“What distinguishes a semantic stopsign is failure to consider the obvious next question.” Why does one fail to consider the obvious next question ? I believe it is often due to fear.
Fear of the unknown is allayed by tricking the mind into believing a societal explanation, “God”, which is less scary than “I don’t know”.
Fear of looking like an idiot is allayed by tricking the mind into believing what “everyone knows”. It reminds me of a quote attributed to George Leonard:
“Man”, he said, “you are a learner. Tell me. How can I be a learner?” “It’s simple. To be a learner, you’ve got to be willing to be a fool.”
“What distinguishes a semantic stopsign is failure to consider the obvious next question.”
Why does one fail to consider the obvious next question ? I believe it is often due to fear.
Fear of the unknown is allayed by tricking the mind into believing a societal explanation, “God”, which is less scary than “I don’t know”.
Fear of looking like an idiot is allayed by tricking the mind into believing what “everyone knows”. It reminds me of a quote attributed to George Leonard:
“Man”, he said, “you are a learner. Tell me. How can I be a learner?”
“It’s simple. To be a learner, you’ve got to be willing to be a fool.”