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I got into conversation with a recent visitor to the gallery who was a teacher of statistics. He explained that statistics gather, assess and use data to provide strong evidence to calculate risk and therefore support decision making. Yet invalid assumptions or a poor application of statistical methods can lead to incorrect conclusions. I found it interesting to hear that logic and rationale, therefore, were not totally reliable.
Intuition is the other side of analytics. It is the way the brain processes, stores and then retrieves information on a subconscious level. Sometimes it is ridiculed as a pseudo science but it has been a guiding force all of our lives, revealed in our dreams, hunches and inspirational thoughts...that gut feeling. So I decided to try my own experiment. Using a nickel, I chose heads, flipping it mindlessly four times to test statistics and probability. My assumption that there was a 50/50 chance of getting heads was proven correct as the coin landed with two heads up and two tails. Then I flipped the coin four times to test the 50/50 statistic, but this time did not flip until I was intuitively guided to the image. Two times I thought it would be heads and it was. Two times I thought it was tails and it was. My intuition in this test was not guided by the 50/50 statistic but rather a "knowingness" that popped into my mind. Definitely not the most sophisticated test but nonetheless, I concluded we need both conscious and unconscious thought processes to help us survive in an ever-changing, uncertain environment. Logic and intuition stand at opposite sides of the crossroad. Facts found in research and combined with intuition and experience produce the most effective result. I found it comforting to know/feel there is a system available to make good choices that positively affect our lives.
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