Friday, 29 July 2022

How do we know - the HOW

 HOW DO WE KNOW? – the HOW

Fig. 1 Peek-a-boo is a prime example of an object permanence test (Wikipedia, image by Cynthia-Griggs)

A friend asked me about my LTW project, what is it about?

I answered - like in the LTW onepager - that this project is about the question “how do we know?” … and I was surprised to notice that this question seemed unclear to her.

But in fact, it is not surprising at all. It is easy to think, for example, that knowledge comes from learning, from perception, etc.; then the answer to “how do we know?” would be “by learning”, “by perceiving”, etc. and this would seem so clear, that many people, like my friend, would not see why we need a project for answering that question.

As a consequence, the LTW project needs to start by explaining its leading question “How do we know?”

In this question the [How] is not about procedures (perceiving, learning, etc.) but about the mechanisms (functions, operations) of knowing which enable such procedures.

So the question is not “[By which procedures] do we know?” but “[By which mechanisms (functions, operations)] do we know?"

An example can be taken from Jean Piaget: object permanence. The child develops the ability to understand (to know), that when an object is covered by a blanked, it has not finished to exist. The object still exists, there, under the blanket.

Step by step this develops into the “understanding that objects exist and events occur in the world independently of one's own actions” (1).

This ability is a mechanism of knowing that the child acquires and it answers the question “How do we know?” in relation to the specific case of objects that suddenly disappear from our sight.

Notes:

(1) McLeod 2021, Object Permanence, https://www.simplypsychology.org/Object-Permanence.html

Wednesday, 27 July 2022

Two-worlds model - detailed diagram

 TWO-WORLDS MODEL - detailed diagram

This diagram of the Two Worlds Model is more detailed: it presents WORLD 2, the individual LOGICAL world (experiential world) with the distinction of two main areas of thinking, ACTIVE & PASSIVE processes.

The elements combined in this diagram have been previously described, see:

14.07.2022 HOW WE KNOW: A TWO-WORLDS MODEL
http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/07/two-worlds-model-v2.html
 

16.07.2022 HOW WE KNOW: ACTIVE & PASSIVE PROCESSES
http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/07/active-and-passive-thought.html





Tuesday, 26 July 2022

LTW Chronology

Living in Two Worlds - CHRONOLOGY of posts

update 02.08.2022 / 16.10.2022

  1. 18.04.2022 PEACE & MIND - FOR A MINDFUL PEACE
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/04/peace-and-mind.html

    We live in a physical environment (world 2), but while doing this we cannot avoid KNOWING world 2. So, how do we know world 2? By constructing world 1, an individual experiential world.

  2. 18.04.2022 TO KNOW HOW WE KNOW
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/04/to-know-how-we-know.html
    When knowing, do we "separate" forms from things (Aristotle)? Of course not! We "produce" forms (mental constructs) that we ADD to the "matter" of things.

  3. 20.04.2022 A SMALL ERROR FOR A MAN
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/04/small-error-for-man.html
    "Matter" BECOMES a definite things by means of "form", the essence of that thing. This essence is not there in "matter" ready to be taken: it is a product of the mind, a mental construct.

  4. 22.04.2022 FROM ARISTOTLE (350 BCE) TO KANT'S COPERNICAN REVOLUTION (1787) AND ITS 2 WORLDS (2022)
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/04/aristotle-kant-and-two-worlds.html
    If "Matter" BECOMES a definite things by means of "form", then we do not live only in one world (matter) but in two worlds (world of matter and world of form).

  5. 24.04.2022 TWO WORLDS - SLEEPING WHEN KNOWING?
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/04/sleeping-when-knowing.html
    We do not recognize that we live in two worlds, because we are not aware of what we do when knowing: we are like sleeping.

  6. 26.04.2022 SHARED PHYSICAL WORLD
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/04/shared-physical-world.html
    We are not aware that the matter of our shared physical world is "formally indefinite"

  7. 14.07.2022 HOW WE KNOW: A TWO-WORLDS MODEL
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/07/two-worlds-model-v2.html
    The world in which we live is the INTEGRATION of TWO WORLDS: a SHARED PHYSICAL world  and the INDIVIDUAL LOGICAL world (experiential world)

  8. 16.07.2022 HOW WE KNOW: ACTIVE & PASSIVE PROCESSES
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/07/active-and-passive-thought.html
    In world 2 (the individual LOGICAL world) the flow of thought is a continuous alternation of ACTIVE and PASSIVE thought.

  9. 21.07.2022 Living in Two Worlds (LTW) - Onepager
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/07/living-in-two-worlds-onepager.html
    The WHAT, WHY, HOW and WHO of my project "Living in Two Worlds".

  10. 26.07.2022 Living in Two Worlds - CHRONOLOGY of posts
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/07/ltw-chronology.html

  11. 27.07.2022 Two-worlds model - detailed diagram
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/07/two-worlds-model-detailed-diagram.html
    To the basic diagram I added here explicitely the distinction of the two main areas of thinking, ACTIVE & PASSIVE processes.

  12. 29.07.2022 How do we know - the HOW
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/07/how-do-we-know-how.html
    What does it mean to ask "How do we know?". What is here the "How"?

  13. 01.08.2022 LTW Attentional Subsystems
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/08/ltw-attentional-subsystems.html
    An introduction to the Attentional system by distinguishin four of its main subsystems: sensory system, motor system, schema system and equilibration system

  14. 02.08.2022 LTW Emotions and Feelings
    http://marco-bettoni.blogspot.com/2022/08/ltw-emotions-and-feelings.html
    A first attempt to answer the question "Where are emotions in the LTW model?"

  15. ... coming soon ;-)

Thursday, 21 July 2022

Living in Two Worlds - Onepager

 Living in Two Worlds (LTW)
Onepager

What is written on the cap? "P" or "d"? How do you know?

WHAT

  • A model of “HOW WE KNOW” called “Living in Two Worlds”
  • A diagram of the model’s elements and connections 
  • Elements: Physical world, Logical world and Attentional system
  • Connections: from Attention to both worlds and from here to Attention
  • In the Logical world distinguish ACTIVE and PASSIVE thought
  • Descriptions of the elements and connections
  • Descriptions of daily life situations seen in terms of the model

WHY

  • Propose a new way to look at obsessive thoughts
  • Contribute to a creative and responsible way of life
  • Contribute to overcome learning obstacles, avoid that young people think: “I am not clever enough”
  • Help in clarifying the misunderstandings about the constructivist view of how we know
  • In particular: make clear from the start that in constructivism there is no denial of the physical world; in fact, here it is part of the model

HOW

  • First draft of the model with the 3 elements connected: similar to the viability model diagram
  •  New: distinction ACTIVE/PASSIVE thought in the LOGICAL world 
  • Describe the processes and implications of this model 
  • Explore ways to describe some simple, common, daily life situations in terms of the model: use bestsellers (like “The Secret”) for finding ideas about such situations
  • Add more details (categorization, triads, correlations, etc.) when needed 
  • During the development process, publish the results in a blog even if they are still provisional; this will provide a kind of journal (diary) of the project; in social media put links to the blog 
  • Get feedback from friends and answer to their comments & questions 
  • Perform Q&A sessions with a person interested in the subject “How we know”: the topics of the sessions will follow Ceccato’s lessons transcribed in his book “Il Punto”: from these Q&A get inspiration for further developing the model.  
  • Record the Q&A sessions and publish them as a course on a suitable MOOC platform adding appropriate comments and resources 
  • To be defined and estimated later: workpackages and resources (duration, personnel expenses and other costs)

WHO

  • Project lead: Marco Bettoni 
  • Contributors: Marco's friends. Tasks: read the project output during the development process, give feedback (comments, questions), get answers as adaptations or extensions of the model
  • Partner of project “Punto”: a friend from Ukraine. Tasks: same like the other friends, additionally participate in Q&A sessions with project lead