For some time, I’ve been considering writing a blog about doubt (in time) because young and old people seem to have less doubt in their lives. Some can even be cocksure about their opinions, regardless of facts. I started off on the wrong foot. Doubt, and having no doubt, are related to beliefs. Opinions express beliefs.
During my research, I came across a 2016 question on ResearchGate: “[] why [is] binary thinking [] so persistent despite our understanding that the world is more complex than binary pairs”. A Medium 2019 article, The Psychology of Doubt, confirms that question: “[] for the most part, our brains prefer binary beliefs. We’re either republican or democrat, religious or secular, hero or villain…”.
Binary thinking is an expression of having dualistic beliefs (eg, either/or). Dualism has been around for many centuries. The main example of dualism is the notion that ‘knowledge equals power‘ (eg, Imam Ali, Francis Bacon, Michel Foucault). Currently, we are heading for monism, in which the winner takes all (eg, China).
In my view, trialism predated dualism and monism. My concept of trialism emerged from a 2017 article in Brain Pickings on Bertrand Russell‘s views on dualism. Bertrand Russell warned for a paradigm shift from ‘love-knowledge’ to ‘power-knowledge‘. Hence, my concept of Love, Knowledge & Power a.k.a. trialism.
In order to visualize the above, I’ve prepared a diagram:
Much to my own surprise, there’s no doubt in Love. Hence, expressions like love is blind. Doubt belongs to dualism and binary thinking. People who love what they do, have no doubt about what they do. Hence, an absolute belief in a love for Knowledge and/or a love for Power can result in tragedies (eg, Marie Curie).
“Love and doubt have never been on speaking terms.”
A quote by Khalil Gibran (1883-1931), a Lebanese-American writer and poet
“I can think of no better way of redeeming this tragic world today than love and laughter. Too many of the young have forgotten how to laugh, and too many of the elders have forgotten how to love. Would not our lives be lightened if only we could all learn to laugh more easily at ourselves and to love one another.”
A quote by Theodore Hesburgh (1917-2015), an American priest.
Live, Love, Learn (1968) by Betty Davis
artist, missing lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining by LO unless stated otherwise.
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