Originally suggested as the antithesis to Pattern Recognition Theory, Clarke has
openly stated that the process of working on both has led to his shifting allegiance.
Unlike Pattern Recognition Theory, which posited humour as a creative faculty of adaptability, Information Normalization Theory argues that it is fundamentally corrective, founded in compensating for the risk associated with the brain’s potential confusion over any misleading information. The theory runs that humans receive a greater proportion of behavioural instruction through cultural means than any other species, and that the reliability of that information is therefore of vital importance to the survival of the individual. The process of humorous evocation is described in the theory by the simple equation:
h = m° x p
(where h = the intensity of humorous recognition (also equating to the totality of averted ‘risk’), m = the degree of misinformation apprehended, and p = the extent to which the individual would have been vulnerable to that misinformation had the faculty of humour not existed, simplistically explicable as how convincing it appears to be)
There are of course different forms this potentially misleading information can take, but broadly speaking Clarke has suggested them to be: deception, error, and confusion. Human beings develop and function by the assessment and absorption of cultural stimuli and any of these three factors can hinder the brain’s ability to instruct the individual regarding their interaction with the environment. As the most learning and the most deceiving of species, a faculty that encouraged a tendency to seek out potential flaws in information, normalizing any potential misdirection and protecting the brain from being fooled into misfiling properties, entities or modes of behaviour, would carry significant survival advantages.
As we said on Dot Net in May 2009 “It promises to be one of Clarke’s most interesting ideas,” so we look forward to presenting the full spec here in the next few days.
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