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The Secret of Open-mindedness “The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.” – Niels Bohr The secret of open-mindedness is having a healthy understanding of the concept of probability. Moreover, it is the ability to take things into consideration rather than simply believe in them. Belief can be blinding, and so it has a high potential to lead to close-mindedness. A more reasonable strategy is to have a healthy skepticism so that we’re open enough to accept radical new ideas, but not so open that our brains spill out. The best way to maintain a healthy skepticism is to take things into consideration rather than believe in them. Taking things into consideration is superior to belief, as it pertains to open-mindedness, exactly because everything is allowed to be possible. But just because (on a long enough timeline) everything is possible, doesn’t mean that everything is probable. That’s where probability comes in, and gives us something we can hang our hat on. For example: I’m only close-minded about one thing: being close-minded. I don’t technically “believe” in anything. I simply consider some things more than I do others. The only thing I’m certain of is that certainty is useless. Probability, however, is exceptionally useful. Everything falls along a line of probability. From the .0000000001% probability that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is God and a Jewish Zombie saved us from our sins, to the 99.999999999% probability that the earth actually revolves around the sun and isn’t flat. Everything from ghosts moving through walls to bats being made of wood (or flesh) falls in between. I may take evolution into consideration more than unicorns, but neither one will I have absolute certainty in. Certainty just leaves us reeling in myopic inertia and prevents us from thinking outside the box, or breaking a mental paradigm, or stretching comfort zones. It stifles our creativity and leads to close-mindedness. Certainty is for amateurs and close-minded people, anyway. Like renowned physicist Richard Feynman said, “I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I’m not absolutely sure about anything.” Being genuinely open-minded is no walk in the park. It requires enormous courage. This is because true open-mindedness compels us to force our head over the edge of the abyss and to embrace our insecurities about what it means to be a fallible creature vainly attempting to perceive an infinite reality using finite faculties. But it’s a double-edged sword. The other side of the sword is enchantment and awe with the adventurous unknown and a deep pleasure in learning something new, whether or not it turns out to be “true.” We can always choose to be superior to circumstance by being ruthlessly circumspect through the use of probability. This way we’re never “caught” and we’re always “open” to new ideas. Genuine open-mindedness is a state of constant enchantment. Enchantment develops when we are lost, re-found, and lost again in the continuing cycle of the human leitmotif. It is exactly this sense of inner-lost-and-found – this balance of self-exploration and self-negation – that keeps us adventurous, curious, and open to the many vicissitudes of life. Indeed, it is this that has the potential to transform us into autodidacts of the first order, armed with open-mindedness, spiritual plasticity, and a hunger for the unknown. We allow ourselves to be the improbable being that is Human Being. It’s when we cling to beliefs and clutch at certainty that we prevent ourselves from progressing forward with a healthy curiosity. Like Alan Watts said, “What one needs in this universe is not certainty but the courage and nerve of the gambler; not fixed conviction but adaptability; not firm ground whereupon to stand but skill in swimming.” If allowed progressive transgression, this hunger for the unknown eventually actualizes itself into the concept of moral fallibilism. Where we are essentially “found” through the unfounded nature of reality, but where there is still understood to be an inherent order to things (though un-provable). Ascending to a state of being found is the realization that all things are infinitely unfounded, and all the more joyous and enchanting because of that fact. But it’s when our curiosity has been squashed that aspects of our ego calcify and become rigid and extreme while other parts dissociate. Tragically, fundamentalism becomes primary and curiosity secondary. When humans are convinced of their certainty and no longer question their worldview, the truth quest comes to an unfortunate end. The adventure is over. Like Louis G. Herman wrote, “Every time we think we have certainty about life – whether that certainty comes from mathematics, logic, religion, politics or ideology – we have lost the primary experience. We have deformed our essential humanity and closed down the search. Disaster looms.” “Doubt,” wrote Voltaire, “is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” Seek not certainty, but absolute uncertainty. The meaning of life is about making life meaningful, not about getting lost in the meanings we bring to it. We just need to remain flexible and adaptable to change, because the highest probability of all is that things change. Knowledge should never be seen as a given, but as a gift; a gift gleaned not as a certainty but as a proper humility in the face of what we think we know. Like the great Carl Sagan said, “Humans may crave absolute certainty; they may aspire to it; they may pretend, as partisans of certain religions do, to have attained it. But the history of science- by far the most successful claim to knowledge accessible to humans- teaches that the most we can hope for is successive improvement in our understanding, learning from our mistakes, an asymptotic approach to the universe, but with the proviso that absolute certainty will always elude us. Image Source: Neon sign Frank Zappa Probability Open-mindedness is the key Show Us Some Love & Spread the Light: 7 Comments Jewish Zombie?????? Can I just read a good article about open mindedness without Jesus bashing? That was entirely unnecessary for the purpose of the article. Wow, what a breathtaking description of what it means to be open and alive. I’ve been on that journey since I learned to read. My naiveté may have gotten me into trouble; yet I’m still learning and growing. Healthy skepticism and an open mind. Works for me. Beautiful written! Thank you! As a self-identifying “Christian” I find nothing offensive about a the projected probability of a Jewish Zombie saving us from our sins. The point of open-mindedness is to recognize the probability of something and consider it anyway. Shoot, that’s kind of the point of faith within a Christian context (evidence of things hoped for and the substance of things unseen)… to consider or even believe something regardless of it’s probability. Faith is valued within Christianity, the more probable something is the less faith it requires. The offense, then, only comes from a place of having your belief structure challenged. A low probability does not necessitate “impossible” only “less possible.” Either way, to be open-minded allows it to be considered. Gary seems to have considered Christianity’s view of salvation and perhaps presently finds it improbable; at times so do I. Sometimes that scares the shit out of me because it challenges my belief structure, but anytime I allow my belief structure to be challenged and choose to consider something else, I learn, grow, and maybe become more enlightened to the way that the universe operates. Besides, if Gary follows his own advice, he allows for the potentiality that he may come across something magical and unexpected that allows him to reconsider the Jesus Zombie narrative. Whereas if we tie ourselves to our beliefs regardless of probability or consideration, nothing can change our robotic, mechanical minds.
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Tajna otvorenost "Suprotno od ispravnu izjava je lažnu izjavu. Ali suprotno od duboke istine može biti još jedan duboke istine "-. Niels Bohr Tajna otvorenost ima zdrav razumijevanje koncepta vjerojatnosti. Štaviše, to je sposobnost da se stvari u obzir, a ne samo da vjeruju u njih. Vjerujem može zaslepljujuće, i tako da ima visok potencijal da dovede do close-uma. A više razumna strategija je da imaju zdrav skepticizam, tako da smo dovoljno otvoreni prihvatiti radikalne nove ideje, ali ne toliko otvorene da naš mozak prosuti. Najbolji način za održavanje zdravog skepticizma je da se stvari u obzir, a ne vjerujem u njih. Uzimajući stvari u obzir je superioran u odnosu na vjerovanje, što se odnosi na otvorenost, upravo jer sve je dozvoljeno da bude moguće. Ali samo zato što (na dovoljno dugo vremenski okvir) sve je moguće, ne znači da je sve vjerojatno. To je gdje je vjerojatnost dolazi u, i daje nam nešto što možemo drži našu kapu. Na primjer: Ja sam samo u blizini-minded o jednoj stvari: biti u blizini-minded. Ne tehnički "vjeruju" u ništa. Jednostavno sam u obzir neke stvari više nego ja drugih. Jedino što sam siguran je da sigurnost je beskorisno. Vjerovatnoća, međutim, je izuzetno korisno. Sve pada duž linije od vjerojatnosti. Od .0000000001% vjerojatnost da će Flying Spaghetti Monster je Bog i jevrejska Zombie nas spasio od naših grijeha, u 99.999999999% vjerojatnost da će zemlja zapravo vrti oko Sunca i nije ravna. Sve od duhova kreću kroz zidove u šišmiša se od drveta (ili meso) pada između. Ja mogu uzeti evoluciju u obzir više od jednoroge, ali ni jedna neće imam apsolutnu sigurnost u. Sigurnost nam odmotavanje u kratkovide inerciji samo ostavlja i sprečava nas od razmišljanja izvan okvira, ili razbijanje mentalna paradigma, ili istezanje udobnost zone. To guši našu kreativnost i dovodi do zatvoriti jednoumlja. Sigurnost je za amatere i bliske-minded ljudi, u svakom slučaju. Kao poznati fizičar Richard Feynman rekao, "Imam približne odgovore i moguće uvjerenja i različitih stupnjeva sigurnosti o različitim stvarima, ali nisam siguran o čemu. Biti istinski open-minded ne hoda u parku. To zahtijeva ogromnu hrabrost. To je zato što nas istina otvorenost primorava da prisili našu glavu preko ruba ponora i da prihvate naše nesigurnosti o tome šta znači biti varljivi stvorenje uzaludno pokušavaju da vide beskonačnu stvarnost pomoću konačnih fakulteta. Ali, to je mač sa dvije oštrice. Druga strana mača je očaranost i strahopoštovanje sa avanturistički nepoznatog i duboko zadovoljstvo u nešto novo učenje, bez obzira da li ili ne ispada da je "istina." Ne možemo uvijek odabrati da bude superioran u odnosu na okolnost što nemilosrdno oprezan kroz korištenje vjerojatnosti. Na ovaj način smo nikad "uhvatili", a mi smo uvijek "otvoren" za nove ideje. Genuine otvorenost je stanje konstantnog čarolija. Iarolija razvija kada smo se izgubili, ponovno našao, i opet izgubili u nastavak ciklusa ljudskog lajtmotiv. To je upravo ovaj osjećaj unutrašnje-izgubljena-i-našao - ovaj balans samo-istraživanja i samonegaciji - koja nas drži avanturistički, radoznao, i otvoren za mnoge peripetije života. Zaista, to je to koja ima potencijal da nas pretvaraju u samoukih prvog reda, naoružani otvorenost, duhovne plastičnost, i glad za nepoznatim. Mi smo sebi dopustiti da bude nevjerovatno biće koje je Human Being. To je kad smo se drže uvjerenja i kvačila na sigurnošću da spriječi sebe od napreduje prema naprijed sa zdravim radoznalosti. Kao Alan Watts rekao, "Ono što je potrebno u ovom svemiru nije sigurno, ali hrabrost i živac kockar; nije fiksna osudu, ali prilagodljivost; Ne čvrsto tlo nakon čega stajati, ali vještina u plivanju. Ako dozvoljeno progresivne transgresije, ovo glad za nepoznatim eventualno aktuelizuje sama u koncept moralne fallibilism. Gdje smo se u suštini "naći" kroz neutemeljene prirode stvarnosti, ali gdje postoji još uvijek shvatiti da je neotuđivo bi se stvari (iako un-dokaziva). Rastući u stanje se našao je spoznaja da su sve stvari beskrajno neosnovane, i sve više radostan i očaravajuće zbog te činjenice. Ali, to je kada se gazi našu znatiželju da aspekte našeg ega kalcificiraju i postaju krute i ekstremne dok su ostali dijelovi ograditi. Tragično, fundamentalizam postaje primarni i sekundarni radoznalost. Kada ljudi su uvjereni svoje sigurnosti i više ne dovodi u pitanje njihov svjetonazor, potrazi istina u pitanju nesretna kraju. U avantura je gotova. Kao Louis G. Herman je napisao, "Svaki put smo da imamo sigurnošću o životu - da li je to sigurno dolazi iz matematike, logika, religion, politike ili ideologije - izgubili smo primarni iskustva. Mi smo deformirana naše bitne čovječnosti i zatvorena za pretragu. Katastrofa naziru. "Doubt,"Napisao Voltaire, "Nije ugodno stanje, ali sigurnost je apsurdna. "traže ne sigurnošću, ali apsolutna nesigurnost. Smisao života je o tome da život smisleno, Ne radi se o izgube u značenja donosimo na to. Samo moramo ostati fleksibilan i prilagodljiv promjene, jer je najveći vjerojatnost od svega je da se stvari promijeniti. Znanje nikada ne treba gledati kao na datom, ali kao poklon; poklon ne prikupiti kao sigurno, ali kao pravi poniznosti u lice ono što mislimo da znamo. Kao veliki Carl Sagan rekao, "Ljudi mogu žude apsolutnom sigurnošću; mogu težiti da ga; mogu pretvarati, kao sljedbenici neke religije rade, da dokuči. Ali istorije nauke- daleko najuspješniji tvrde da znanja dostupna ljudima- uči da je najviše čemu se možemo nadati je sukcesivno poboljšanje našeg razumijevanja, učenje iz naših grešaka, je asimptotski pristup univerzumu, ali s tim da apsolutnom sigurnošću uvijek će nam izmiču. Image Source: Neonska reklama Frank Zappa Vjerovatnoća Otvorenost je ključ Komentari As a self-identifying “Christian” I find nothing offensive about a the projected probability of a Jewish Zombie saving us from our sins. The point of open-mindedness is to recognize the probability of something and consider it anyway. Shoot, that’s kind of the point of faith within a Christian context (evidence of things hoped for and the substance of things unseen)… to consider or even believe something regardless of it’s probability. Faith is valued within Christianity, the more probable something is the less faith it requires. The offense, onda, only comes from a place of having your belief structure challenged. A low probability does not necessitate “impossible” only “less possible.” Bilo kako bilo, to be open-minded allows it to be considered. Gary seems to have considered Christianity’s view of salvation and perhaps presently finds it improbable; at times so do I. Sometimes that scares the shit out of me because it challenges my belief structure, but anytime I allow my belief structure to be challenged and choose to consider something else, I learn, grow, and maybe become more enlightened to the way that the universe operates. Pored, if Gary follows his own advice, he allows for the potentiality that he may come across something magical and unexpected that allows him to reconsider the Jesus Zombie narrative. Whereas if we tie ourselves to our beliefs regardless of probability or consideration, nothing can change our robotic, mechanical minds. Beautiful written! Thank you! Wow, what a breathtaking description of what it means to be open and alive. I’ve been on that journey since I learned to read. My naiveté may have gotten me into trouble; yet I’m still learning and growing. Healthy skepticism and an open mind. Works for me. Jewish Zombie?????? Can I just read a good article about open mindedness without Jesus bashing? That was entirely unnecessary for the purpose of the article.