In the cartoon a scientist rejects Einstein’s law of relativity. The scientist calls it a “speed bump theory.” This places universal laws, like E=mc², next to oversimplified explanations for daily occurrences (speed bumps). Chapter 5 contains descriptions of the theories of Empirical Laws. These theories in communication look for relationships between cause and effect that apply everywhere (If X, then Y). The theorists then search for consistent patterns that take place, which have probabilistically across different contexts. The cartoon is a reminder that communication “laws” often face disbelief when presented as absolute. This disbelief differs from the acceptance of gravity.

As coordinator of a campus club responsible for making meetings, I operated under principle. The principle stated: sending an agenda 24 hours before the meeting ensures that everyone is prepared to attend and participate. Like a scientist dismissing relativity, I blamed colleagues for not obeying the agenda principle. In one instance: last month, I distributed an agenda, complete with details, to everyone else in the group. I believed advance notice would result in a productive meeting. We used 20 minutes to explain the project’s basic goals. At that moment I realized that context is important. People who were new to the club were missing crucial context that would have made everything in the agenda make sense. The Empirical Law (agenda causes preparedness) did not hold true every time.

The cartoon makes fun of the dismissal of new theories as unimportant problems. This chapter reminds people to respect the detail in physical laws and communicative laws. With an understanding of the Empirical Laws Paradigm as well as its focus on probability instead of absolutes, people learn to develop more adaptable strategies in daily interactions, includes sending agendas that are more contextualized.

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