Topic IV: Impediments
Impediments bear on the effectiveness we need but do not yet have. Incomplete intellectual understanding is their chief characteristic, although that incompleteness can produce inaccuracies of understanding the Nature of Things (Everything).
We are talking here about mind-binding. What we have done to feet, waist and head is modest compared to what we have done to minding.
Being part solution, as well as part problem, impediments are often institutionalized and resistant to change, even though development of capability is most responsive to – and indicative of – the Nature of Things.
With regard to human behavior, we should conceive a sign hanging permanently around our neck, saying: “Under development.”
Despite the blockage that impediments pose, revolution is to be preferred to rebellion or criticism. We need to keep the valid, but expand on it. Broader perspectives on pragmatism and functionalism can help.
Invention and reinvention are essential to break out. (Our poor “batting averages” in communication and cognition may exert needed pressure to encourage us to clear out and/or up many of the impediments.)
Some of these impediments are hegemonies, institutionalized practices to which we acquiesce (language and other “cultural” usages, for example) in part for the stability afforded our difference making efforts.
A partial list of impediments (of varying severity):
- Adaptation
- Adoption
- Applied research
- Associative cognition
- Attribution
- Basic research
- Beliefs (but not act of believing)
- Body bias (as focus of attention: see III)
- Capacity (when confused with capability)
- Causation (incomplete reading of consequentiality)
- Chance
- Change (circumstantial: see II)
- Circumstances (particular)
- Codes
- Concepts
- Creationism
- Decision making/choice
- Deduction
- Definition
- Determinism
- Efficiency
- Elementary
- Emphasis (over)
- Evolution
- Failure (See accidents: VI)
- Games
- Image
- Indeterminism
- Induction
- Institutions (assorted)
- Instruction
- Languages (assorted)
- Learning
- Liberal arts
- Logical necessity
- Meaning
- Metaphor
- “Mind-body problem”
- Models
- Movement
- N-dimensional space
- Norms
- Objectivity
- Objectification (when indiscriminate: e.g., “things”: B-bias)
- Omnipotence
- Omniscience
- ONE
- Order of Things
- Paradigms (assorted)
- Particularism (methodological)
- “Person who” (B-bias plus attribution)
- Physiological reductionism
- Prediction
- Probability
- Power
- Puzzles
- Questions (assorted – but not questioning)
- Recognition (cognition as acquaintance)
- Research and development
- Rules
- “Scientific method”
- Stimulus-response
- System
- Technology
- Thoughts (assorted – but not thinking)
- Uncertainty (an optional affliction)
- Universals
- “Why?”
- Y = f(x)
FOOTNOTES (RELATED MATERIALS):
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Supporting Audio
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