
FREE
for Members
Wall Street and the Mayan Apocalypse: Exercising Patterns in Randomness
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Proposals that ancient Mayans somehow predicted an Apocalypse (or something dramatic) on December 21, 2012 rely heavily on their reputed astronomical insight. They also rely on unlikely coincidences—patterns that seem too compelling to be accidental.
This presentation considers how these factors contribute to the difficulty of interpreting the science of another culture. Here we find an unlikely ally in Donald MacKenzie's work on the modeling of modern financial markets to reinterpret both the fantasies of 2012 prophecies and an astronomical development recovered from the hieroglyphic inscriptions of Palenque. Exploring these applied social sciences through MacKenzie's metaphor of 'engines, not cameras,'—that they drive behavior as opposed to generating accurate representations—the result is intended to shed light on both sides of the cultural comparison.
Speaker
Gerardo V. Aldana
University of California Santa Barbara
Registration Pricing
This meeting is free, but registration is required.
Travel & Lodging
Venue Location
Gallatin School of Individualized Study, NYU
Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts
1 Washington Place
New York, NY 10003