for - adjacency - letting go - of knowledge - of theories - Donald Hoffman - I've often felt as he does - it's a conundrum of letting go of that (knowledge) we've invested so heavily into - quote / key insight - letting go of theories of science and self - Donald Hoffman - Science is great, but don't believe any theory. <br /> - Theories are just tools. They're not the truth. - No scientific theory, my theories included, are the truth. - And so also is my theory about who I am not the truth. - So to really let go of any theory, if I can really let go of any theory of who I am, then I'll let go of any fear

• for: transition, uncertainty, uncertainty - neuroscience, ingroup, outgroup, letting go, lifetime student
• paraphrase
  • Uncertainty brings
    • immune system deterioration
    • brain cells wither and even die
    • creativity and intelligence decrease
  • We often go from fear to anger because fear is a state of certainty.
  • We become morally judgmental, an extreme version of oneself.
    • conservatives become ultra-conservative
    • liberals become ultra liberal.
  • because we retreat to a place of safety and familiarity.
  • The problem is that the world changes.
  • Since we have to adapt or die, if we want to shift from A to B,
    • the first step is not B.
    • the first step is to go from A to not A
      • to let go of our biases and assumptions;
      • to step into the very place that our brain evolved to avoid;
      • to step into the place of the unknown.
      • to step into a liminal space
• comment
  • Uncertainty is uncomfortable
  • and can drive us into our familiar, accepted, insular ingroup
  • In other words, lead to greater social polarization.
  • Adaptation requires us to step into the unknown.
  • Big changes in our lives therefore require us to go
    • from the familiar and comfortable space,
    • to the unfamiliar and uncomfortable
      • movement away from our comfort zone, as is happening as the polycrisis we face gains traction.

I believe you were able to do that precisely because you were prepared. The more you prepare, the more beneficial letting go of the plan is .

This is a very pith statement. We go round and round in our thinking, jumping from one position to another but not able to see that our sense of frustration does not arise from not finding the right view, but rather from chasing after any view. ANY view will have the same inherent flaw. We are like a dog chasing its own tail, or like the ouroboro serpent attempting to eat its own tail.

It is the awareness of the meta-condition that is the key insight. Ultimately, it is up to us to finally convince ourselves to let go of chasing "understanding" to fall into the lived experience of the truth, rather than the propositional only....which is like empty calories and can never salsify our deepest aspirations of wisdom.