCE, and we get the Antikythera Mechanism—a hand-cranked device that could predict astronomical positions and eclipses. Some call it the first known analog computer.
By 800 CE, Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi introduced the concept of algorithms—the very thing that powers today’s AI.
By 1000 CE, navigation and computation tools like the astrolabe helped sailors chart the seas, using mathematics and observation—more proof that machines were already expanding human intelligence.
That’s it for this week!
Join us again next week. A new set of ideas lands every Wednesday at 3PM, and is emailed on Thursdays at noon. If you don’t subscribe, please visit TouchstoneTruth.com and click the Join Now button at the top of the page.
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Until next time, live your days in a way that sends virtuous ripples into an unseen tomorrow you will never witness. Be authentic, and may you always:
“Enjoy the journey, with truth and honor, causing no harm.”
— The End. —