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This is my first attempt at what @ncasenmare has been doing (brilliantly) for years: using simulations to explain complex ideas.
It's possible to convey the same ideas using text and static images. But simulations are a lot more compelling, IMO. And also more *real.*
What do I mean by "real"?
@DavidDeutschOxf has this great line in FoR — that reality "kicks back." Meaning it exists outside the mind and is capable of independent behavior.
Ideas made from *words* don't always kick back (unless you go to great lengths to make them clear and sharp enough, and bring them alive in your mind). The mind is typically too slippery, too pliable, too wishful.
But ideas made from *code* kick back hard. Code is unforgiving, largely because it runs on an unforgiving architecture. But for that very reason, it can surprise and delight you.
For the simulations in this post, I wrote just a few simple rules. But the resulting behavior was complex enough that I couldn't always model it in my head. It surprised me. I hope readers have a similar experience. If so, the medium is delivering on its promise.
TL;DR: I'm excited about "show, don't tell" for nonfiction.
Also, I plan to do more of these interactive essays in the future and want to get better at them, so please let me know what you think!
1/ The model is more real, but the connection to the reality it is trying to model is not. You do this thing in this article that I see around here that I think is a general error mode, and it is exemplified by "I know this is an oversimplified model but...".
2/ This does a few things. The first obvious one is that oversimplification is more likely wrong. The next is not so obvious. By handwaving away this oversimplification, by not including a great deal of examination of the connection between model and reality, reality is lost...
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interactive essay!
How to prevent disease, control nuclear reactions, and encourage the spread of ideas. All with playable simulations.
