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>Whenever there is dichotomous thinking, cognition has moved away from clarity. Can you expand on this?

by bumby 5y ago

getpost 5y ago
This is a deep topic worthy of an essay, the kind of essay pg might write! The concise reply is, when you catch yourself in dichotomous thinking, you should assume you have misunderstood or oversimplified. Sometimes you have to go with your misunderstanding or oversimplification to make a decision or to make progress, but keep in mind you are doing so based on beliefs which are unlikely to correspond to reality. It's striking that so many mental health difficulties are characterized by dichotomous thinking. [1] Rationality itself can be profitably critiqued at the meta-level.[2] So, don't be an asshole, unless you need to be. Do you see the world as consisting of assholes and non-assholes? How does that feel? What are the advantages of that view? What are the disadvantages? Is considering that question worth your time? [1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/she-comes-long-way-baby/201506/what-is-wrong-dichotomous-thinking https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/she-comes-long-way-b... [2] https://metarationality.com/introduction https://metarationality.com/introduction EDIT: Fixed link, spacing
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
getpost 5y ago
Clarity is about seeing how things are, not how you've chosen to divide things up. (I added this as an edit to my other reply, but it seems the edit is lost.)
- PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
  You can't see anything in this world without dividing things up. That's how your senses (sensory inputs plus processing plus cognition) work. So this version of "clarity" seems hard to achieve. Maybe just settle for "try to limit the extent to which your cognitive biases and priors shape how you think the world is". You can't reduce them to zero, but you can reduce them a bit.
  - getpost 5y ago
    I agree on the practical level, which is pertinent here. It is possible to experience non-dual consciousness in high concentration states. [EDIT: For many, this experience is a milestone in psychospiritual development, which undermines the habit of dichotomous thinking.] Awareness and perception aren’t the same thing. Way, way off the subject, but your main point stands, be mindful of priors.

>Whenever there is dichotomous thinking, cognition has moved away from clarity. Can you expand on this?

by bumby 5y ago

>Whenever there is dichotomous thinking, cognition has moved away from clarity. Can you expand on this?

This is a deep topic worthy of an essay, the kind of essay pg might write! The concise reply is, when you catch yourself in dichotomous thinking, you should assume you have misunderstood or oversimplified. Sometimes you have to go with your misunderstanding or oversimplification to make a decision or to make progress, but keep in mind you are doing so based on beliefs which are unlikely to correspond to reality. It's striking that so many mental health difficulties are characterized by dichotomous thinking. [1] Rationality itself can be profitably critiqued at the meta-level.[2] So, don't be an asshole, unless you need to be. Do you see the world as consisting of assholes and non-assholes? How does that feel? What are the advantages of that view? What are the disadvantages? Is considering that question worth your time? [1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/she-comes-long-way-baby/201506/what-is-wrong-dichotomous-thinking https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/she-comes-long-way-b... [2] https://metarationality.com/introduction https://metarationality.com/introduction EDIT: Fixed link, spacing

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

getpost 5y ago

Clarity is about seeing how things are, not how you've chosen to divide things up. (I added this as an edit to my other reply, but it seems the edit is lost.)

PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
You can't see anything in this world without dividing things up. That's how your senses (sensory inputs plus processing plus cognition) work. So this version of "clarity" seems hard to achieve. Maybe just settle for "try to limit the extent to which your cognitive biases and priors shape how you think the world is". You can't reduce them to zero, but you can reduce them a bit.
- getpost 5y ago
  I agree on the practical level, which is pertinent here. It is possible to experience non-dual consciousness in high concentration states. [EDIT: For many, this experience is a milestone in psychospiritual development, which undermines the habit of dichotomous thinking.] Awareness and perception aren’t the same thing. Way, way off the subject, but your main point stands, be mindful of priors.