I often wonder just what it will take for people, in general, to start paying attention to history.
Any one of us can point at myriads of issues that are problematic, educational systems that do not educate, politicians who lie and cheat, corporations who rape and pillage, us and the environment.
None of this is new, it has been going on for a very long time, yet at the next election we step up to vote for the same crooks we did before, because - This time they will not lie, this time they really will work for us, instead of the big money that pulls their strings.
All these issues appear to be complex in terms of any kind of resolution, but in truth they are not.
We can never resolve any of the issues we are concerned about without reference to history and the basics of how to think more critically about events and issues.
To be of any value to you today, I have to try and provide you with a few building blocks to show that we can behave differently. The trick is that we cannot behave differently without thinking differently.
Above I listed just three names to provide some assistance to us today, from a long time ago.
Albert Einstein once said -
"The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size."
But he added a rider
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." -
It is human nature to complicate issues instead of simplifying them. We are taught to behave in this manner and to close our minds to ideas not "approved" by our environments, our religion or political persuasions and other institutions.
We have to be prepared to think uncomfortable thoughts and consider uncomfortable ideas and truths.
Our first mistake is to assume that these supposed complex issues can be resolved by trying to understand or analyze the effects or symptoms, without first gaining clarity on the causes.
It appears that there is always a matter of Ideas and a lack of imagination, to understand or reimagine the ideas ( principles ) underpinning the issues.
Mr Einstein also made this perceptive observation -
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
It is therefore obvious that we have to find a way to reduce the issues to the fundamental underpinning ideas or principles, before we can apply our imagination to new ideas or approaches to the issues.
To help us on this mission, we have William of Ockham to provide some guidance using Occams Razor ( the law of parsimony ), to enable us in reducing complex issues to something more manageable and simple.
Occams razor states that one should start by selecting the solution with the fewest assumptions and to remove all the bits not germane to the core of the issue.
This might not be a perfect solution, but would provide a good start towards understanding complex issues.
The next obstacle is language.
There was a time when language was seen as a method of communications but is now often employed as a mechanism for obfuscation.
Another good friend, George Orwell explained this problem clearly.
He said " Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
Thus any issue described, should be scrutinized and the "pure wind" redacted or translated into English.
This is where our next friend becomes helpful.
Frederic Bastiat postulated a concept - That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen, in relation to laws, rules, regulations and any number of other issues.
He explains that it almost always happens that when the immediate consequence appears favourable, the ultimate consequences are fatal.
We always deal with what is seen and mostly ignore what is not seen. Those promoting issues will always only concentrate on "what is seen" and groupthink will promote the messages.
Typical examples are to be found in legislation passed in parliament and regulations formulated by bureaucrats.
Almost uniformly when you read the name of a bill ( legislation ) the effect will be exactly the opposite.
Right to information legislation contains a section declaring
Part 3 : Factors favouring nondisclosure in the public interest.
Do not even bother to try and figure that one out.
President Obama passed "The Affordable Health Act" and as a result 74 Million people ended up with no healthcare and the cost for all healthcare rocketed upwards.
President Bush ( jnr ) passed education legislation called "No child Left Behind" that resulted in more children to not be educated.
President Bush launched an illegal war against Iraq and called it "operation Iraq freedom". Now almost twenty years later with over a million civilians dead, the country destroyed and billions spent, where is the freedom?
At home ( Australia ) we have the "safe schools program" that was supposed to be an effort to reduce bullying at school. Instead it turned out to be a woke effort to promote gender fluidity and other bullshit that has nothing to do with bullies or education.
All these outcomes were predictable, yet those in charge did nothing to prevent the disasters that unfolded.
So to conclude whatever issues we are faced with, refer back to history to see what happened last time and figure out what we can learn from that. Then use our imagination to lift out the ideas that matter.
Remember Mr Occam and simplify the ideas, then apply Bastiat to the outcome.
Unless we all start paying attention we will never be able to complain about all the issue that drives us crazy, in our homes, community, business or country.
The same rules apply in all of those locations.
End
William of Ockham ( Occams Razor )
That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen
 "Philip Smith")
Author:Philip Smith| Tags:Think |