Examples of rational and irrational thinking. The structure and work of the mind (excerpt from the book "Concentration and Meditation")
Rational thinking differs from irrational in that it is based on logically sound arguments and facts for reflection and decision making. Irrational thinking is an incoherent train of thought that does not have a strictly built logical chain and is based on assumptions and feelings. Irrational thinking arises from a person's desire to believe in their fantasies.
Rational thinking is a process, not a result
This way of thinking is the ability to build logical chains, draw appropriate conclusions and. The desire to think rationally is a positive factor for working on your own shortcomings. Guided by logical reflections, a person does not act spontaneously, thereby excluding unpleasant surprises. Rational thinking allows a person to see things in their true light, explains the inexplicable, calms and shows the shortest way to achieve the desired result. This method helps, which is currently considered paramount.
To learn how to think rationally, follow these guidelines:
Start each reflection with a search for proven facts. Sometimes this is difficult to do, but without them it is impossible to build a logical chain that will lead to the right conclusions and the right actions;
In thinking, be guided by the fact that your point of view (as well as those of others) may be wrong. Ask your friends about their vision of this fact.
Do not judge the actions and behavior of people only by external manifestations. Do you think that a friend avoids communicating with you? What are your conclusions based on? On logic or assumptions? Find out the truth, don't guess. Find confirmation that you are the one being avoided. Maybe a person is in trouble, and he seeks to limit communication with everyone. He is not up to you;
Do not think out phrases for your opponent, do not imagine what he is thinking about. Listen carefully to the interlocutors, and perceive only what they say to you;
Doubt the sincerity of the words and actions of a person? Speak directly, expressing grievances and asking questions.
The Benefits of Rational Thinking
The benefits of rational thinking can be seen in simple example. You have heard reproaches and dissatisfaction from the interlocutor, expressed in the rejection of your views and behavior. The first impulse in this case will be to answer the person in the same way. But what do you get in case of a scandal? Mutual hostility, mental discomfort, and prolonged. It is better to preserve your own dignity and peace of mind. A person with rational thinking will do it easier - he will analyze his own actions that caused criticism and discontent, and accept the opinion of the one who criticized him. He will try to find a consensus - to reach an agreement on the issue on which both have their own opinion. At the same time, it will make it clear to the opponent that it is possible to resolve issues by amicable agreement, without offending or humiliating the views of the interlocutor.
Rational thinking contributes to the fact that a person regains peace of mind. You can give an example of how people think when flying in an airplane that has fallen into a zone of turbulence:
irrational thinking person at the same moment he imagines his own death in every detail.
A rationally thinking person thinks that there was a similar situation, and everything ended well. In addition, the percentage of air crashes from total number flights in the world is negligible.
In any case, it is better to be calm and cool until the very end than to "wind up" yourself, making the situation worse and panicking.
Rational thinking is typical for people in the following professions:
Mathematicians;
Military;
Physics;
Chemists, etc.
In every field where knowledge of the exact sciences is required, people use rational thinking.
Irrational thinking - feelings and emotions
People who do not know how to separate facts from fiction and build logical chains of thought use irrational thinking. It is difficult for them to foresee the events and the result of certain actions, which leads to spontaneous actions and unnecessary experiences. However, rational thinking is impossible without the presence of an irrational (spiritual) component. For example, an artist cannot explain the principle that he uses in the selection of colors. It turns out that he contradicts the laws of logic, while creating masterpieces of fine art.
However, the layman needs to be taught to deal with manifestations of irrational thinking. It is necessary to analyze events and facts in order to exclude the possibility of thinking irrationally.
extremes.
When evaluating this or that situation, do not fall into extremes like “all or nothing” or “this is definitely black, but this is white, and halftones do not exist.” To deal with such manifestations, there are several rules:
no bad and good people All of them with their own advantages and disadvantages. In every person you can find positive qualities and “close your eyes” to negative ones;
Eliminate words from the lexicon that express the extreme degree of something. For example, "always" or "never". Do not use them in relation to others and to yourself;
Leave aside the categorical thinking. It's better to admit to people that you suffer from temper tantrums, rather than claiming that you are a quick-tempered person. This is how you justify your shortcomings.
"Nightmare".
Change your attitude towards such thoughts:
Think about the fact that the situation that has arisen is a problem, but not one that guarantees imminent death or the end of the existence of the universe;
Compare the current situation with a truly terrible event - the death of a loved one or the condition of people in Nazi concentration camps.
Comfort yourself with the following thoughts:
“This is a trifle that is not worth focusing on it”;
"Unpleasant, but not fatal";
"Everything will be fine";
"The earth will not leave its orbit, and humanity will continue to exist."
"End of the world".
If you are used to exaggerating the destructive power of a particular problem, imagining the terrible consequences of the situation that has arisen, calm down with the following thoughts:
Learn to expect from life not only blows, but also good moments;
Constantly repeat to yourself that the outcome of the situation may be bad, but the probability of this is negligible.
Don't worry about what might happen. The key word here is "may". Most likely, this will not happen at all, and you are just wasting your nerves;
Try to design several scenarios, and calculate the percentage probability that the outcome will be the worst.
"I can not do it anymore".
This belief is not only of people who use irrational thinking, but also of those who. Reformulate the expression and convince yourself that life is difficult for you now, but gradually you will overcome this barrier.
The main thing is to answer yourself the question of whether this is really your problem? Or are you just experiencing someone else's pain, passing it off as your own.
March 22, 2014, 11:21 amYOUR RATIONAL MIND
For most people, life is a battlefield between outside world and their ego, which is dominated by addictions to security, certain sensations and power. In order to experience the beauty of life, you need to return your consciousness to a state of clear calm, which is most of the time in babies. In order to constantly see life from the Fourth, Fifth or Sixth Centers of consciousness, it is not at all necessary to bring yourself by training to the state when thoughts no longer arise spontaneously and there is no uncontrolled stream of consciousness. However, the flow of thoughts should be reduced to a light breeze that slightly sways the leaves of the trees - instead of a biting hurricane that bends the trees into an arc.
When you were born, you had very few emotional demands. Some milk to satisfy hunger was a basic need. Since then, you have invested hundreds of hundreds of programs in yourself that have nothing to do with the physical provision of your life. Most of these addictions are related to social roles to which we are emotionally attached. Emotional addiction, or expectation, is like a balloon that you have to carry around with you and guard, fearing that someone would puncture it. While your ego is trying to protect you by automatically triggering fears of loss of security, desire for pleasure and power-related anger, your rational mind is doing its job of trying to help the ego. It justifies why you are "right." It manipulates and schemes in an attempt to help you implement the "success" model for the various roles you identify with.
As you grow into higher consciousness, you will realize that all your fears, sorrows and anger are a lesson that this world is offering you in order to help you free yourself from all this pandemonium that you have become involved in. The world gives you an experience that will help you understand how automatic you are when you play different roles that you depend on. Every feeling of disunity, resentment, resentment, distrust, or annoyance about anything anyone does or says should serve as a reminder that you are playing the game of life without awareness. The world tells you that
Life is just a game we play. It has no special path!
Your ego and reason are running on rigid programs that say that the world must be quite certain, such and such, that the people around you must act and act in such and such a way, and that your rational mind must arrange everything right. When life presents you with something that goes against the patterns you are accustomed to, your ego pushes your mind to restless thought work. At the same time, the ego triggers negative emotions such as anxiety, resentment, resentment, rejection, and so on. Your pulse quickens and a fair amount of adrenaline is thrown into the bloodstream. This psychosomatic shake through the system feedback, in turn, activates the mind again, and it begins to work even more strongly. Until you understand your consciousness, you will accept these chaotic jolts as something "important" that is needed in life. As your consciousness increases, you will learn to work with your mind without it automatically throwing you into emotional upheavals that make you try to manipulate the outside world into your system of expectations.
For example, when you don't understand how this trio of your addiction programs, your ego, and your rational mind works, you will automatically become angry when someone criticizes you. When the Center of Power ceases to determine reactions, you will have the opportunity to choose what to do and what to say when you are criticized. You may wish to just quietly listen to what they have to say and appreciate that they are giving you the opportunity to benefit from their thoughts. It is not always necessary to agree or disagree - just take what is offered to you and use what you can from it, and leave the rest. You may wish to find out and discuss someone else's criticisms or suggestions. You can ask them to help - they will gladly put energy into what they themselves offer. You can tell them that you already know what they are talking about, and decided to do it your way anyway - and this is “what is here and now”. In other words, when you have receptivity and understanding instead of irritation and hyper-reactivity, then you have a choice among possible reactions.
Instantaneous, automatic alarm system, in which your programs, mind and ego instantly create an emotional sense of urgent need, was developed by our ancestors in order to survive in the jungle. If you are not facing a life threat or immediate physical danger, then the optimal solution to any “problem” is to harmonize your energies with the energies of the world around you. And in order to be in tune with the “we” stream of consciousness (instead of the “I” versus “they” consciousness), it is necessary to be calm enough to receive the understanding and receptivity that will always come to you when you raise your addictions. to the level of preference.
As you become more and more experienced in the application of the Paths, you will again see what a trick your rational mind has played on you. You will see the way your ego and programs forced it to act and produce a long chain of critical, divisive thoughts. You will learn to distinguish between these thoughts that you produce at the moment of frustration, and call them pure nonsense ... You do not accept or reject them. You just “let them happen”, watch them and feel a sense of peace that you are no longer caught in their web. This enables the intuitive wisdom that has always been within you to operate.
Suppose, for example, that someone is trying to force you to change your mind about something. You may feel that he is invading the limits of your power, prestige and pride. Your ego immediately activates your mind to react and crush this person who was foolish to disagree with you. When you have the ability to watch your mind at work without triggering negative feelings and emotions, you will have a choice between those reactions that produce separation and those that lead to love and union. When you work at the level of the lower consciousness, you don't have that choice. You will immediately insert any “necessary thought” that comes to mind, even if this interrupts the interlocutor.
As you grow towards higher consciousness, you may observe the machine-like, automatic "production" of your rational mind. It will be like a sixth sense for you - just another kind of sensory information. When you raise your addictions to the level of preference, your thoughts will no longer automatically ignite your emotions. For the first time in your life, you will begin to free yourself from the pandemonium of your mind.
It is interesting to note that this is not self-repression. When you repress, you don't express your feelings because you're afraid of the consequences. Suppression is the most harmful thing you can do to yourself. Our suggestion is to take the energy generated by your emotions and channel it into reprogramming your addiction into a preference. You thus do not suppress the energy, but use it constructively and usefully, so that the chains of thoughts that your mind generates do not trigger feelings of anger and resentment. As your consciousness grows, you will not have negative emotions to repress or even express. You will become like a connoisseur who lacks everything, but, subtly feeling, perceiving and understanding, makes the exact choice. A conscious being always knows that the best thing to do in life is to act out of love, because it gives us the opportunity to perceive people not as some completely different things from us.
When your biocomputer processes information that does not annoy you, you will notice that in your field of consciousness there is no this constant conflict between you and the outside world. You will then be able to tune in to the finer aspects of the people around you and situations. Your understanding and receptivity will increase a hundredfold. You will see that innate wisdom, which can only act when your mind is silent, begins to guide you and guide you so that you respond in the most optimal way to any life situation.
The traditional way to calm the mind is meditation. Most methods of meditation consist of sitting with a straight back in a solitary room and concentrating on a physical object or abstract idea in order to stop the flow of random, superficial thoughts. For example, you can focus on breathing - inhaling and exhaling. Or, for example, you can put a small candle in front of you and train your consciousness so that during meditation it is occupied by the candle flame. When all sorts of “stray”, extraneous thoughts come - for example, “I wonder how long it will take to get results”, or “My knee hurts”, then the person does not become attached to these thoughts and allows them to freely associate. But at the same time, thoughts are not rejected, because the more you drive them, the more persistently they will climb towards you, openly or covertly. You gradually develop the ability to simply let them pass by, and you gradually return to the object of meditation without harshness, but gradually. You know that at any given moment, your mind can only give its full attention to one thing, even though your mind can switch at lightning speed. Keeping one object or thought constantly in your mind, you gradually train your mind so that it stops its chaotic activity and becomes a good servant for you.
If you are currently using the traditional method of meditation and it is giving you results, then it is probably better for you to continue this practice - especially if you have good teacher with which you work personally. Any system of meditation is in harmony with the Path of Living Love. However, if you are not currently using any method, you can use the Five Paths to move to the Fourth Center of Consciousness. They do not require you to leave the world for a minute and do not require you to withdraw from everyday affairs. They help you reap the many benefits of meditation while you are involved in the midst of the day-to-day activities and concerns of your life. One of the main “objects” of meditation is to perceive yourself and the world around you clearly and consciously: without emotional addictions, claims, addictions, infantile stereotypes, etc. For most people, experience has shown that the direct path to this is through the Twelve Paths, Seven Centers and Five Methods. We call this psycho-technique “meditation through action”.
Quieting your rational mind by reducing the load of addictions that constantly activate it is an important phase of your journey to higher consciousness. We have millions of years of animal life in the jungle behind us, where life and death depended on hundredths of a second, and our emotions, ego and reason react to everything that happens around us much faster than necessary. As consciousness grows, you will become more receptive and your capacity to receive will increase. You just let the sensory information come in, let it sort out and go. You see your mind “form warnings”, but you will learn to allow your mind to produce streams of thoughts without your ego getting caught in their web. When your mind generates thoughts motivated by security, pleasure and power that make you feel annoyed, disconnected, and you start throwing someone out of your heart, then you know that you are working at lower levels of consciousness. You become more and more aware of those periods when your mind begins to “foam” or rush back and forth. You are determined not to lose your alignment and understanding of the here and now, your ability to love unconditionally. Then each of your actions will be effective and will give the best results both in the present and in the future.
The love and peace of higher consciousness comes from "just being - being and enjoying it all." Whatever you do will not be enough until you are filled with this “just to be”. We are usually unhappy when we stop doing something, whatever it is. The activity process creates expectations that the world, or things, or people either meet expectations or they don't. The things we do fade into time. You need to learn to appreciate the fact that you simply are, that you just live in it now in any situation, whatever it may be.
Contentment is not just one of the benefits of higher consciousness, but it is also one of the ways to work towards reaching higher consciousness. Just insist that your mind slow down its rejection of your Here and Now with all of its mental chewing gum, comparisons and judgments that usually create nothing but disunity. There are times when you may need to firmly and forcefully tell your mind to “shut up” so that you can enjoy your Here and Now. As we noted in the story of the Zen Buddhist monk, tigers and strawberries, there are always things to think about to keep your emotions on track... And there are always “strawberries” that you can get joy from here and now. Whether you will constantly enjoy life or constantly get frustrated by it depends on how well you have learned to simply change what can be changed (without throwing people out of your heart), and then calmly accept what you cannot. change (with the exception of severe subject-object manipulation and violence).
To understand how our mind works when separating you from people, you do not need to observe the effect of a “chain reaction”. Suppose you enjoy being in the company of a certain person and you have a lot in common. Then suppose that you have one strong addiction that leads you to a state of anger and throws this person out of your heart. Until you learn to quickly get the better of the addiction and increase your awareness, you will see that the dissociative set-up triggered by the addiction will spread like a cancerous tumor and cause you to become even more critical of that person in other ways that you don't have. nothing to do with the original passion. Your mind is simply behaving like a prostitute to the subconscious activities of your ego and your addiction programs. In one way or another, you will feel disconnected from that person. Your mind will begin to rummage through your memory and reinterpret past events in order to “shed on them New World”, with the aim of showing that your relationship was not at all as beautiful as it seemed to you at the time. He will reinterpret and reconsider everything, both past and present, in the light of your other addictions to security, pleasure and power and will try to make an elephant out of a fly, inflate trifles into “problems” dividing you. Suppose Tom and Mary are married and have a great relationship with each other. mutual love and harmony. Suppose Tom has to go to a conference in another city on business for a few days. Knowing that he will be busy all the time, he prefers not to take Mary with him. Suppose Mary has a passion for driving everywhere with Tom. Her Power Center requires him not to leave her alone for a day or two. If she doesn't understand what this emotional biased template is doing to herself, her mind might assume that Tom just wants to get rid of her, that he just wants to sleep with someone else, or that he's just chasing a position and doesn't love her. her. And then all their further relations will be overshadowed by suspicions. There is no end to the nonsense that the rational mind can produce under the pressure of the ego. A person growing towards a higher consciousness learns to see these throwings of reason and refuses to allow his “products” to trigger any negative emotions. You can be sure that you will have to endure many battles with your mind in order to maintain awareness.
Like any complex machine, our mind can be of great use if we are aware of its limitations and its problem areas. The Living Love Methods will help you become an expert at "problem exterminators" so that your mind works for you, not against you. Your mind is very good at proving that you are "right" and the other is "wrong." But in order to have awareness, love, happiness, it is not enough to be “right”. You can be "right" in your individual contracts and in your role in the game society plays, and at the same time lead a completely miserable, isolated, miserable life. We all know people who are almost always "right" or "correct" but who do not have happiness. A person gets far more fulfillment and satisfaction from being loved than from being "right." Love gives more happiness than efficiency and success. It is often much better to let people find their own mistakes and let the natural course of life show them where and what they need to change. If a person asks you if you think they are right or not, then you should open up fully and let them benefit from your thoughts and feelings. But arguing about everything, trying to prove to people that you are right and others are wrong, simply means that you are trapped in your rational mind and unconsciously play out your addictions to security, pleasure and power.
A Zen teacher was teaching a beautiful girl. She became pregnant and, lying, gave the teacher's name when asked who the father of the unborn child was. When the child was born, the girl's parents went to the Zen teacher and indignantly gave the child to him, accusing him of using his position to seduce the girl. His only response was, "Oh, yes." They left the child to a Zen teacher who took great pleasure in looking after him and spent many happy hours playing with him. About a year later, the young woman became seriously ill and, not wanting to die with a burden on her soul, told her parents that the real father of the child was a young man from a nearby town. Her parents immediately went to the Zen teacher, apologized to him and asked for the child back. The teacher gave them the child and said, "Oh, yes."
When they first accused him, the Zen master's rational mind did not get caught up in a long chain of ego-driven arguments denying he was the father of a child, protesting the unfair accusation, threatening to tell people he was being slandered, and so on. He understood that the girl's parents did not intend to trust him more than the words of their pregnant daughter. He just saw that they were closed and not going to listen to him. They didn't ask him if he did it - they just told him he did it when they charged him. Therefore, the teacher simply went along with the development of this drama, neither agreeing nor rejecting. He stayed in a peaceful state of higher consciousness and just enjoyed what was happening - and he was happy to live with the baby for a while. When they came and apologized for the false accusations, his mind didn't say, "I could tell you this, but you wouldn't listen." He just calmly saw that now they understood everything and there was nothing to say. He could continue to enjoy the new act of the play.
This story does not tell us that we must always give up our positions in any situation or never give up. She simply says that when you are aware of everything, you have the choice to get involved in the discussion or not, because you know in advance whether your argument will lead you and your interlocutor to love and unity, or whether it will divide you and isolate you. Under the circumstances, the Zen master's response, "Oh yes," was the best one to produce the greatest harmony that could be achieved in this situation. Later, he willingly and lovingly gave the child away without reciprocal accusations. For all those who participated, this was also an “act of harmonization”. Most of the people you will encounter will be more open than the parents of a pregnant girl. You will usually be able to apply the Seventh Way, which invites you to open up fully to people. But also use the Ninth Way, which advises you to open only when you are centered, calm and in a state of love.
As you become more and more identified with your Aware Consciousness, you will see that your mind becomes a useful tool that is somehow similar to your other senses. Together with memory, it produces theories, generalizations, forecasts, assumptions. You know that just as your eyes can deceive you, your mind can deceive you.
As your addictions rise to the level of preferences, you will find that your feelings and reason begin to work with less distortion and work together more in order to help you in life. Then you will receive joy from what is due to you by the right of human birth. You will become the master of your emotions, ego and reason. This is one of the greatest achievements that a person can make. It's beautiful and great to paint great pictures, build skyscrapers, write outstanding works. But to become the master of oneself is an even greater achievement for humanity and, of course, for you. And in this state, your external activity will be in even greater harmony with the energy flow of the world.
The question of "flight of thought" has occupied great minds since ancient times. However, to this day, neither the wisest of philosophers nor the smartest of scientists can claim to "understand thinking." The level of knowledge of consciousness can be compared with the degree of knowledge about the oceans. We roughly understand the surface, but know almost nothing about the depth. We can talk about this endlessly, but here we will only touch on two methods of thinking:
- rational;
- irrational.
Many people often act on emotions without considering the consequences or their own decisions. This is due to too "hot blood" or banal reluctance. If this is definitely not about you, then we can say that you are a rational person. This does not mean methodicalness in actions or other special factors. Rational thinking is just the ability to think about your decisions and act according to logic.
Structure of rational thinking
There are three main forms of rational thinking:
- concept;
- judgment;
- inference.
We can represent the concept as the name of an object or action. We simply point to the subject of discussion itself, presenting it to the audience. For example, we say "bird", "flight". Next, we present the judgment. We link objects together. In other words, we explain the meaning of the above concepts. It turns out the statement: "The bird flies."
As a result, we are faced with conclusions. Judgments are combined here, and new conclusions are built on the basis of their analysis. We reasoned that the bird flies, and we know that it has wings. We also know that man does not have wings. So our conclusion is that the bird flies thanks to its wings.
These forms are the basis of rational thinking. For a clearer picture, you need to look at it a little from the other side.
Rational thinking in stoicism
In everyday situations, rational thinking often means the need to "turn on the head." Distract from emotions and analyze the situation calmly. However, this kind of thinking needs certain time. Without a strong habit, it is difficult to immediately start reasoning. Especially in moments of emotional upheaval. Emotions overflow, blood rushes to the temples and the brain refuses to work rationally.
This problem has been recognized since ancient times. Consider, for example, stoicism. When a person is called a "stoic", then in the imagination he appears truly imperturbable and hard as a rock. He keeps aloof from petty everyday problems, does not pay attention to them and does not worry. This is true, but only in part. Stoicism covers many aspects of life, but here we will only talk about one of them. central parts- keeping the mind in difficult situations.
An example of stoic thinking
Marcus Aurelius is a great Roman emperor. The last of the five good emperors». Most spent his reign on the borders of the empire, protecting it from enemies. Went through two major wars. Despite many problems, he led the empire with dignity and did not lose his mind in the most difficult situations. Stoicism helped him in this. perfectly illustrated the theme of rationalism in his Meditations:
From Apollonius independence and calmness before the game of chance; so that for a moment not to look at anything but the mind, and always be the same - in acute pain or having lost a child, or in a long illness.
How can you be calm in such terrible situations? Let's take a closer look at the quote. An important point is "calmness before the game of chance." It actually answers our question. Everything that happens around is a chain of events, fate, if you like. We as humans have no control over these events, so why worry about them? We can only control ourselves and our attitude to these events. If something bad can still happen, or has already happened, then isn’t it wiser to remain rational rather than succumb to emotions?
If we talk specifically about how to stop worrying (and therefore acting unreasonably) in routine life, then preparation is necessary. That is, you need to be prepared for any vicissitudes of fate. Then there will be no “surprise”, which means that emotions will remain under control.
In the morning, tell yourself in advance: I will meet the vain, the ungrateful, the impudent, the cunning, the greedy, the unsociable. All this happened to them out of ignorance of good and evil.
Of the many philosophical directions, Stoicism is the most applicable in everyday life. With it, we can learn to control the mind and make informed decisions in difficult situations. But this is the basis of rational thinking.
"That guy has a taste for money." What else is a "chuyka"? Well, at the level of intuition, he understands how you can make money. After reading the previous chapter, we think rationally, and this explanation does not suit us. Let's figure it out ourselves.
Intuition itself can be understood as the unconscious guidance of facts. This is the main difference from rationalism. Irrational thinking covers the surface, barely looking deeper. The mind does not indulge in ornate reasoning. This is done unconsciously, and therefore it often seems to a person that he acts "on a whim." Such thinking is often called feeling. It is emotions, not logic, that become driving force thoughts.
We often think that a person performs some actions without reasons and logic. Such a person is branded "irrational". However, nothing happens simply, and there is a reason for everything. It’s just that in an “irrational person” thinking acts superficially, in express mode. Because of this, reasoning and logic can be distorted. But since this is done unconsciously, it is not always possible to understand these tricks of consciousness.
Disadvantages of Rational Thinking
Adherence to the principles of rational thinking can play a cruel joke on a person. Here is an example of a situation. You see a cake that looks quite delicious. But don't try it. Why? Ah, you've tried it before and it tasted disgusting. This is rational thinking. You put forward the concept - "pie". Your judgment of the pie is that it "looks delicious". However, the conclusion tells you another fact: you have already eaten such a cake, and it was not so good. But what if at that ill-fated time the cook was drunk or was not there at all, but an incompetent novice was cooking? But you do not know this, and by doing so, you may be depriving yourself of a delicious meal.
What is the conclusion from this stupid story? The moral is that rational thinking is limited by the available information. It's no secret that the human brain rejects everything new and unknown, it's such a conservative. It turns out that when a person thinks rationally, the brain uses only the information that is available. He does not want to take into account the fact that there is something unknown to us. He's actually quite the cunning one.
Benefits of rational thinking
But it is not for nothing that so many good things are said about rationality. Of course, in many life situations forms of rational thinking are the most suitable. You can reason and foresee different outcomes of events, which is of great benefit. Rational thinking is what helps to avoid a state of passion, excessive exposure to emotions. And in such a state, terrible things can be done. In general, it is difficult to overestimate the benefits of rationalism in life.
It is worth it, however, sometimes to give inner fire flare up. Constant containment of emotions can lead to the fact that they forcefully break through the door of their prison and spill everywhere. That's when the imbalance really comes, and few people will be happy about it. Of course, it will lead to a rethinking, which is very important, but the method is extremely harsh. There are many less painful and no less effective ways. The main thing is to know where you can let the primitive beast out, and where it is better to remain civilized. If this understanding comes, then life will become a little easier and a little clearer.
Outcome
Ultimately, we realized that although thinking is different, each has its pros and cons. Rational thinking is not a panacea for all problems, but life, driven only by emotions, carries a lot of problems. Rationalism is ice, irrationalism is fire. By choosing only the first, you run the risk of becoming “cold” and freezing your “inner self”. If the choice fell only on fire, you will burn yourself and burn your loved ones. The wise decision is to learn how to skillfully combine these forms or find a balance.
RATIONAL AND IRRATIONAL MINDS
Once I worked with a woman. She stopped doing business. She worked hard, but the money did not go. I worked with her using the Voice Dialogue method.
Of course, at first she moved into a subpersonality that loves to work. Having found out her positions and thoughts regarding what is happening, I helped her move into the subpersonality that is responsible for rest. As expected, it was this subpersonality that began to interfere in the work, fill up transactions and divert customers. The woman was very tired, she did not rest for several years in a row. Despite the fact that she occasionally went to the sea, her thoughts were still at work. And this, of course, is an inferior rest. I helped this woman become well acquainted with the subpersonalities, but there was still a feeling that someone else inside her was interfering with her work.
We talked a little on general topics, and then decided to get acquainted with her logical mind. When the linear mind came to the surface, it turned out that at the moment it was organizing her whole life. Very purposeful, assertive, with a decisive note in his voice, he likes to make life predictable, and he copes with this task brilliantly. He instantly calculates everything that this or that meeting can give, what consequences it can lead to and what will happen in the end. He sets her up with people for her benefit and breeds her if he thinks that communication with them will not lead to positive results. He structures every moment of her life. He even plans her sense of humor and how fun she should be in life and in company.
I asked him (actually her):
- If you plan everything in her life without exception, even the way to work and back, what time to get out, what time to arrive, when to turn the corner and what will happen next, where will you get food for your own existence, when there will be no food left in her life accidents? She is walking down the street, and suddenly she wants to go not in the usual way, but turn into an alley, and there, for example, she meets a man, a man who can bring significant positive changes to her life.
- I will not let her turn, I will go the usual way. And if I turn and a man starts approaching me, I will instantly calculate who he is and what he is, and on the basis of this I will already decide whether I should talk to him or not, ”he answered.
Do you stay away from the men you like because you're afraid of them?
“Yes,” he replies.
“And the men you don’t like are all the more avoided, aren’t you?”
- So.
And that's how you do it in every area of your life. So where will you get food for your own existence, if you do not let accidents into your life? I ask him again. Imagine that you have moved into a new apartment. It took six months or even ten years to equip it, put everything in its place and put it in order. And that's it, there's nothing else for you to do. You are dying. Without letting accidents into your life, you will die, because you are nourished, that is, the spark of life in you is nourished by your own work on calculating the future and ordering it. There are no accidents, no work for you, but only your death.
After much thought and calculation, he said:
– Well, I agree to let accidents into her life. I want to note here that, agreeing to the accidents in her life, he actually gave the go-ahead for her to be able to sleep as much as she wants (especially since if she wakes up according to the established schedule at six, she still does not have the strength to get up - another subpersonality stops her - and she lies in bed until eight) so that she can come to work when she wants, so that she can not follow a number of other rules that make life so tedious, dreary and unbearable.
Before parting with him, I asked him for permission to talk with his opposite, and, having received consent, we parted warmly. When the woman herself came to the surface, she could not hide her astonishment at what she had heard. She knew, of course, that she planned her life, but she could not imagine to what extent. After resting for a while, she and I moved into a non-linear mind. It turned out to be a wise and relaxed woman, light in words and deeds, and also very cheerful. I had a much harder time with her than with a linear woman, because I am more or less good with logic, but with a non-linear mind ... I still don’t know how to speak his language fluently.
Yes, I live by events. I perfectly own any situation, without analyzing it. I see it all in its entirety in time and space. Everything is in one point. Everything is here, and I am in the center. I just see the whole thing and decide what action to take next. Therefore, all my actions are always effective. To get up or not to get up early, to go or not to go to a meeting, to turn onto another street or not to turn - everything is clear here. In general, I don’t understand why a linear mind is needed when I can see everything and make the most optimal decisions. Such a monologue, what can you object to? And is it necessary?
I continue the conversation:
– You see the whole situation and decide to act at the right moment, if you are allowed to. But each situation consists of many moments, and when your action has taken place, then this situation must be unfolded step by step in time. For you there is neither time nor space, everything is in one point, right?
“Yes,” the non-linear mind replies.
“And in order to build a house, you need to take a lot of small routine actions. Yes, the house is one, but it consists of many parts, and the linear mind connects these parts together. You instantly see the result, and in order to see the result, he has to put your actions into practice and wait. There is no time for you, and you act outside of time, but he lives in time, and he has to deploy all your actions in time.
Time is nothing to you, but everything to him. You go out for a moment and immediately get the result, because you live where there is no time, in eternity, and he lives in time and therefore never sees the result. No matter how long he lives, no matter what he does, he will never see the final result of any of his actions, so time for him turns into an insignificant moment, into nothing. We look back at the past years and see a moment, nothing.
And the non-linear mind said:
- Yes, I feel so comfortable when I go to the surface from time to time and take action. That's enough for me, I like this life. Let him exist.
Seems, this example enough to understand the nature of the rational and irrational mind. But I want to add one more thing.
The linear, rational mind in its actions is guided by methods and rules, that is, proven patterns of behavior. When making a decision, he first goes through the options, compares them, and then chooses the best. And he chooses the best, guided by momentary profit, because the future is closed to him. Being in a rational mind, you go to the goal step by step.
The irrational mind has no methods, rules, or patterns. He does not need them, and he does not need to go through the options, comparing them with each other, because, being in it, the person and the goal become one, that is, the result and action merge into one. All this can be seen in the so-called successful actions, when they lead to an immediate result.
The rational mind is flat thinking based on the principle of "yes - no", "better - worse", "closer - farther", etc., and the irrational one is voluminous. As you move through the streets of the city to get to your destination, you are guided by the rational linear mind. You do not see the goal at this moment, it exists only in your mind.
The irrational non-linear mind is looking at the city from above when you clearly see your goal. But your actions at this moment are switched off, they exist only in potentiality in your mind. And the mind itself is completely occupied with the goal.
When you decide to get to the goal, you let your rational linear mind come out, and the irrational mind at this time recedes, so the actions begin to fill your mind, and the goal begins to fade into the background.
It seems to me that animals can make great use of their non-linear mind because they can easily navigate in space. As you know, dogs and cats easily find their way home, birds fly to their old nests, and fish and eels find their old spawning places without any problems. Pigeons show miracles of orientation in the most lousy weather.
However, it would be a delusion to attribute all achievements in mastering the work of the linear and non-linear minds only to animals. People also understand something in this matter. For example, arrows that hit the target without aiming are not fiction, but the work of both minds in harmonious unity.
And then there are a lot of questions that you need to look for answers to:
How to open the irrational mind?
How to see the target without seeing it?
How to feel unity with purpose?
What should be done to get acquainted with the rational and irrational minds?
How to make it so that rational and irrational minds work simultaneously when solving problems?
Attention and awareness of every thought, every action.
Rational thinking (rationality) is a term in the broadest sense meaning rationality, meaningfulness, the opposite of irrationality, a characteristic of knowledge in terms of its compliance with certain principles of thinking. However, the term itself is different meanings in philosophy, economics, sociology, psychology, evolutionary biology and many other sciences and subjects.
A person with rationality has a clear logic of thinking. He can notice his own mistakes and change his mind depending on this. These errors are called .
There are the following types of cognitive distortions:
Distortions related to behavior and decision making
- Loss aversion is when a person is more upset by losing $100 than happy by finding the same bill.
- The curse of knowledge is when an informed person has difficulty seeing a problem from the point of view of less informed people.
Distortions related to probabilities and stereotypes
- Player error - when a person believes that he can somehow influence a random event (for example, a lottery).
- The hindsight effect is the tendency to perceive past events as predictable.
Socially conditioned distortions
- Illusion of transparency - when you overestimate your ability to understand another person, as well as the fact that he understands you.
- Projection bias is the tendency to believe that other people share the same values as you.
Memory distortions
- Cryptomnesia is when you mistakenly think that you are the one who made up a joke or a story.
- The benefactor effect is the perception of oneself as responsible for desirable outcomes, but not responsible for undesirable ones.
All these types of cognitive distortions should be studied in order to pump your rational thinking. The fewer mistakes you make, the better for him. In addition, it is important to master the tools of rational thinking:
- Analysis. What for an unprepared person is just a set of numbers (for example, in statistics), for an analyst is a storehouse of useful information.
- Argumentation. Its essence is that each statement must have a basis of reliability.
- Comparison. You must learn to compare the available data with each other.
- Judgment. This is your statement, an opinion about a phenomenon.
- Inference. From each judgment, and even more so from a system of judgments, a conclusion must be drawn.
You have probably read articles on the development of rational thinking, so we will not repeat ourselves (well, maybe a little), but only analyze one book that fits perfectly into our topic.
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
From 2010 to 2015, an American specialist in artificial intelligence Eliezer Yudkowsky published fanfiction on his blog (an amateur essay based on popular literary works) based on the Harry Potter series. It was called Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.
Yudkowsky offers an alternate "boy who lived" story. In the context of the article, the most interesting thing for us is that in this work, Harry has almost canonical rational thinking. Probably no other person on our planet has this level of skill, but how the hero identifies and copes with thinking errors is very interesting.
Mistakes in thinking
Fundamental attribution error
“Imagine you came to work and saw your colleague kicking the table. You think: "What a bad temper he has." At this time, your colleague thinks about how someone pushed him on the way to work, and then yelled at him. Anyone in my place would be angry, he thinks.
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency of a person to attribute the actions and behavior of other people to their personal characteristics, and their own behavior to external circumstances.
We humans tend to look for the cause of our bad behavior in external factors, while we do not make such concessions to others. Maybe they just have a bad temperament.
Why is there a fundamental attribution error? Psychologists and scientists have found a lot of reasons, but one of the most logical ones is this. When something happened to us, we know under what circumstances it happened. But if this happened to another person, it is easier for us to act according to the stereotype, labeling: it is much faster and does not require mental effort. As we know, the brain is very fond of choosing the thought or reaction that takes the least amount of energy.
planning error
"Muggle scientists have found that people are always overly optimistic: they say that some process will take two days, but it actually takes ten, or they say two months, and it takes more than thirty-five years."
Planning fallacy is a term pioneered by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, which means that a person underestimates the amount of time it will take to complete a task.
Potter's Yudkowsky points to a study that asks students to rate when they've completed their academic projects. In particular, they were asked to predict when they would finish 50%, 75%, and 99% of the work:
- 13% of the participants had completed their project by the time they were assigned a 50% probability level;
- 19% had finished by the time he was given a 75% probability level;
- 45% finished by the time they reached their 99% chance level.
In addition, a survey of Canadian taxpayers published in 1997 showed that they submitted their tax returns about a week later than expected.
Why is it so? There are several reasons:
- People often focus on the more optimistic scenario without thinking about the problems and complexities that might arise.
- A person takes what he wants for reality. Maybe at first he understands that this is only his desire, but after a while he simply forgets about it.
- People also forget how long they have done this task in the past.
Systemic bias
“Usually people prefer to conduct experiments that will confirm their hypotheses, rather than those that disprove them. You have almost the same error. It is necessary to learn to look at the negative side of things, peering into the darkness.”
Systemic bias is a tendency inherent in the process to support one of the parties, to give preference to individual results.
In the scene that resulted in Potter's line, Harry asks Hermione to name any three numbers. At the same time, he has some rule that either corresponds to these numbers or not. The challenge is to find out what the rule is.
Hermione says the numbers "4, 6, 8", Harry says "yes".
Hermione says "10, 12, 14", Harry says "yes".
Hermione says "Minus 3, minus 1, plus 1", Harry says yes.
Hermione: "The rule is that each next number in the three is two more than the previous one." Harry: "Three real numbers in ascending order, from smallest to largest.
The mistake was that Hermione herself came up with some system, believed in it on the second try and did not try to refute it. This cognitive distortion should be avoided by both the scientist with his theories and the average person.
If you come up with your theory or system, take the time to try to disprove it.
bystander effect
The bystander effect, Harry thought, remembering Lathan and Darley's experiment, which proved that in the event of an epileptic seizure, you are more likely to get help if there is one person next to you than three. “Responsibility dissipation: everyone thinks that someone else will act first.”
The bystander effect is a psychological effect in which people who are witnesses emergency(accident, crime or other), do not try to help the victims. The more people around, the more likely they are to just stand there and do nothing.
What does the bystander effect have to do with rational thinking? Yes, the most direct thing is that this skill is worthless if you ever succumb to this distortion and do not come to the aid of a person who is in trouble.
An attempt to get rid of cognitive dissonance
“World domination is such an ugly phrase. I prefer to call it global optimization.”
Cognitive dissonance is a state of mental discomfort caused by a clash in his mind of conflicting ideas: ideas, beliefs, values, or emotional reactions.
Harry Potter with this phrase gets rid of the conflict in his thoughts immediately appears for himself as a benefactor of mankind. It should be understood that we engage in such self-deception very often, which leads to wrong thinking and negatively affects our decisions.
Start to notice these attempts to get rid of cognitive dissonance behind you, and you will realize that you are used to deceiving yourself in order not to experience unpleasant emotions.
Books
Of course, in order to develop rational thinking, you need more than reading one article and doing a couple of exercises. You must delve into the topic. Books are perfect for this. Here's what we recommend to start with.
- “Rational thinking. What Aptitude Tests Don't Measure Keith I. Stanovich.
- "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality" by Eliezer Yudkowsky.
- Rationality: From AI to Zombies by Eliezer Yudkowsky.
- "Brain. Instructions for use "David Rock.
- Brain Boosters Richard Nisbett.
- The Art of Systems Thinking by Joseph O'Connor, Ian McDermott.
- "Japanese system for the development of intelligence and memory" Ryuta Kawashima.
- “Think like a mathematician. How to solve any problems faster and more efficiently” Barbara Oakley.
We wish you good luck!