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Resistance vs Negative Feedback (pt 2)
Edison — A case study of an extraordinary man.
In an earlier post, I discussed two different states of nature that I called “resistance” and “negative feedback.” The point I was trying to make is that resistance is felt by any object, or person, moving toward the desired destination. It should be expected as part of the process of advancement. A ball thrown by a baseball pitcher experiences air resistance as it moves towards the catcher’s glove, as an example.
Negative feedback, on the other hand, occurs when something goes wrong. The pitcher continually drops the ball before the pitch is thrown, perhaps. The goal isn’t realized. The ball makes no forward progress to the plate. In this case, the pitcher needs to stop and go back to the drawing board. He might go to the bullpen to experiment with new handgrips, and maybe a dozen other things to correct his situation. Negative feedback occurs to help us find a new way of doing things and we need to stop to rethink the process.
That was the premise of my earlier post, and I subsequently published my paper. Then I thought about Thomas Edison.
It is well known that Edison was one of the greatest inventors that ever lived. He was known for his dogged persistence in the face of uncounted failed experiments in his efforts to…
