The Disorientating Dilemma

[Mole]

I read today that adults learn best when they are presented with a disorienting dilemma. And we have the perfect disorienting dilemma here.

For on the one hand we have a personality test which teaches us the type we are and how to accept different types in others.

But on the other hand we have a bogus personality test which teaches us to reify ourselves and others.

This is fabulously disorienting. And for adults disorientation is a sign learning is taking place.

Of course learning is an acquired taste and we can't expect it to be to the taste of everyone.

And learning does not increase the size of anyone's brain but it does increase the connections between the neurons.

I must admit I like learning new things because when I discover something new, it is as though I am scratching an itch in my mind. And I find it exquisitely pleasurable.

And I would like to share this pleasure so, as you have noticed, I present a disorienting dilemma for your pleasure.

My guess is that this dilemma can't be resolved by applying logic. It can only be resolved by changing ourselves.

For this is what learning is. It is simply a matter of changing our minds.

What do you think?

 

[simulatedworld]

It's nice to see typology has evolved from a vicious international conspiracy into a learning tool. (Dare I suggest someone has changed his mind?)

For this is what learning is. It is simply a matter of changing our minds.

Ni!!

 

[Hopelandic]

Interesting!

Are you refering here, to the theory of cognitive dissonance?. I personally will have to (will be forced to) rectify my conflicting (supporting, and skeptical) opinions about mbti and personality/cognitive styles at some point in the future, because the tension and ambiguity that comes with holding two conflicting ideas is very distressing.

Yes, at one point, something has to give. Is this learning? yes I believe so. If learning involves integrating new ideas. Cognitive dissonance is something I am very interested in, as it is something I have experienced often (I guess we all do). But I personally, seem to have problems with my open mind and the indecisiveness that is subsequently attached to it.

 

[Mole]

It's nice to see typology has evolved from a vicious international conspiracy into a learning tool. (Dare I suggest someone has changed his mind?)

Ni!!

My problem was a simple one - how to set up a disorientating dilemma.

It was difficult because dilemmas have two sides and at first there was only one side here. So first I had to introduce the other side of the dilemma.

And as you know this has been understandably resisted.

But finally we have the two sides. And so we can now experience disorientation.

And it is quite possible our disorientating dilemma will led to new learning.

So I would like to thank you for your patience and tolerance while I set up the dilemma.

 

[Mole]

Interesting!

Are you refering here, to the theory of cognitive dissonance?. I personally will have to (will be forced to) rectify my conflicting (supporting, and skeptical) opinions about mbti and personality/cognitive styles at some point in the future, because the tension and ambiguity that comes with holding two conflicting ideas is very distressing.

Yes, at one point, something has to give. Is this learning? yes I believe so. If learning involves integrating new ideas. Cognitive dissonance is something I am very interested in, as it is something I have experienced often (I guess we all do). But I personally, seem to have problems with my open mind and the indecisiveness that is subsequently attached to it.

Yes, cognitive dissonance is emotionally distressing.

But I would add that cognitive dissonance is distressing on first acquaintance.

And as we become better acquainted with various cognitive dissonances, the distress lessens and turns to curiosity and excitement as we learn new things.

This is why disorientating dilemmas and their accompanying cognitive dissonance are suitable for adults.

You might say that in primary and secondary school we learn our culture. And in tertiary education we learn to critique our culture.

So the initial distress of disorientating dilemmas and cognitive dissonance is a warning sign to school children to avoid them.

The danger is though that we will avoid the initial distress for the rest of our lives.

And the price we pay for avoidance is learning new things and growing up.

 

[Mole]

Ecstasy

Interesting!

...the tension and ambiguity that comes with holding two conflicting ideas is very distressing.

Yes, it is interesting, for holding one idea is easy and familiar. But holding two ideas at the same time is distressing at first.

And of course we learn to hold two ideas at once by experiencing disorientating dilemmas and cognitive dissonance.

But once we learn to hold two ideas at the same time, a whole new world opens up.

For when we can hold two ideas, holding three ideas becomes a possibility.

And when we can hold three ideas, four beckons.

And holding four leads us into ecstasy.

 

[speculative]

I think I'm missing something here. How is the personality test both valid and bogus at the same time?

Otherwise, very interesting concept.

 

[Mole]

I think I'm missing something here. How is the personality test both valid and bogus at the same time?

This is a very good question.

For something to be valid and bogus, or true and false at the same time, is a contradiction.

And we all know that a contradiction can't exist.

And this is precisely why our zen master will give us a koan - to boggle our mind.

We struggle and struggle with the koan until we give up and then we transcend our own mind.

Or another way of putting it is that we learn something new.

For instance, Quantum Mechanics and Relativity contradict one another, so if we entertain both in our mind at the same time, we boggle our mind.

And our boggled mind may just give birth to TOE (the theory of everything).

Or we might say that male and female contradict one another but when we entertain them together, they become fertile.

And new ideas don't come any more easy than birth.

So standing on this side of birth, a new idea seems impossible, but standing on the other side the new idea seems inevitable.

 

[speculative]

Ah, thanks Victor. I now see that the contradiction was part of the mechanics of disorientation.

 

[Mole]

The Lion Tamer

Ah, thanks Victor. I now see that the contradiction was part of the mechanics of disorientation.

And no one welcomes being disorientated. So it's a bit like being a lion tamer. The lions roar and bare their teeth and fangs, but if you are lucky, they don't pounce on you, and in refraining from pouncing on the lion tamer, they learn something new.

So the mind is like a roaring lion, it is very powerful, it has huge fangs and claws, but is quite capable of learning new ideas.

Of course the nicest lions are those who want to learn new ideas. But new ideas are an acquired taste.

And one hopes the lions acquire a taste for new ideas before they acquire a taste for you.

 

[speculative]

And one hopes the lions acquire a taste for new ideas before they acquire a taste for you.

/throws mind-lions tasty Ne-flavored treats...

 

[Blank]

I am apt to disagree with you Victor, because koans do exist, and contradiction does exist.

I say the fault of the mind is that it searches for an objective truth to everything, when it can only view things subjectively.

What you may see as the truth, could merely be illusion.

As a certain koan goes, having no style is a style.

 

[Mole]

I am apt to disagree with you Victor, because koans do exist, and contradiction does exist.

A contradiction means A cannot be A and not A at the same time.

The operative words are, "cannot be". And if something cannot be, it cannot exist - like for instance a square circle.

 

[Mole]

What you may see as the truth, could merely be illusion.

And this is why we do double blind experiments. But no double blind experiment has been done on MBTI in seventy years. Surely this is a question begging for an answer.

Why not? Is MBTI an illusion? Or perhaps worse, is it a group delusion?

 

[speculative]

Why not? Is MBTI an illusion? Or perhaps worse, is it a group delusion?

Who is watching the Typewatchers?

 

[ubiquitous1]

A contradiction means A cannot be A and not A at the same time.

The operative words are, "cannot be". And if something cannot be, it cannot exist - like for instance a square circle.

Reductio ad absurdum

 

[Gamine]

Contradictions are delicious, beautiful and dangerous.

I am charmed by the double meaning of the Chinese symbol for conflict represents the meaning for both opportunity and danger simulataneously.

The moment we realize there is no box, we admit we believed in the box in the first place. We have to think without a box to look beyond the box we created orginally.

How would we grow if we were never challenged? How wouild we be aware of the growth if we could not mark it or measure it in some way?