Are you aware that Aristotle thought that cold traveled to warm areas? He certainly would have failed a course in thermodynamics. But if you remove yourself from modern science and forget the definition of heat, you might derive the same misunderstanding when you sit on a cold metal bench in winter. The cold might seem as much to be entering your body as heat might seem to be leaving it.
We seem to rely on notions regardless of their degree of truth (or falsity). As long as they appear to explain the world satisfactorily and as long as we don’t encounter contradictions, notions work. We are, in reality, not often very precise, and that especially applies to our idea of what other people are. As long as the notions seem to hold, we are happy in our judgments. Cold, regardless of what thermodynamics teaches us, does seem to flow into us on that cold metal bench.
A simple issue like a mistaken thermodynamic principle might seem worth little note, but since so much of what we do is based on erroneous notions, the Aristotelian cold-to-warm principle serves as an analog of much of our thinking.
Cases in point:
What of notions about fame? About wealth? About moral choice? What are the unproven and disproved notions upon which you operate daily? Your question: “How can I even know when I am operating on a notion? Life ‘comes at me fast,’ too fast for examining everything in depth, too fast for experimentation, and too fast for thorough foresight.”
Even the wisest of us, like Aristotle, will rely on notions as truths by which to live. If you think “the weather is so frigid that the cold is penetrating to my very bones,” you won’t suffer because of an erroneous thermodynamic notion; you'll suffer because you are cold. But some notions are injurious: Those that violate two principles of ethical living. The first principle is that you do no harm to yourself. So, the notion that you can continue a habit like smoking without inimical consequence runs counter to research findings on smoking’s dangers. The same principle applies to any habit or risky act that is unhealthful or potentially dangerous. The second principle is that you do no harm to others. The notion that you can operate without considering the effect of your actions on others can lead to their distress, and their distress can bounce back to you.
Question your notions.
We seem to rely on notions regardless of their degree of truth (or falsity). As long as they appear to explain the world satisfactorily and as long as we don’t encounter contradictions, notions work. We are, in reality, not often very precise, and that especially applies to our idea of what other people are. As long as the notions seem to hold, we are happy in our judgments. Cold, regardless of what thermodynamics teaches us, does seem to flow into us on that cold metal bench.
A simple issue like a mistaken thermodynamic principle might seem worth little note, but since so much of what we do is based on erroneous notions, the Aristotelian cold-to-warm principle serves as an analog of much of our thinking.
Cases in point:
- The gambler’s fallacy: So, the slot machine has not hit for a bit. Isn’t it bound to hit soon? Sorry. It’s all about random numbers. Chance is chance. The notion of potential success guarantees nothing.
- Karma, or what goes around comes around: Yes, maybe there will be some (Hitler, for example) whose comeuppance comes up, but poetic justice isn’t a guarantee in the real world, and many bad guys pay no identifiable penalty for their actions.
- Urine is yellow, so there must be gold in it: Don’t laugh. Before modern chemistry alchemist Hennig Brand thought he could get a precious metal from pee. He did get phosphorus. Happy accident. But random accidents guarantee no similar accidents.
- Gypsy moths in North America and rabbits in Australia could be good for the economy. Yes, those were the notions, but invasive species always upset the ecological status quo that evolved over thousands, or even tens to hundreds of thousands of years. Why would anyone think such purposeful introduction is reasonable? No individual act occurs in a vacuum in a complex world.
- Running shoes protect your feet. You can find a contradictory study at the Journal of Royal Society Interface. “Running shoes actually made…muscles work harder to keep the arch stable.”
What of notions about fame? About wealth? About moral choice? What are the unproven and disproved notions upon which you operate daily? Your question: “How can I even know when I am operating on a notion? Life ‘comes at me fast,’ too fast for examining everything in depth, too fast for experimentation, and too fast for thorough foresight.”
Even the wisest of us, like Aristotle, will rely on notions as truths by which to live. If you think “the weather is so frigid that the cold is penetrating to my very bones,” you won’t suffer because of an erroneous thermodynamic notion; you'll suffer because you are cold. But some notions are injurious: Those that violate two principles of ethical living. The first principle is that you do no harm to yourself. So, the notion that you can continue a habit like smoking without inimical consequence runs counter to research findings on smoking’s dangers. The same principle applies to any habit or risky act that is unhealthful or potentially dangerous. The second principle is that you do no harm to others. The notion that you can operate without considering the effect of your actions on others can lead to their distress, and their distress can bounce back to you.
Question your notions.
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