LOGO-L> Why is accurate thinking so unpopular?

[Bob Gorman <bgorman@kncell.org>]

Although I've spent most of my life thinking about thinking, and trying in

various setting to teach it, and developing new techniques for doing it,

the following insight just occurred to me recently. It was like discovering

negative numbers for the first time!

I used to think that thinking skills went from 0, for non-thinkers to some

large number for those that are enraptured by it. But certain things didn't

make sense, till I realized the scale actually goes negative! Simple

laziness was not enough to explain why people would think carefully

in some areas but not in others.

Let me explain.

To think accurately, which Logo encourages, requires that you deal with

reality as it is, whether you like it or not. Facts cannot be swept under

the table. Multiple interpretations must be recognized as interpretations,

not facts. So in the negative direction, to the left of 0 thinking ability,

I postulate there is wishful thinking, or the active denial of reality.

It's not that people can't see what's going on around them, or understand it, but

rather because (?) of higher level needs (ego and identity) they actively

avoid sensing and interpreting what is going on right in front of them. To stop

believing in an illusion, one has to admit they were originally fooled or

conned or whatever, and indeed may still be. For those with a weakened sense

of self or indeed only an ego image to maintain, this ranges from difficult to

devastating. Paradigm shifts are the hardest of all, because they involve giving up

solutions that worked in the past for something, perhaps better, but unproven.

Our society today is filled with many illusions like, the newmedia presents

the truth, or the the econony is great and solid, or our schools really aren't

THAT bad (we're only 19th in the industrialized world!)

or ...... which is more wishful thinking, for people who are unwilling or unable to deal

with the emotions that come up when we pop these illusory bubbles.

It's not that they can't think more accurately, but don't want to,

or are afraid of the consequences.

This isn't a fact, just my interpretation!

Bob

"To get NEW
Answers, you
must ask NEW
Questions!"
- Bob
Gorman