Hi Nate, I'm with you on this. I'm sorry the following quote is not an off the cuff response, but I think it might resonate with what you are saying.
"Giving ourselves a mental framework that is fully compatible with the universe would not only mark a defining step up in our individual mental abilities but, more importantly, (if we all decided to use it), it would create a new, enlightened era of collective thinking and understanding for the human race – we would understand not only how, but why we and the rest of the universe do what we do; the actual purpose of it all, giving us the ultimate premise upon which to reason. However, before we start dreaming of some rose-tinted ideal, we need to be aware of the daunting reality of trying to achieve it.
The problems of introducing this universal mental framework -
Even if we were prepared to question the current models in which we believe, we would still be faced with the challenge of physically changing our mental pathways. When we are born, these pathways along which we think have yet to be established, but, by the time we are adults, many of them have become so entrenched through habitual use within a particular way of thinking, that some people might find it impossible to think outside these pathways, even if they wanted to; they would find it literally un-thinkable.
Clearly, we, as adults, do not have the luxury of starting with a pristine mind and we obviously cannot just pull out our old frameworks and put this new one in. This means that our mind has little option but to undertake a fundamental and comprehensive self-restructuring process, (possibly the most ambitious that the adult human mind has ever attempted), and trying to do so whilst surrounded by a culture which is based upon another, incompatible way of thinking, does, I know from my own experience, make it extremely difficult." Regards, Tim.
Tis THE challenge in so many ways. I do, however, feel fairly justified in my assertion that almost all of us have far greater plasticity than we often believe we do. Our capacity to re-wire is immensely impressive, and there are so many examples of 180 like turns.
IMO, the real challenge is how we do these 180's, each of which are entirely unique at the individual level, in a way that has something like the right balance of macro diversity and coherence (not homogeneity of course).
So much to say here. So much to say. But this is one of the reasons I'm moving towards philosophical health counselling. More on that in about 6 months :)
Hi Nate, I'm with you on this. I'm sorry the following quote is not an off the cuff response, but I think it might resonate with what you are saying.
"Giving ourselves a mental framework that is fully compatible with the universe would not only mark a defining step up in our individual mental abilities but, more importantly, (if we all decided to use it), it would create a new, enlightened era of collective thinking and understanding for the human race – we would understand not only how, but why we and the rest of the universe do what we do; the actual purpose of it all, giving us the ultimate premise upon which to reason. However, before we start dreaming of some rose-tinted ideal, we need to be aware of the daunting reality of trying to achieve it.
The problems of introducing this universal mental framework -
Even if we were prepared to question the current models in which we believe, we would still be faced with the challenge of physically changing our mental pathways. When we are born, these pathways along which we think have yet to be established, but, by the time we are adults, many of them have become so entrenched through habitual use within a particular way of thinking, that some people might find it impossible to think outside these pathways, even if they wanted to; they would find it literally un-thinkable.
Clearly, we, as adults, do not have the luxury of starting with a pristine mind and we obviously cannot just pull out our old frameworks and put this new one in. This means that our mind has little option but to undertake a fundamental and comprehensive self-restructuring process, (possibly the most ambitious that the adult human mind has ever attempted), and trying to do so whilst surrounded by a culture which is based upon another, incompatible way of thinking, does, I know from my own experience, make it extremely difficult." Regards, Tim.
Tis THE challenge in so many ways. I do, however, feel fairly justified in my assertion that almost all of us have far greater plasticity than we often believe we do. Our capacity to re-wire is immensely impressive, and there are so many examples of 180 like turns.
IMO, the real challenge is how we do these 180's, each of which are entirely unique at the individual level, in a way that has something like the right balance of macro diversity and coherence (not homogeneity of course).
So much to say here. So much to say. But this is one of the reasons I'm moving towards philosophical health counselling. More on that in about 6 months :)