Page 17 - Ruminations

15. Change and wisdom

Realizing proverbial wisdom contains conflicting conclusions about
life and the world is part of attaining non-proverbial wisdom.
Conditional truth is exposed by a case for the opposite, making
neither absolute. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” versus “out
of sight, out of mind”; “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”
versus “nothing ventured, nothing gained”; and “silence is golden”
versus “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” are typical pairs.
But the following two aphorisms contradict internally as well as in
opposition, giving an appearance of insight based on paradox. They
remain refractory to analysis, their wisdom subtle—or nonexistent.

1. “Everything changes but change itself” (Heraclitus)

Change—however defined in the real world—is ultimately a truism
of no ontological significance; it is an interpretation of inevitable
difference driven by entropy. Thus, as an abstraction, it is universal
and, at that higher level of interpretation, unchangeable. The epigram
is a paradox of self-reference (X must include itself, but cannot),
resolved by exposing its different definitions of “change.”
The statement can be negated in the real world by cases of change
occurring differently; that is, changing in rate, scale, intensity,
selectivity and so on. Therefore, change is potentially changing as
much as anything considered to have changed—again showing two
senses of the word. The intent, of course, is cautionary, with respect
to the real world; thus is pragmatically correct: change will not cease.

2. “The more things change, the more they stay the same” (A. Karr)

This also invokes paradox to gain attention and make a point. If
change is not merely certain but variable, then some empirically
supportable claims may be made about that variability. That is the task
of science. As a quantifiable mismatch, however, more change cannot
be less change; it is a paradox of self-negation (X is not X).
The statement can be validated in the real world by cases of illusory
change, often deceptions perpetrated by politicians (a new broom
sweeps clean!), promoters (completely redesigned!) and prophets
(revelations from on high!). Perhaps the stronger the claim of
difference, the less it will actually effect meaningful change. In this
sense, therefore, it is correct, and is understood by most people.