The Irrelevance of Patterns

Pliny the Elder raised an eyebrow.

What's this about the irrelevance of patterns? he asked.

Oh you noticed! I said.

Of course I noticed, he replied. I noticed you didn't explain it very well.

I can't explain it very well, I said. It's either nonsense or something very important. Do you want me to try again?

You may as well, he said.

Alright then. We humans are programmed to look for patterns, do you agree?

No.

Well, that's that then, I said, crossly.

No go on, for the sake of argument, said Pliny.

And yet the pattern has no meaning in itself. It's just the irrelevant trace of a process, I continued.

I assume you are thinking about ripple patterns in the sand, said Pliny.

Yes. The patterns are formed by the, um, well, whatever sand patterns are formed by.

The sea, said Pliny kindly, and the wind, and the tides, and occasionally eels.

Eels! Pliny, now I've lost my thread.

The patterns are formed by natural processes, prompted Pliny.

Yes. And when we see the patterns, we wonder how they were made.

In that case they are not irrelevant, said Pliny, gravely.

I'm just saying, I said, that the important things are the sea and the tides and the winds and the eels, and it wouldn't matter at all whether their actions made a pattern or not. Everything would still be exactly the same.

Except for the pattern, said Pliny. But I thought you liked patterns. Why are you trying to negate them?

I'm not. I'm just trying to see them for what they really are.

I don't think you have, said Pliny.