Re: virus: Level 3 minds

JPS (schneids@centuryinter.net)
Fri, 25 Oct 1996 07:30:00 -0500


Suggestion: Do not label the "mind" as level 3. Rather, label the
"thought process". Thought processes are much easier to talk about
than are "minds". At best then, if one still wants to label the
"mind," say that it "is a mind capable of entertaining level 3
thoughts," (even though it might not always be doing so).

I like to think that I'm quite capable of operating in "level 3 mode,"
only I find the day-to-day assessment of various factual information
much easier to accomplish if I'm in "level 2 cruise control". (This
is, in fact, a level 3 argument: I find it more "useful" to grind
away in level 2 most of the time - just personal taste: it's much
easier to arrive at the 'truth' for me. If a discussion requires
me to utilize level 3 thinking, then I will - no problem.

Examples:
1) Someone tells me that the Yankees beat the Braves in game 5, even
though Smoltz and Wohlers combined to pitch a 0.00 ERA for the game.
I say: "How strange! Is this true?" Then I watch the news, (a 'truth'
authority (haha)), and find out that indeed, it is 'true', at which
point I grumble about the Braves losing game 5. That is "level 2
cruise control": find out what is true and be done with it. Level 3,
on the other hand, (and as I understand it), would approach this along
these lines: it doesn't care what is 'true', rather focuses on what is
'useful,' - In level 3, I would note all the seeming "facts," and then
decide to accept the lesser of two evils: the non-fulfillment of my
personal desire to see things as others seem to see things; or the
non-fulfillment of my personal desire to see the Braves win. I choose
that the lesser of the two evils is to accept this so-called "fact"
that the Braves lost, and then behave in such a way that I feel will
benefit me the most, (or do me the least harm): I grumble about the
Braves losing game 5.
Clearly, level 2 mode is easier to run in here.

2) Religion: in level 2, I will ask, "is it true that I will live
forever after I die, if I believe in God?" Seeing no substantial
objective evidence for it, I say, "I don't know." But on level 3,
I would say: what benefits me most: belief that I will live forever
due to my belief in God, or non-belief. Then, a Christian, of course,
feels much more secure with such a belief, so believes accordingly;
whereas an atheist likely prefers being his/her own authority, so
finds no benefit in believing such. So, one can come to theist or
atheist conclusions either way, but in this case, the level 3 mode
does seem to be more appealing, since the 'truth' in this case
really is harder to define than a simple everyday fact, such as
in example 1.

-JPSchneider