The wrongness of our questions - Gregory Bateson
Article Summary
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| John S Veitch |
| The Network Ambassador |
Gregory Bateson believed that good ideas are driven out by over-simple, easy and hoped for outcomes.
In Bateson's view both inductive thinking and deductive thinking lead us into thinking errors. The secret he says is to, "find the pattern that connects."
Bateson said that his students were of two types, which he labeled for descriptive purposes, protestants and catholics (or Marxists) .
Both groups lack thinking tools like having pre-suppositions and establishing a hypothesis, it was very difficult for both groups to learn to think clearly.
Those who have strong beliefs find it almost impossible to learn. This points to a self generated problem created by the use of popular techniques like positive thinking.
All improved methods of perception will disclose what was totally unpredictable from what was known before.
According to the concept in my own mind, the world is understandable and predictable and can be controlled. This is wrong in principle.
If you ask is globalization good or bad, you have to respond, that it's both good and bad.
What happens over 20 years if income inequality simply gets greater and greater?
Economist ask us to choose. Do we want a larger GNP? Do we want better income equality? Do we want people to have better income mobility?
The problems we face cannot be solved, by national politicians pretending to be global leaders.
The world needs genuine, enforcable, global law and genuine global leaders.
All our thinking tends to become circular and self validating.
Our minds congratulate us for our brilliance even when we are making basic and simple errors of judgment.
We all need to be evaluated by others, by meeting on common ground with our peers.
Bateson said, "We presuppose that our ideas have some cogency and reality. They are what we can know."
There is always a bigger picture, a higher level, a stronger force, a more complete model, outside whatever concepts you might have.
Gregory Bateson gives us many good reasons for re-examining our own thinking in discussion with others.
If you need the original article it's here.
