I know somebody did a study of it years ago, but is it still debated any of the time. My basic understanding of it is that every person on the Earth is separated by about 6 people, and you could link everybody together somehow.
2007-12-20 08:29:51 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
The theory has so far been proven correct. Myspace is a clear demonstration of this prinicple. I know several people who know celebrities who I want to meet personally. One of these people actually put me in a position to meet a rock star. Another put me in touch with a well known R&B singer. Pick someone you want to meet and test it out. Talk to everyone you know and I bet you'll find someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows the person you want to meet. That's the concept. It's called networking and it's now being used extensively to market products. The fact that you're posing the question on this site and getting responses from people is another demonstration of the theory. You don't know the people posting responses, and you don't know where the right answers will come from, but but you never-the-less receive answers!
2007-12-20 10:22:07 · answer #1 · answered by livemoreamply 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They aren't. There are people who are linked in small isolated communities, for instance in the Amazon, Papua and parts of central Asia, who basically don't know anyone else, so this can't possibly work. There are also "hub" people who have an unusually high number of links. These people can be very useful for things like word of mouth marketing.
The real way the world is linked socially consists of clusters of people with small numbers of links outside but lots of links between them, and a couple of people in each cluster with a lot of links to other clusters.
Just out of interest, i have managed to trace several links to famous people from me (and i'm just a normal British bloke).
I'm counting the number of links that don't include me or the person, and acquaintances rather than just having met someone:
George W Bush - 2 degrees.
Tony Blair - 1 degree via 2 routes, 2 via 2 others.
Mick Jagger - 3 degrees.
Most BBC TV newsreaders - 1 degree via 1 route, 2 via another.
The Queen - 1 degree via two different routes.
Margaret Thatcher - 1 degree via two different routes.
Thor Heyerdahl - 2 degrees.
Michael Nyman - 1 degree.
I'm aware of these links because i have spent time trying to find them, but i'm really no-one special, in fact i'm quite an obscure person. If you spent time doing the same with your acquaintances, you'd probably find the same. Nevertheless, these people are all probably hub people and native to the West. Try someone like Joseph Kabui (governor of Bougainville Province, Papua New Guinea) and there are probably a huge number of links before you get there.
2007-12-20 08:53:15 · answer #2 · answered by grayure 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think there is some substance to that. But I am a social person, and people I know, know people. I met one of Richard Pryor's cousin at a Blues Festival in Clarksdale Mississippi, before he had passed away. He said Richard was hanging in there.
2007-12-20 08:41:00 · answer #3 · answered by Kerbachard! -El Wapo™ © 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's ridiculous. You can come up with ANY kind of theory related to something like that...
Something that reminds me of that is you can connect ANYTHING to sex..... or you can relate ANYTHING to one person. You can always find a connection with things.
I can come up with a 5 Degrees of Separation Theory if I wanted to. Maybe I'll be famous for it.
2007-12-20 08:38:41 · answer #4 · answered by ( Kelly ) 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
It can be done with 3 degrees, with 12 degrees. It all depends on how many connections you want to make. "Six" made for a great book and movie title.
2007-12-21 03:28:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The only separation of significance is man's separation from God.
2007-12-21 06:31:53 · answer #6 · answered by Hate Boy! 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋