{"id":195,"date":"2018-09-20T15:26:50","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T20:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/?page_id=195"},"modified":"2020-12-03T08:59:21","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T13:59:21","slug":"article-18","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/article-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Article 18"},"content":{"rendered":"

BELIEF: AN OWNER’S MANUAL<\/strong>
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 ARTICLE 18 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 JUDGING INFORMATIVE EXISTENTIAL VIEWPOINT BELIEFS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are there universal standards by which informative Existential Viewpoint beliefs can be judged? Not only is the answer, “Yes, ”\u00a0 but those standards are implied by structure of The Periodic Table of the Beliefs<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Even the least nuanced understanding of The Periodic Table <\/em>makes it evident that\u00a0 wholesome informative Existential Viewpoint beliefs are those that facilitate effective functioning in the Positivist, Ethical, Visionary, and Quest and Commitment Viewpoints. Pernicious informative Existential Viewpoint beliefs are those that interfere with such functioning. Those standards, I propose, are not only implicit in The Periodic Table<\/em>, but in your heart.<\/p>\n

I feel safe in assuming that you want, first and foremost, to be the kind of person who has a reasonably accurate understanding of reality. (Who but the Devil would want \u2013 or encourage you to want \u2013 anything else?) I assume that you want to be someone who can make thoughtful, sensitive, and credible judgments about what’s good and what’s bad. (Who but the Devil would renounce \u2013 or encourage you to renounce \u2013 that desire?) I assume that you want to be someone whose instincts about what might be better are \u201con target.\u201d (Who but the Devil would wish \u2013 or encourage you to wish \u2013 otherwise?) And I assume that you want to be someone whose approach to bringing about positive change is realistic, effective, balanced, humane, and free of serious unintended consequences. (Who but the Devil would wish to deny you that desire?)<\/p>\n

That is, wholesome informative Existential Viewpoint beliefs are those that encourage openness, objectivity, creativity, humility, self-awareness, and compassion when grappling with the nature of reality; when making moral, ethical, or aesthetic judgments; when dreaming about a better world; and\u00a0 when deciding what to do about one\u2019s dreams.<\/p>\n

As we learned in Article 15, such functioning, while profoundly rewarding, is both intellectually and emotionally challenging. Meeting that challenge requires, at minimum, the support of noetic relationships and open, disciplined, responsible communication. Those characteristics are detailed in the evaluation instrument at the end of this article.<\/p>\n

EVALUATING GOD\u2019S LOVE AND OTHER EXISTENTIAL VIEWPOINT BELIEFS<\/strong><\/p>\n

How, then, do I suggest we evaluate the belief that God loves us? Not by its truth, since its ability to explain everything after the fact while predicting nothing before the fact renders that truth illusory. Rather, I suggest we evaluate it by deliberately doubting both that belief and the web of beliefs it influences, and, with that mindset, asking what kind of person it makes us. How does it affect genuineness? Does it support noetic relationships? Does it support productive discourse? If it does, it\u2019s a wholesome belief. If not, it may benefit from revision.<\/p>\n

How do I suggest that we evaluate any informative Existential Viewpoint belief? How do I suggest that those who view themselves as unlovable evaluate that belief? How do I suggest we assess the impact of the Marxist belief that essentially all political events are economically determined?\u00a0 How do I suggest that anyone<\/em> assess their Existential Viewpoint beliefs on the poignant issues of the day? By employing the same process.<\/p>\n

I propose that we use this process to evaluate any belief for which we have\u00a0 no answer to the question, \u201cHow would I know if I was wrong?\u201d Ironically,\u00a0 this epistemological deficiency often manifests as confidence. Believers may reveal such confidence by beginning sentences with phrases like \u201cI find it inconceivable that . . .\u201d, \u201cI refuse to believe that . . .\u201d, or \u201cI categorically reject the idea that . . .\u201d. They may reveal such confidence in statements that end with words or phrases like, \u201cPeriod!\u201d or “That’s the end of the story!” Or they may reveal this species of confidence by\u00a0 expressing\u00a0 pride in the impenetrability of the bubbles that encase them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice that there\u2019s no place in this process for the apparent content of unfalsifiable beliefs. That\u2019s because such beliefs have nothing to say about the realities they appear to address. Instead, they tell us about the kinds of persons those who believe them choose to be.<\/p>\n

A PROBLEM . . . AND A HACK GODEL MIGHT APPRECIATE <\/strong><\/p>\n

While these standards may sound straightforward, you\u2019re likely to discover a problem if you try if you try to put them into action. That problem stems from the fact that Existential Viewpoint beliefs influence our judgment, affecting not only how we judge beliefs in other viewpoints, but how we judge other beliefs in the same (Existential) viewpoint. In fact, most Existential Viewpoint beliefs affect not only our judgment of other Existential Viewpoint beliefs, but our judgment of those beliefs themselves!<\/p>\n

If we wish to be more objective when evaluating our Existential Viewpoint beliefs, we must place ourselves behind a veil of ignorance like that which John Rawls suggested we use when making decisions about justice (Rawls, 1971). That veil should, to the extent possible, make us agnostic about the belief we\u2019re evaluating, the assumptions that support that belief, the web of observations and views those assumptions shape, and the web of observations and views the belief in question may have inspired (Quine & Ullian, 1978). The ideal opacity and size of that veil may be debatable. Still, there is little question that such a veil, however imperfect, improves the odds that evaluations of our Existential Viewpoint beliefs will increase our ability to function effectively and with integrity.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, creating a veil of ignorance is difficult. For most, it\u2019s more practical to ask, \u201cWhat would someone who disagreed with me about the Existential Viewpoint belief in question but whose objectivity was above reproach say about the ways I relate to that belief?\u201d If you find it impossible to imagine such a person (say, because you find it inconceivable that someone whose objectivity was above reproach could disagree with you), the belief in question is almost certainly motivated by the desire for reassurance rather than by the desire for information.\u00a0<\/p>\n

EVALUATING INFORMATIVE EXISTENTIAL VIEWPOINT BELIEFS: A PRACTICAL APPROACH<\/strong><\/p>\n

How, then, do I suggest you\u00a0 evaluate any informative Existential Viewpoint belief \u2013 that is, any belief that (a) affects the objectivity you bring to bear in dealing with other informative beliefs and (b) for which you have no answer to the question, \u201cHow would I know if I was wrong?\u201d The answer: by (a) deliberately doubting both that belief and the web of beliefs it influences (or by imagining what someone would see if he\/she were a person of incontrovertible integrity who disagreed with your \u201ctake\u201d on the belief in question) and, with that mindset, asking how that belief affects you. Does it make you more genuine or less genuine? Does it support noetic relationships? Does it support productive discourse? If it does all of these, it\u2019s probably wholesome. If not, you may wish to reflect more deeply on its impact on you and those you love.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 EXERCISE 18 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>EVALUATING THE IMPACT\u00a0 OF\u00a0 YOUR\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0INFORMATIVE EXISTENTIAL VIEWPOINT BELIEFS \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. For a few days, do your best to identify Existential Viewpoint beliefs that you accept and view as informative. You may encounter such beliefs in your thoughts, in conversations, in your reading, or in the entertainment or news media. Some such beliefs may be assumed rather than expressed. Document these beliefs in writing.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Choose a few beliefs to evaluate.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Use “A Tool to Help You Identify the Desire(s) that Motivate(s) Your Beliefs,” which you can find at the end of Article 7, to verify that each of the beliefs you’ve chosen to evaluate is informative. <\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Determine whether the beliefs you’ve chosen to evaluate are unfalsifiable — e.g., by verifying your inability to determine how you’d know if it was wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Repeat steps 1-4 until you’ve identified three to five informative Existential Viewpoint beliefs.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Print a copy of the tool below for each t0-be-evaluated belief.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Write each belief in the space containing the sentence stem, \u201cI believe that . . .\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Keeping the pertinent belief in mind, answer each of the questions in \u201cA Tool to Help You Evaluate the Impact of Informative Existential Viewpoint Beliefs,” which follows. below.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 A TOOL TO HELP YOU EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF YOUR\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>INFORMATIVE\u00a0 EXISTENTIAL VIEWPOINT BELIEFS \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    I believe that . . .<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    1. \u00a0 Do your best to answer the following questions (a)\u00a0 by placing yourself behind the “veil of ignorance” described above, or<\/em> (b) as you might answer it if you believed differently, or<\/em> (c) as someone of impeccable integrity might answer for you if he\/she had unrestricted access to your consciousness but disagreed with you about the belief in question.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 a. \u00a0 What is the impact of this belief on my desire <\/span><\/p>\n

    i. \u00a0\u00a0 for experience?<\/span>
    ii. \u00a0 for competence?<\/span>
    iii.\u00a0 to delight in creation?<\/span>
    iv.\u00a0 to nurture all I touch?<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 b. \u00a0 How does this belief affect my<\/span><\/p>\n

    i. \u00a0\u00a0 openness and curiosity?<\/span>
    ii. \u00a0 desire and capacity for insight and understanding?<\/span>
    iii. desire and capacity to communicate my insights clearly, powerfully, and, when appropriate, creatively?<\/span>
    iv.\u00a0 willingness to subject my ideas to rigorous testing, critical discussion, and ongoing refinement and, if appropriate, to abandon those ideas?<\/span>
    v.\u00a0 \u00a0commitment to acting on my best understanding, albeit with humility and caution borne of awareness that my best understanding may be wrong?<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 c. \u00a0 Does the belief inspire relationships that<\/span><\/p>\n

    i. \u00a0\u00a0 are devoted to pursuit of inexhaustible goals?<\/span>
    ii. \u00a0 encourage participants to root for their own success?<\/span>
    iii.\u00a0 encourage participants to root for each other\u2019s successes?<\/span>
    iv.\u00a0 encourage participants to cherish their own desires for experience, knowledge, mastery and love?<\/span>
    v. \u00a0\u00a0 encourage participants to cherish their own genuineness, i.e., their<\/span>
    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 1. \u00a0 openness and curiosity?<\/span>
    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 2. \u00a0 desire and capacity for insight and understanding?<\/span>
    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 3. \u00a0 desire and capacity to communicate to communicate their insights clearly, powerfully, and, when appropriate, creatively?<\/span>
    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 4.\u00a0 willingness to subject their ideas to rigorous testing, critical discussion, and ongoing refinement and, if appropriate, to abandon those ideas?<\/span>
    vi. \u00a0 encourage participants to cherish each other\u2019s genuineness, i.e., their<\/span>
    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1. \u00a0 openness and curiosity?<\/span>
    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2.\u00a0 desire and capacity for insight and understanding?<\/span>
    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3.\u00a0 desire and capacity to communicate their insights clearly, powerfully, and, when appropriate, creatively?<\/span>
    \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 4.\u00a0 willingness to subject their ideas to rigorous testing, critical discussion, and ongoing refinement and, if appropriate, to abandon those ideas?<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 d. \u00a0 Does the belief encourage believers to<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0 i. \u00a0 \u00a0 avoid contradicting themselves?<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0ii. \u00a0\u00a0 strive for consistency?<\/span><\/p>\n

    iii.\u00a0 mean what they say?<\/span><\/p>\n

    iv.\u00a0 defend their positions?<\/span><\/p>\n

    v. \u00a0\u00a0 abjure defending those positions with invalid arguments or biased data?<\/span><\/p>\n

    vi.\u00a0 justify their refusal to defend their positions, if they so refuse?<\/span><\/p>\n

    vii. abjure the use of threats or force to influence what is said or how it\u00a0 \u00a0 is understood?<\/span><\/p>\n

    viii. employ only valid arguments and unbiased data to support their\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 positions?<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0ix. state their positions in ways that render them subject to falsification\u00a0 \u00a0and\/or meaningful discussion?<\/span><\/p>\n

    x. refuse to buttress their positions by manipulating the terms and\/or rules of debate <\/span><\/p>\n

    2. What thoughts and feelings did you become aware of while doing this exercise?<\/span><\/p>\n

    REFERENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Quine, W. V. and Ullian, J. S. (1970). The Web of Belief. New York: Random House, 1970.<\/p>\n

    Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 1971.<\/p>\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    BELIEF: AN OWNER’S MANUAL\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 ARTICLE 18 \u00a0 … Continue reading “Article 18”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-195","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1013,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/195\/revisions\/1013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}