Personality

"I'm just a mirror of a mirror of myself,
All the things that I do..."

To take stock of one's own personality, one must look at others' reactions to it. But those reactions are colored by the preferences and prejudices of the observers, and when judging them, one's own prejudices also come into play. So reading this page will give you an idea of my perception of others' perception of me. I leave it up to you to judge whether this will be in any way useful.

One of the more popular indices of personality among the Internet crowd these days is the Myers-Briggs Type Instrument. According to the simplified version of the test at that site, my personality type is ENTP. The description fits me quite well in many ways. What I was most pleased to find upon completing the test was that I shared this personality type with Richard P. Feynman, one of my heroes.

I consider myself a geek, and I don't think of that in a negative sense. To me, a geek is anyone who has an interest in, and reasonable knowledge of, modern technology, including but not limited to computers and the Internet. To get an idea of what kind of geek I am, you can take a look at my geek code.

Attitude

For the most part, I tend to be an optimist. I'm just as prone to being "down" when I'm having a bad time as anyone else, but I never stay very unhappy for very long.

Although I can be friendly and outgoing, there are times when I will be very quiet and withdrawn. I like people, but I also value my privacy, and enjoy time spent by myself as much as I do time in good company. I'm an extrovert, but on my own terms.

There are very few people that I can't get along with if I try, but I do have my bad side. At my worst, I can be a stubborn, self-centered egotist who insists on having everything his own way. I try not to be like this, but nobody's perfect.

Things I Like...

Jimcatisms

Some favorite phrases of mine, which I tend to overuse.

Worldview

"Some only see what they want to see,
Claiming victory; but that's not me.
Give me Truth, give me something real,
I just want to feel
That it's mine, all mine."

From a very early age, I have had an interest in science. When I learned of the scientific method, I realized that in addition to being a tool for science, it contained some useful advice for life in general. My interpretation of the scientific method in terms of human behavior is: be curious and open-minded, don't assume something is true without any facts to back it up, be willing to admit you're wrong, and share what you learn with others.

A corollary of this is the importance of thinking for yourself. I don't like to be labeled or categorized in a broad group. I haven't found a religious or political group which matches my beliefs exactly, and probably never will, so I consider myself "independent" in both of those areas. Just about every system of belief I have studied has yielded some worthwhile concepts, so I take what I agree with and leave the rest behind.

The group which comes closest to matching my views on most major issues facing the world today is the Union of Concerned Scientists. I encourage everyone to investigate their site, read the information they have made available, and, if you find it worthy, support the organization.


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jimcat@panix.com