Cross-posted at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/some-thoughts-what-milton-dawes-4ubhe.
What’s the verb form of what? 😎
I came across this question some moments ago…And started Wondering and Thinking. The piece below represents some of the ideas that came up.
Since we can’t do Nothing: “How about “Whating”” Instead of What?
Nouns create a great deal of our human problems. Nouns, including Labels, Names, etc., act on us at “Non-conscious Neural Levels”: Like many other words: Carried by sound waves and light waves: Names, Labels, etc: Are Physical, Powerful, Psycho-Biological-Psychological Processes. They create and support “Identification” : “Identification” involves a.o.f. “Full stopping”…”This is it. It is what I think, believe, say, etc….It is!
In his seminal book on General Semantics, Science And Sanity, Alfred Korzybski offered this timeless bit of information: “…we read unconsciously into the world the structure of the language we use.” (Page 60) “Identifying” involves Thinking Intensionally: We give words more significance and importance than “Whating” (Exploring whatever they are used to be about.) In Thinking Extensionally: We think Algebraically, of ‘Events’, Goings On, Any-‘thing’), as “Continuous Functions of Time, and as Multi-Dimensional Structurings-Operatings-Behaviorings. Thinking Extensionally: We think of events, in terms of “Thingings”, instead of stopping our thinking at their names and labels as “Things”…We Think in terms of “Changeings, Modifyings, Developings, evolving, and so on, and ‘Onings’. (Notice how many nouns I used to criticize nouns?? Labels, names, and nouns, are not easily dismissed. This, despite the fact that in our being we we are beings in, we are surrounded by “A World where as far as we know Every Thingings move.”
Alfred Korzybski in his General Semantics, recognized our “Identificationing” (Sounds dreadful Eh? Deservingly.), as failing to distinguishing between words and what they are used to be about). “The word is not the thing”…”The map is not the territory”, were quite popular some times ago…But faded. No Political, Cultural, TV, Social Networks, or Economic, support.) BTW. Following a “Bad’ map will still get you somewhere. Many discover this too late. And have the horrible Experience of Nothingness.
Korzybski Implored…Advised, that for “Sanity’s Sake…And: For the sake of ways to improve relationships with ourselves, with others, and the World inside and outside of us…We practice Being “Conscious that we Abstract”…And “Etcetrarize”, as one way to minimize “Our natural human tendency to Identify“. In practicing being “Conscious of Abstracting” we are mindful that our “Whatings”, in our imagining, thinking, believing, saying, writing, etc., are not the same in any, or all, respects, (not Identical with) the words we use. This is usually so easily dismissed as simplistic, banal…What you say? “Every one knows that…Not worth mentioning!”
Yet. In The Mode of The Calculus: “The Study of a Continuous Function, by following its History by Indefinitely small steps?“: If we carefully study the Continuous Function constituting the Histories and Historizing, of our Relationships and our Interactivities, over thousands of years: We will notice that A Great Deal of our Relationships involves warring over creeds, beliefs, dogmas, myths, etc….Together with Loving,…Being Supportive… Being There For…Being Generous, etc. Our Identifyings direct our world traveling and explorations. With being Conscious of Abstracting, not Identifying (but being aware of our “Thating” and “Whating”), we have a chance to judge, decide, which path we will follow.
In a World that could be described as “An Infinite (indefinitely extended in terms of Time-And-Space), Self-Maintaining…Mega System of Interrelated Interactive Structures of Structures, Systems of Systems…A World. Where as far as we know “No two things are the same”: In the Spirit of Non-Allness, Non-Identity, and The Calculus, I look forward to reading your comments. Please Share.
BTW. If we apply The Method of The Calculus to Thinking about our Thinking about ‘Thingings’ we will eventually discover a few features about ourselves, others, and The World: Since We cannot know, if, when, that, we have taken the last step in our thinking, believing, feelings, reasonings, theorizing, ‘truthing’ etc…Since we cannot know if taking further steps will not reveal more information: Our Knowledge, Understanding, Believings, Epistemologies, Truths, Theories, ‘Meanings’, Myths, Creeds, Cherished Codes, etc. — Can all be qualified as “Conditional, Theoretical, Incomplete, Provisional, Hypothetical, A continuous Self-Reflexive Function of Time…And Certainly Uncertain. (Self-Reflexive in that “Our knowledge and Understanding can lead us to gaining further knowledge and understanding…And also, self-reflexively, through Identificating, Anchor and Block further explorations toward attaining more knowledge and understanding.
In a later article. Through applying The Method of The Calculus, I will expand on the notions of “Meanings, Structural Similarities, The Self, and Understanding Understanding.” You might get a feel of the power of words, nouns, labels names, and so on…How Difficult to change and how they will continue to create problems, if we do not practice being “Conscious of our Abstracting. Not easy. Habits, based in-on Neural Structures-Operating, do not easily give up. In our evoluting…Identificating came first. Through cultural linguistic practices, in creating political, economic, religious, etc. strongholds, Identificating will strongly resist change. Systems…Whether evaluated as “Good” or as “Bad”, are Naturally Self-Protective. It’s a matter of Survival.
Milton Dawes.