J- | PsychologyZenFreedom

DANGEROUS IDEAS

If your grip on reality is a little shaky, best pass on by. The two big questions of epistemology are not for everyone.

1. Fact or fiction?---fantasy or reality?

2. Black and white or probabilities---which do you use?

3. Jump away!---from your thoughts, feelings, behavior.

4. Offend and confuse---have a little fun.

FACT OR FICTION

Fantasy or Reality?

To feed your mind new maps of Reality read a book by Carlos Castaneda such as The Teachings of Don Juan, and one by Jane Roberts such as The Seth Material.

Reading Castaneda and Roberts will make you more tolerant and a little less certain you know what is real and what is not real. And you may become a bit wiser about the virtues and the limitations of your own cultural beliefs.

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As you read, notice the tension between fact and fiction, fantasy and reality. Greater sensitivity to the differences allows a much deeper appreciation of the two most fundamental questions you can ask yourself. The two fundamental questions of epistemology.

What do I know?

How do I know it?

WHAT DID YOU FIND?

BLACK AND WHITE OR PROBABILITIES

Which do you use?

One-sided, black and white thinking makes it very difficult to seriously consider alternative narratives and maps. It's rigid, circular, numbs the mind, and hugely simplifies Reality.

The best method I've found to avoid one-sided thinking is to force myself to assign a probability that each side is correct. Having to assign probabilities forces me to look carefully at all sides.

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If you know only one side, you have only one eye.

No depth perception.

Old Man

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Probabilistic thinking creates much more accurate maps of Reality, and your dance with Realty is so much more satisfying and creative.

However, there are at least two serious downsides to probabilistic thinking:

1. You lack the fervor of knowing you have The Truth. People who make major changes in society are usually black and white thinkers. They have made major beneficial contributions to humankind. Of course their contributions have also been horrifically horrible.

2. Probabilistic thinking can be cowardly when used to avoid taking a stand.

WHAT DID YOU FIND?

JUMP AWAY!

from your thoughts, emotions, behavior

Meta-Jumping is one of the most powerful ways to explore and expand your life. It is also one of the most powerful and important drivers of creativity.

When you Meta-Jump you are no longer the captive of your thoughts or feelings or actions. You deliberately jump away from them and evaluate what you were thinking, feeling, or doing. You shift perspectives. Re-frame. Stop for a moment of reflection.

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Watch and listen to Jordan Peterson

Meta-Jump Cathy Newman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEOHQoh82bs

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He jumps from answering Cathy’s question to pointing out her hypocrisy in asking it. The jump leaves her speechless. She deserves a lot of credit for how she reacted. She acknowledged he got her, did not become angry or defensive, and moved on---very impressive.

Once I watched a TV interviewer Meta-Jump Rep. Hofstadter. Rep. Hofstadter asserted that a rival politician, Rep. Barton, was guilty of many crimes. The interviewer could have kept at the same level and countered that Rep. Barton denied any wrongdoing. Instead she jumped, shifting from the general to the specific. She asked Rep. Hofstadter to name a law Rep. Barton had broken. He could not.

Politicians Meta-Jump in the opposite direction all the time---from the specific to the general. For instance, grab a single comment that could be considered racist and smear the hell out of the poor guy. Terrible logic. Wonderful propaganda.

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Meta-Jumping is useful in many situations. Do you have a warm heart for philosophical puzzles, like "Is there a sound in the forest when the pinecone hits the ground and no one is around?"

Meta-Jump! Shift from trying to answer the question, to questioning the questioner. Ask her to define "sound". If vibrations in the air, there is a sound. If human awareness, no sound.

Philosophical puzzles usually depend upon the ambiguity of language. Meta-Jump! Remove the ambiguity! No more puzzle.

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Suppose you and your husband are arguing and it's not going well. One of you call out "Let's Meta-Jump". That's the agreed signal to close your eyes for 30 seconds and think about how and why the argument went bad. Then either discuss what went wrong, or just start the discussion over again with the expectation of a better outcome.

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Maybe you have trouble keeping girlfriends. They seem interested for a while and then dump you. Meta-Jump! Go over your relationships and explore what was happening just before they all left. Yes! They all dumped you right after you start to get a little sloppy in your dress and hygiene. You test it out and sure enough the next girlfriend sticks.

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Pay close attention and you will notice that those who can meta-jump are much more creative and alive. Come join the Meta-Jumpers. Come join the creative and adventurous. You’ll have a whole lot more fun.

WHAT DID YOU FIND?

OFFEND AND CONFUSE

Have a little fun

Start a modestly heated argument with a friend or enemy. Use your magnificent rhetorical skills to vigorously present your position. Then, in the middle of the argument, suddenly shift your position to your opponents and begin to vigorously argue his side. Terrible thing to do to a friend. Diabolical to an enemy.

Be careful. People sometimes don’t take kindly to being “tricked”, especially enemies.

Here is a way to have even more fun. Start a mildly heated argument with a friend in front of a group. On a signal shift sides. Notice how long it takes your audience to catch on.

Role playing is an excellent practice to sharpen rhetorical skills. It also greatly increases your ability to appreciate all sides of an argument.

The point of view you favor almost certainly does not contain the whole truth, and alternative points of view almost certainly have valid elements. If you have the honesty and self-confidence to recognize them, understanding increases---the presentation of your point of view more powerful.

WHAT DID YOU FIND?