{"id":232,"date":"2018-09-30T11:32:56","date_gmt":"2018-09-30T16:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/?page_id=232"},"modified":"2020-04-04T08:40:05","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T13:40:05","slug":"article-20","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/article-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Article 20"},"content":{"rendered":"

BELIEF: AN OWNER\u2019S MANUAL<\/strong>
ARTICLE 20<\/strong>
CONCLUDING COMMENTS ON <\/strong>
THE PERIODIC TABLE, <\/strong>
SOME APPLICATIONS, <\/strong>
AND WHAT WE\u2019VE ACHIEVED<\/strong><\/p>\n

JEWELS IN THE PERIODIC TABLE\u2019S<\/em> CROWN <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat,\u201d you may be wondering, \u201cdoes the absence of shading of the six cells near the lower left-hand corner of The Periodic Table of the Beliefs<\/em> indicate?\u201d Those six cells are home to the only beliefs that tell us \u2013 or even hint at \u2013 anything about reality. You can think of those cells as jewels of authentic reason in the warped and tarnished crown we take to be thought.<\/p>\n

The area those cells occupy suggests an answer to one of humanity’s most intractable questions: \u201cWhy do science and technology progress by leaps and bounds while ethics and morality slog through the muck, disoriented and exhausted?\u201d The answer? Our scientific and technical disciplines corral us in the small corner of the cognitive terrain in which we engage reality most effectively.\u00a0 Other fields of inquiry send us into treacherous and impenetrable intellectual wastelands, defenseless and oblivious to our plight.<\/p>\n

EVALUATING AND COMPARING YOUR OWN BELIEFS <\/strong><\/p>\n

How do I suggest you evaluate a belief you may be questioning? By comparing the guidance you expect with the guidance it provides. When you\u2019ve mastered the concepts and tools described in the articles on this website, you should usually be able to do so informally. However, until you become adept in the use of those concepts and tools (including The Periodic Table of the Beliefs<\/em>), I suggest using A Procedure for Evaluating Individual Beliefs<\/em>.<\/p>\n

How do I suggest choosing between beliefs that compete for your credence? By using the procedure detailed in An Approach to Comparing Beliefs<\/em> to identify the belief that does the best job of supplying beneficial guidance.<\/p>\n

The analytic procedures described on this website are designed for self-examination. However, such self-examination is often most beneficial if done with a partner. Your partner must, of course, be open to Critical Belief Analysis and willing to do his\/her best to understand its philosophy, concepts, and tools. He\/she should relate to you noetically (See Article 15). Ideally, he\/she should be perceptive, patient, candid, honest, self-aware, life-affirming, committed to open communication, and willing to respectfully point out your follies and foibles. He\/she should wish the best for you and him\/herself. He\/she should cherish both your spirit and his\/her own. He\/she should have a sense of humor forged by acceptance of life\u2019s limitations and ironies. And his\/her commitment to confidentiality must be unquestionable.<\/p>\n

AN OVERALL APPROACH TO MANAGING DISAGREEMENTS WITH OTHER CRITICAL BELIEF ANALYSTS <\/strong><\/p>\n

How do I suggest discussing beliefs with those with whom you disagree? If they are committed to and skilled in Critical Belief Analysis, your task is relatively easy. While it is difficult for anyone, regardless how sophisticated, to rise above attachment to being \u201cright,\u201d devotees of Critical Belief Analysis, if treated noetically and conversed with rationally (as Habermas used that term) are likely to respond positively to the invitation to collaborate in methodically comparing beliefs. If that offer is accepted, each of you should strive to embody the characteristics of ideal partners detailed above.<\/p>\n

In my experience, most disagreements between Critical Belief Analysts are over competing catalytic narratives. In the ideal, discussion of such narratives should focus primarily on the questions, \u201cAm I hoping that this belief will provide information or reassurance?\u201d, \u201cHow well does the belief in question, if I look to it for information, embody the virtues proper to informative Existential Viewpoint beliefs?\u201d, \u201cTo what extent does the belief in question, if I look to it for reassurance, embody the virtues and avoid the pitfalls proper to reassuring Existential Viewpoint beliefs?\u201d and \u201cTo what extent does the belief in question, if relied upon for both information and reassurance, embody the virtues proper to informative Existential Viewpoint beliefs while avoiding the pitfalls proper to reassuring Existential Viewpoint beliefs?\u201d I submit that such an approach, however imperfect, is superior to invariably unproductive arguments over competing \u201ctruths.\u201d<\/p>\n

AN OVERALL APPROACH TO MANAGING DISAGREEMENTS WITH NA\u00cfVE BELIEVERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

If those with whom you disagree are convinced that the bubbles that encase them are infinite or transparent, I suggest treating them noetically and rationally whether they treat you that way or not. I urge you to recall how you once related to your beliefs and how you might once have responded if someone disputed them. I suggest that you reflect on the intellectual and emotional challenges you overcame to arrive at your current understanding of beliefs \u2013 the difficult concepts you learned; the daunting skills you mastered; the painstaking self-examination you endured; the treasured beliefs you grudgingly examined and reluctantly discarded; the uncertainty, confusion, and resentment you rose above. And I urge you to think about how radically your current view of beliefs differs from the view you once held \u2013 about how incomprehensible or absurd your current understanding of belief would have once appeared to you. Even if you are constitutionally open and flexible, the attitudes of the bubble-encased believer before you probably have much in common with those you once held. Be compassionate.<\/p>\n

That said, if the opportunity arises, you may wish to occasionally make comments or ask questions about the believer\u2019s relationship to his\/her beliefs. A few examples are listed below.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Comment:<\/em> You seem to believe that _________.
\u2022 Question:<\/em> How do you feel about talking about (the belief in question)?
\u2022 Comment:<\/em> This belief seems to affect how you see yourself.
\u2022 Comment:<\/em> You seem to be certain (or passionate) about this belief.
\u2022 Comment:<\/em> Being part of a (group\/community\/church\/political party) that believes this seems to be \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 important to you.
\u2022 Comment:<\/em> Telling others about this belief seems to be important to you.
\u2022 Question:<\/em> What has that belief encouraged you to (think or do)? Follow-up questions:<\/em> How has this belief \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 made you feel? How has it \u201cworked\u201d for you?
\u2022 Questions:<\/em> How do you feel about the fact that not everyone shares (the belief in question)? How do you \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 explain that? What do you think of (or How do you feel about) those who see things differently? Does \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 disagreement about (this issue) make friendships\/relationships difficult?<\/p>\n

You may have noticed that the most significant, provocative, and frequently asked question in these articles, \u201cHow would you know if you were wrong?\u201d, is not among the suggested questions. That\u2019s because these questions are not intended to challenge those of whom they\u2019re asked. Rather, they are intended to gently open the eyes of the tautology-blind, however slightly, to the bubbles that surround them and to the possibility of examining those bubbles and what lies beyond them.<\/p>\n

There is a chance that na\u00efve believers whose eyes are thus opened may inquire about how you view beliefs, inviting you to introduce them to Critical Belief Analysis or your more specific views. Any such inquiries should be warmly welcomed and responded to with restraint. Your response should leave the inquirer wanting more.<\/p>\n

A FINAL SELF-REFLEXIVE NOTE: HOW TO\u00a0 EVALUATE THIS APPROACH TO BELIEF ANALYSIS <\/strong><\/p>\n

There are two ways to determine whether the approach to belief analysis described on this website serves you well. On the one hand, you can use \u201cA Procedure for Evaluating Individual Beliefs\u201d <\/strong>to analyze either the belief that\u00a0beliefs are worthy of credence only if they provide the guidance that believers rely on them to provide <\/em>or, more colloquially, that <\/em>the approach described on this website offers a firm foundation for belief analysis.<\/em> If you use either of these procedures, remember to treat the belief in question as proper to the Existential Viewpoint.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, if you\u2019ve studied the ideas in these articles and chosen to embrace them, you can determine how well they serve you by observing their effects on your thoughts, feelings, and actions. If they live up to their promise, they should make it easier to take responsibility for your choices and their consequences. They should intensify your delight in life. They should make it easier to identify and transcend your biases and enhance your objectivity. They should sharpen your capacity to reason clearly and think critically. They should deepen your capacity for insight and creativity. They should render you more sensitive to your errors and more adept at correcting them. They should make your actions more efficacious. They should enhance the effectiveness of your communications. They should deepen your desire and your capacity to understand and feel close to others. They should intensify your delight in attentiveness, intelligence, reasonableness, and responsibility wherever you encounter them as well as the effectiveness with which you express that delight. They should render you more loving.<\/p>\n

SUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hope that these articles have helped you<\/p>\n

\u2022 sharpen your awareness of how much beliefs matter<\/p>\n

\u2022 recognize the five common habits of thought that interfere with being objective about beliefs, i.e.,<\/p>\n

o the arbitrary and restrictive definition of the word \u201cbelief\u201d
o the habit of treating beliefs as conscious entities rather than cognitive tools
o the view that the truth of a belief is a reliable guide to its value
o uncritical acceptance of second-order precepts\u00a0
o lack of systematic attention to three characteristics that affect the guidance beliefs provide \u2013 the \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 fundamental need that motivates our beliefs, the ambiguity of our beliefs, and their viewpoints<\/p>\n

\u2022 free yourself of those habits of thought<\/p>\n

\u2022 understand how need, ambiguity, and viewpoint affect the guidance beliefs can supply<\/p>\n

\u2022 realize that we rely on many of our beliefs for guidance they can\u2019t possibly provide<\/p>\n

\u2022 realize that many of the presumably informative beliefs that guide and inspire us are inherently \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 ambiguous, limited by the precision of the beliefs that ground them, and self-discrediting if they bias \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 those beliefs<\/p>\n

\u2022 realize how many of the beliefs we take to be undeniable insights into reality are existential choices that, \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 by transforming our experience and judgment, create the illusion of truth<\/p>\n

\u2022 familiarize yourself with the universal standards by which our existential choices can be judged, \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 realizing that<\/p>\n

o informative existential beliefs are wholesome if they help us deal effectively with reality
o reassuring beliefs, if used carefully, can help us create illusions we need to deal with life\u2019s \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 unavoidable stresses but that such beliefs, if used improperly, can create ruinous errors and render\u00a0 \u00a0us vulnerable to addiction<\/p>\n

\u2022 understand how The Periodic Table of the Beliefs<\/em> depicts or implies the above insights<\/p>\n

\u2022 adopt attitudes that can help you more effectively assess, compare, and discuss beliefs<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

EXERCISE 20:<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflect on what you\u2019ve experienced in the course of reading these articles and doing the exercises. How have those experiences changed you?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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

BELIEF: AN OWNER\u2019S MANUALARTICLE 20CONCLUDING COMMENTS ON THE PERIODIC TABLE, SOME APPLICATIONS, AND WHAT WE\u2019VE ACHIEVED JEWELS IN THE PERIODIC TABLE\u2019S CROWN \u201cWhat,\u201d you may be wondering, \u201cdoes the absence of shading of the six cells near the lower left-hand corner of The Periodic Table of the Beliefs indicate?\u201d Those six cells are home to … Continue reading “Article 20”<\/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-232","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/232","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=232"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":983,"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/232\/revisions\/983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/barneysplace.net\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}