Reason and Awareness
A posting to Mudita Forum:
In his excellent post on “Why you shouldn’t believe anything I say,” Craig Richards points out a number of profound examples of how we can be misled by our instinctive trust for thought. Here are my answers to some of his final questions.
How can we know when we are able to trust our thinking?
As phrased, this question could imply that there are instances where reason is fallible (and should not be trusted) and other instances where reason is infallible (and thus can be trusted). The latter is seldom the case, and yet we should trust reason.
Reason’s fallibility should not cause us to give up on reason. Rather, it means that one should generally remain highly open to information that might suggest our thinking is in error.
To the extent that one remains open to information on a topic, the process of reasoning can be remarkably effective. Remember, the essence of reason lies in the simple, and profound, principle of non-contradiction: A cannot be A and non-A at the same time and in the same respect. (The “at the same time and in the same respect” part is quite crucial, and commonly overlooked in the various philosophical criticisms of reason.)
When your thinking suggests that A is A and non-A at the same time and in the same respect, then this is a good indication that there is a flaw in your thinking, because actual contradictions can only exist in our minds, not in reality—reality is consistent.
That said, here are a few indications that I use personally to evaluate when I can trust my own experience, with reason as my guide:
* When I have heard a variety of perspectives on the subject
* When I do not have a feeling of resistance, in my body, to one or more of the perspectives
* When the sum of the evidence points in one direction, with little or no evidence pointing in the other direction
* When I am aware of no contradictions in the position at which I have arrived
I do not present this as an “authoritative” guide in such matters, only as an observation about my own thinking processes.
How can we be sure our thinking has not been affected by one of these very common cognitive errors, or some other error?
Careful, honest introspection is the best way to “be sure.” Cultivating this ability requires work and a sincere commitment to awareness.
If cognitive thinking is not equivalent to reason, then what is reason?
I like Nathaniel Branden’s definition: Reason is the faculty which integrates our experience in accordance with the principle of non-contradiction.
I see this as highly compatible with, if not synonymous, with cognitive thinking. I believe someone on the list pointed out a distinction between the two, but I don’t remember it.
Obviously, reason’s purview is not limited to “thought,” but also includes the integration of emotions, perceptions, intuitions, and second-hand information. When all of these factors point in the same direction, we’ve no reason to mistrust reason (or the underlying processes). If and when new and contradictory information becomes available, then we should adjust our conclusions accordingly.
What is the highest, truest functioning of our minds? And how do we know that we are using our minds in accordance with their highest functioning?
I agree with Nathaniel Branden’s formulation (in his extraordinary book The Art of Living Consciously—buy it for $3.70 at half.com) that reason represents the highest manifestation of the integrative principle inherent in life itself. Through concepts, reason makes conscious the very integrative process that is inherent in every level of life: molecules integrating into cells, cells into organs, organs into conscious experience, conscious experience into perceptions, and perceptions into abstractions.
That said, I regard thinking (or reasoning) to be a rather facile process. One can study it and get better at it if you want—and I know many people for whom this would be a worthwhile undertaking—but the basic process is fairly intuitive. Most people are very, very good at doing it on a day-to-day basis with with little or no formal training in logic. However, they tend to abandon these skills when their emotions or desires get in the way.
The best way to spot such errors is to remain open to new and valuable experiences that may contradict your original conclusion. For this reason, I increasingly find that the highest, truest use of consciousness lies in cultivating the capacity for an open and accepting awareness of present moment experience—including our body, our mind, our emotions, and our surroundings.
This is the Achilles heel for most people; they become so caught up in their minds that they grow frighteningly weak in their intimate relationship with reality, which can only be found through present moment experience. (I’m sure most people couldn’t count ten of their own breaths without becoming distracted!) In my experience, adopting a mindfulness practice is a wonderful antidote to this particular affliction.
