02-Synergy

Synergy

Understanding Understanding

Consider the caveman family. Charlie Chimp, mate Polly Protohuman and offspring Pebbles. Charlie arises when he hears a sound outside the cave. He grabs his spear and rushes to the mouth of the cave. This is as it should be, an immediate response to an imminent danger. The male viewpoint is dominant, as it should be in the Neolithic. Charlie’s mind races as he contemplates what evil menace lurks outside. Could it be a lion, a dragon, a cave bear, a demon, a pack of wolves. Or maybe that most dreaded beast of all the Stanford Psychologist. Or maybe its a Harvard Psychologist with a sub in philosophy. His mind races to overload in considering the terrible monsters which may lurk outside, or in which combination, or maybe all of them. This will later be called reductionist thinking, the scientific method. He starts with the solution (spear) and works his way back to the problem (danger). A devious, tortuous byzantine labyrinth of illogic.

Polly calls from the back of the cave “Chill out, big boy, pebbles just went outside to take a leak” This is also as it should be, targeted insight into a specific problem. (Charlie had to remove tab A from slot B to grab his spear, she’s still horny) to effect a solution, (get Charlie back under the bearskin). To Polly, it is simple.

Charlie starts with the answer and works his way back to the question.

Polly starts with the question and works her way forward to the answer.

Together they have resolved the problem in the safest and most efficient manner and they can get back to the business at hand, the only business which has any importance in the greater scheme of things. Making Pebbles II.

But we no longer live in the neolithic.

This male viewpoint has dominated science throughout history. While perfectly appropriate for the hard sciences, Math, Geometry, Physics, Cosmology, Football, it is totally inadequate for the soft sciences. Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, etc. The soft sciences are not sciences, they are more akin to art and not amenable to reductionist reasoning.

“Women, who can understand them?” No male, they’re not supposed to.

“Men just aren’t sensitive” They are not supposed to be.