Not that I disagree with you in general, but I can think of a few cases in which you may actually want to cultivate blankness toward a given subject. In particular, deep and difficult questions have been known to occasionally drive people mad—it’s an occupational hazard for mathematicians in particular, and perhaps also for people in other fields. One might reasonably object that correlation does not imply causation in this case, but I have had a couple of experiences in which intense study of math and physics led me to some pretty dark psychological places, and I had to back off for awhile and think about more mundane matters while my mind reset. It’s possible that, for some people, some areas of thought really are inaccessible, insomuch as they could irrevocably damage themselves in trying to get there.
I have had a couple of experiences in which intense study of math and physics led me to some pretty dark psychological places,
One way of dealing with this problem is to get that out of the way when you’re young (i.e., 6–11). Then you’ve learned coping mechanisms (which will end up used regularly), but don’t have a distinct recollection of the horrible thought patterns that you might just fall back into if you think about them too hard, by the time you’re older.
Not that I disagree with you in general, but I can think of a few cases in which you may actually want to cultivate blankness toward a given subject. In particular, deep and difficult questions have been known to occasionally drive people mad—it’s an occupational hazard for mathematicians in particular, and perhaps also for people in other fields. One might reasonably object that correlation does not imply causation in this case, but I have had a couple of experiences in which intense study of math and physics led me to some pretty dark psychological places, and I had to back off for awhile and think about more mundane matters while my mind reset. It’s possible that, for some people, some areas of thought really are inaccessible, insomuch as they could irrevocably damage themselves in trying to get there.
Why do I feel the irrational urge to beg you to do a post on this? What could possibly go wrong? :-)
I’m guessing determinism and infinity.
Yeah, I could write about this. Look for it tomorrow (Wednesday) or Thursday evening.
I agree, it does sound fascinating! Skatche, please consider expanding on this, supposing you can do so and remain healthy.
One way of dealing with this problem is to get that out of the way when you’re young (i.e., 6–11). Then you’ve learned coping mechanisms (which will end up used regularly), but don’t have a distinct recollection of the horrible thought patterns that you might just fall back into if you think about them too hard, by the time you’re older.