[extropy-chat] examples of rational irrationalism

[pjmanney]

>It can certainly be rational to think "irrational thoughts", in the
>sense of thinking thoughts that one believes are very unlikely to be
>correct -- and are in fact probably nonsensical, based on the
>knowledge one has.
>
>This can be rational to do if you are thinking about something and get
>"stuck", and want to "loosen up" your thought processes and push your
>mind in new directions --- even if these directions might seem
>nonsensical **at first**
>
>-- Ben G

It's called the Creative Process.  From ArtLex, the online art dictionary:

The stages of the creative process:

1) Finding or formulating a problem. George Kneller (American psychologist) called this stage "first insight." 

2) Researching and drawing from life experiences (memory), networking, etc. This stage is variously called "discovery" and "saturation." 

3) Mulling over the problem in a sort of chaos of ideas and knowledge, letting go of certainties (forgetting). Jacob Getzel (American psychologist) called this stage "incubation" -- engaging the intuitive, non-sequential, or global thinking at the core of creativity. 

4) One or more ideas surface. This is also called "immersion" and "illumination." 

5) The idea is tested as a potential solution to the problem. Getzel called this "verification." This final stage often involves revision — conscious structuring and editing of created material. 

PJ


"What a strange machine man is! You fill him with bread, wine, fish, and radishes, and out comes sighs, laughter, and dreams."
Nikos Kazantzakis (1885-1957), Greek novelist.