The Future Belongs to the Weird

The future belongs to the weird. In pre-modern times, being weird often meant certain death. Society valued conformity and punished those who deviated from the norm. This rule held true across cultures, with various methods of punishment for those who were unusually weak, strong, or clever. However, this rigid system began to change as the frontier of social norms contracted and industrial models of production and education expanded.

While some aspects improved, such as the eradication of literal burning at the stake, the rails became stronger and escape hatches fewer. Today, it may seem that being normal is no longer a matter of life or death, but the escape hatches have become more difficult to navigate. The system that valued normality has its roots in a constant battle against chaos and confusion, where predictability and interchangeability of humans were essential for building reliable institutions.

As the clock mechanism metaphor of the world has dominated our institutions for centuries, it is not surprising that simplicity and predictability have been the baseline measure of a component's value. While science has departed from this clockwork-like world model, the quantum world remains too strange for our culture. The future may belong to those who embrace their weirdness and challenge the status quo, as they push the boundaries of what is possible and redefine the norms that govern our institutions.