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As the indicators of the status of complicated macroscopic systems, statistically valid representative variables are of critical importance for knowing the dynamic conditions of the systems. As a few examples, in natural sciences, we have become very familiar to various physical quantities such as temperature and pressure, which can help us to predict the behavior of a natural system; in economics, we have economic indices to track economic health from different perspectives; in psychology, we have the intelligence quotient to provide a partial evaluation of the intelligent level of individuals.

Despite the convenience of using the well-known variables in academic researches and practical applications, the process of identifying the notions behind those variables could be painstaking and daunting. This article would introduce an abstract notion for the cultural dynamics, which has been greatly ignored by the world in the past.

The risk explored here today is that of mass shootings. The question is whether we are doing all that we can to mitigate that risk – and whether, beyond some very straightforward laws that could be put in place, it is even possible to mitigate the risk.