I just received the latest edition of the Torchbearer alumni magazine from my alma mater, The University of Tennessee.
In it there’s an interesting article on quantum mechanics by Catherine Longmire entitled, “To Save a T-Rex.” In it she says,
The beauty of quantum mechanics is that while it doesn’t predict the exact position of a particle, it’s extraordinarily good at predicting the probability of where that particle might be.
I wonder if there is any applicability to predicting the outcome of political races. I know I was pretty far off the mark in predicting the possible outcomes of my campaign.
In the same issue, Eric Drummond Smith (now assistant professor of political science at the University of Virginia), opines:
…every four years, the most powerful government in the history of humanity does something fascinating.
You see, we elect a president through a complex, convoluted system–a system which combines the exuberant atmosphere of democratic politics with an electoral college borrowed from, depending on your perspective, the College of Electors of the Holy Roman Empire (neither Holy, Roman, nor an Empire; discuss) or the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals.
We choose–and in so doing, sometimes kick to the curb–our foremost leader, our first among equals, our president. We’ve been doing this since 1788, when George Washington first stumped for election. If we are lucky, we’ll keep doing it for a while longer.
Interesting juxtaposition of the two articles. Your thoughts?