> > From: Richard Brodie <RBrodie@brodietech.com>
> > On Monday, September 29, 1997 2:59 PM, David McFadzean
> [SMTP:david@lucifer.com] wrote:
> > > The thing I don't understand is why Level-3 gives you the power
> > > to choose any belief system you want, so long as it is *not* the
> scientific/
> > > rational/skeptical belief system (in which case you are still Level-2
> > > apparently).
> >
> > Becaue reality is a sphere and your belief system is a square. You can't
> ever touch more >than a few points at once.
>
> I understand that no one belief system is completely correct, and that from
> any one perspective one cannot see the entire picture. But from your
> descriptions of level-3 it seems that in all seperate instances of time it
> is necessary for one to be in a particular belief system; that level-3 is
> not a specific belief system, but is merely the ability to change belief
> systems, and to realize at all times that the way your are currently
> perceiving reality may not be the only way, the best way, or even a correct
> way. If these are true (please tell me if I have incorrectly understood
> level-3 thought), isnt the scientific/rational/skeptical belief system one
> of the best belief systems to spend time in. I realize that you need to be
> aware of other perspectives, and be willing to change your belief system,
> but doesnt the rational/skeptical/scientific belief system promote the
> greatest opportunity for change to other systems?
I dunno. But the rational/skeptical/scientific belief system is a
tremendously useful one. I spend lots of time in it, myself.
Level-3 isn't just the ability to change your belief system, but the
ability to change among belief systems. By the distinction, I mean that a
Level-3 person isn't merely seeking to improve on a current model, but to
keep multiple models around, and change among them depending on which
aspects of the world one most wants illuminated at the time. In fact, the
illumination metaphor seems like a good one; let me fill it in. A
worldview is like a light source--using a particular kind and direction of
light, we can see many aspects of the room we're in and its contents.
Some light sources will be generally more useful than others, and some
will be more helpful for specific purposes than others. None of them can
illuminate everything in the room at once for us--all of them will cast
shadows, and include only part of the spectrum. A Level-1 person is using
whatever light source is handy, without particularly thinking about how it
might be improved on. A Level-2 person is working to perfect eir light
source--to make it bright, broad-spectrum, and well-positioned. A Level-3
person has collected several lights of various types e has found useful,
has probably worked on them a bit, and now uses them for different
purposes, and/or switches among them to get new insights. E is also
likely to be willing to play with new possibilities.
Eva,
who is fond of candles and blacklights, but prefers to read by a
full-spectrum 60-watt incandescent with a decent shade.