Abyssinia-iffat

The map above depicts the medieval region of Abyssinia-Iffat, a political entity that flourished during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries CE. I chose Abyssinia-Iffat as the name of this website because it symbolizes the meeting of different traditions, ideas, and cultures. It therefore seems a fitting emblem for a website that explores diverse areas of human knowledge.

Robleh Wais
circa 2016

We can use the base-2 logarithm above to develop a model that would allow callers to radio programs like Talk of the Nation to voice their opinions in large numbers. This model does not utilize the database-theory idea of one-to-many, as I have described, but its converse: many-to-one.

I must point out that, for my model to be realized, the radio show’s producers would have to do more preparation to accommodate their mass of callers. It would take an entire week before the broadcast airs for the show’s producers to set up what my model will illustrate. I do not feel this is asking too much of them. After all, the program I referenced to create my model claims to be Talk of the Nation; thus, it should attempt to allow its multitude of callers to be heard. Right? To use Elizabethan English: lest it become merely a cheap stage for thine own ends—and thou know not what that may be.

Sets Used in the Model

We will assume the following sets: H, A, X, and R.

  • H (host and staff) = 20
  • A (radio audience) = 220 = 1,048,576 possible listeners
  • X (questions) = 3
  • R = audience responses

H broadcasts X questions to A. For this example, we will use three questions.

H ○ A = X

That is, H relates or maps to A through X, which in this example represents the three questions.

A then responds with R.

A ○ H = R

This means that the audience responds to the hosts’ questions with a set of responses, again producing a mapping between sets.

We can summarize the process as a relation among the four sets: H, A, X, and R.

  • H ○ A = X: the hosts ask the audience questions.
  • A ○ H = R: the audience answers the hosts with responses.

These relations can also be represented as a 2 × 2 symmetric matrix, with X and R being their respective resolutions. In fact, the entire set structure of these relationships could be constructed using matrix-algebra methods.

Applying the Model

Having developed the set structure, we can now apply these relations and show how our talk show could truly represent the nation.

H ○ A = X can take the form of three questions. The hosts might ask:

  1. Why did Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the presidential nomination fail?
  2. Will she run as an independent?
  3. Will she become Barack Obama’s vice-presidential running mate?

H(A) = B + C + D    and    H ○ A = X

The audience might respond as follows:

  1. She was arrogant, lacked funds, miscalculated her constituency, or lied during the campaign. Any response can be given, an arbitrary limit set, and the responses then counted.
  2. Yes or no, plus explanations; again, the responses can be tabulated.
  3. The same type of response structure can be used for the question of whether she will run as an independent.

A(H) = E + F + G    and    A ○ H = R

Here we have a relationship that can be implemented. The audience can be questioned by email; the responses can be counted, categorized, and analyzed; and the hosts can choose any number of listeners to speak for groups of like-minded respondents. Once E, F, and G have been tabulated, the hosts can call respondents in each group and select one to speak for all—rather like representative government in political science.

Notice, however, that the One still has omnipotence here: the hosts can pick and choose from the sets of responses who will, and who will not, talk to the nation.

Go back to the first section: Sets, Radio Programs and Individuals

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