How programmable/programmed are humans?

[Nik]

Ian wrote: "Scout, yes, there has to be a better way. The problem in part is historical. In Einstein's day, you could easily read every article in your subject. When I started chemistry, you could still follow..."

Can't you pair with some institute on your findings or address another chemist who already has a name, so his/her word won't be overlooked? To narrow down your findings into a required format?
Self-publishing does give a feeling of the work being aired and available to the entire world, but in fact in most cases it's just lost in the cyberspace rarely (sometimes never) touched like in a cyber graveyard.

[Ian]

In answer to your first para questions, not really. But there is a second point here. At my age, I have really stopped caring. I have put it out there where anyone can find it if they are interested, but if they are not, so what? I am not in the race for academic prizes, and I most certainly am not looking for research funding.

There is another point. I wrote what could be a sort of prequel in 1987 - a paper that defines the energies of the ground and excited states of atoms in terms of quantum numbers, instead of empirical constants (and if you have a separate constant for every state, you don't know anything) and this is the first step in this theory in that you have to know what the atoms are doing before you can worry about the bonds. Now the interesting things about this paper are: (a) the energies depend on rather simple relationships that define the nodal structures of the waves (i.e. how many crests and troughs) and give results that while not complete (there are minor effects that are ignored) give about 32 good ground state energies (i.e. for 32 atoms - the transition metals and the lanthanides are not in such good agreement without an allowance for a problem we needn't go into now) and about a hundred excited states. Either there is something there or there are a very large number of accidental coincidences.
(b) If it is correct, all the atomic wave functions used in computational chemistry other than hydrogen are wrong (because they have different nodal structures) which would suggest the computations are worthless and only agree with observation because someone introduces constants to make them work.
(c) Nobody has ever disputed the paper,
(d) Nobody has ever cited it, apart from me, which means it has been thoroughly ignored.

So, in answer to your question, if I am going to be ignored, I might as well do it my way.

[Scout]

Well, Ian, I don't have the knowledge required to know if you're on the right track. I can understand your attitude, although it would be good to have your work acknowledged, even if it were only to be disputed. But I guess you get to the point where you know you're right, you're tired, and you don't give a crap. I can understand that.

[Scout]

Back to the original question of how programmable humans may be, do you feel that you have in any way been programmed? Have video games or smartphones programmed you to act in certain ways? Are you influenced by advertising? Have you become so accustomed to being lied to that you're accepting that as status quo? Has your spouse or boss programmed you to act in certain ways without question or even to your detriment? Have you been programmed?

[Ian]

Scout, I don't think marriage is fair to hold you to being programmed. You each have to make compromises or it simply won't work. I like to think I aim not influenced by advertising other than, if I see an ad for something I did not know existed and I think it would be useful, yes, I buy it. (I just did that with a particular piece of electronics) But again, I don't think that is programming. I have come to accept that I am going to be lied to by politicians, but apart from the next election there is nothing I can do about that. So no, I don't think I have been programmed. But then again, I often hold views quite differently from a lot of others. You have probably noticed in some of my Goodreads posts. But I most certainly do not hold those views because someone tells me too. There is the possibility that if someone tells me I should think in some way, I may decide to be contrary.

[Nik]

All of us are programmed to a degree - both by nature (reflexes) and culture - education, propaganda, commercials, customs and traditions, social messages, stigmas, etc. A degree varies. The more we accept without questioning the more programmable maybe we are.. At that, a good measure matters. No need to exaggerate and become a paranoid -:)