The Skunk River Review - DMACC

himself, he hits the gas and goes around the curve ⎯ and runs right into the pig in the roadway
(210).
Barker uses the story as a review of what is most important about paradigms. He shares
that the woman was trying to warn him, even while risking her life. He notes that the man reacted
with his paradigm of “you call me a name; I’ll call you a name.” He was unable or unwilling to
look for the truth of the situation. He had “paradigm paralysis.” If the man had demonstrated
“paradigm pliancy,” he would have tried to ask her what she meant and probably would have
driven safer, avoiding the pig. Joel Barker concludes the story with a moral and a couple of key
points that provide a fitting conclusion to this discovery of paradigms. The moral reads like this:
“During the next decade many people will be coming around blind curves yelling things at you.
They will be too busy to stop and explain, so it will be up to you to figure it out. If you have
paradigm paralysis, you will be hearing nothing but threats. If you have paradigm pliancy, you
will be hearing nothing but opportunity!” (210). He concludes, “The choice of what you hear is
entirely up to you” (211).
Works Cited
Barker, Joel A. Paradigms ⎯ The Business of Discovering the Future. New York: Harper
Collins, 1993.
“Kuhn, Thomas.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia 2008. Grolier Online. Des Moines Area
Community College Lib. 5 Mar. 2008
.
Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press, 1996.
“Paradigm.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 4 Mar. 2008.
.
Rosen, Edward. “Copernicus, Nicolaus.” Encyclopedia Americana. 2008. Grolier Online.
Des Moines Area Community College Lib.13 Mar. 2008
.
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