The Case for Not-Knowing
What do we know?
Our minds record multi-sensory records of the past, and we call these records ‘memory.’
Our memories
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Those memories also contain the meaning we placed on each of those recorded scenes, as well as a record of the emotions we experienced in those moments of now. And our minds are equipped with a sorting mechanism that allows us to compare the present situation to all those in memory. We then consult our mental library to figure out the action we should take next.
This process, called rational analysis, is very powerful when used according to its design. The knowledge we accumulate as we face challenges and learn from our successes and our mistakes enables us to become increasingly effective and efficient in solving our problems.
The Library
This storehouse of records of the past is like a library. Libraries contain records of the past… past writings, sayings, quotes, recordings, and so on. And now that most libraries have their card catalogs online, cross-referencing and comparisons are easier than ever before.
However…
Poring over records of the past won’t provide solutions to the problems our rational approach to life creates. That requires “thinking outside the library.
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that “You can’t solve problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” It seems that we are able to solve certain kinds of problems, but very often we create new and different problems in the process. Why is that?
Looking for solutions to our problems in our records of past experiences (our memories) is called thinking inside the box. We are constantly exhorted to “think outside the box.” But nobody ever tells us what the box is made of, where the walls are, and how to get out of the box. So, we’re typically left feeling powerless when we hear that advice.
I’m suggesting that the box is made of our beliefs and opinions. Beliefs and opinions give us a place to stand in our social environment. They allow us to stake out conceptual territory and defend it from others. But they also tend to filter out anything that doesn’t conform to them. In that way, they keep us within their boundaries, inside the box.
So, how do we get outside the boundaries of our beliefs and opinions? The answer seems to be to acknowledge that while they do allow us to win arguments and feel “right,” they don’t actually empower us to discover new conceptual ground.
There is a place to stand that doesn’t constrain us, that doesn’t force us to defend our positions. It’s called “not-knowing.” The problem is, it’s a scary place! It doesn’t allow us to win arguments. It can’t be defended. It doesn’t even feel like a place to stand. But unless you can stand in “not-knowing,” you can’t ever discover anything new. Not-knowing is outside the box. It’s not a place outside the box… it’s the space in which the box exists.
