this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2025
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Oh, this is actually a perfect example of the arbitreity of mapping systems!
A looong time ago on reddit, I got into an argument with someone who was doing that thing where you confuse the map for the object itself. We were mostly talking about the chemistry table. But anyway, he just could not see how a change in motivation, that is what the map designer finds useful, could change how the map is arranged.
I mean, I don't think this would convince him: he would just say the culinary version isn't real. But still, I really like it.
I mean that's a pretty big difference right?
Like, the periodic tables mapping isn't arbitrary or alternate.
Like you can't actually map the periodic a different way and it's in a sense "self evident" in a way arbitrary mappings aren't.
The periodic table itself is a kind of proof of quantum theory, or at least, strong supporting evidence. While it can be displayed differently, actually couldn't be arranged differently and the things we know about physics hold true.
Ah, there he is!
Just kidding.
The extreme usefulness of the one periodic table as we know it is why this is so hard to talk about. Philosophically, it isn't any different: it is arranged by human values for human consumption. I think there is likely a strong reason that alien values would converge here, but that doesn't really affect its arbitreity. The elements don't have value unto themselves, they just are.
And there are plenty of different ways to arrange it. For one, if all you care about are the metals for some reason, you can arrange the nonmetals out of it completely. You could keep a linear, alphabetical list because whatever work you're doing is derived from chemistry but does not actually care about atomic values.
Hey, that guy is a troll and a pretty good one. Block and move on, you're worth it