Subconceptual Drives Conceptual
Nothing falls into mind purely conceptually. That would be magic, and we don’t believe in that. Fortunately, subconceptual processing clarifies many things about what happens in the human mind.
Decision making
We think we know (consciously) what we want — before and after making (conscious) decisions about the same.
We don’t.
Let’s take what happens in three takes:
- We (consciously?) decide something and then (consciously?) carry it out.
- Actually, once a (conscious?) decision is taken, the subconscious/subconceptual does what is needed to carry things out.
- Actually, the decision itself is also taken subconsciously/subconceptually.
Moreover, since the decision is taken before we become consciously aware of it, it can also drive conscious awareness.
Which it does.
What consciousness does
‘Consciousness’ is the degree to which decisions are made with conceptual flavor and in self-reference.
Therefore, it can be seen as a feature of subconceptual processing.
To some degree, we can pragmatically work with it as if it were something separate. Yet, please take it with good measure.
Subconceptual drives conceptual
Without this insight, people don’t understand themselves nor each other.
This (lack of insight) is not just a minor issue. It carries hugely damaging consequences. As a result, people continually misunderstand and make the wrong decisions — even ones that they don’t like by far.
Let the subconceptual reign.
This doesn’t mean chaos — on the contrary.
The trick is to see through it: ‘You’ is not the conscious part of yourself. It’s the total ‘you,’ the total self that is in action each time you mention or think of ‘you.’ This way, working with ‘total you’ doesn’t diminish any control. It just changes what it is to have control, to be in control of yourself. It changes your you-idea, not your you.
Then again, it changes how you can be you — in short, how you can ‘be.’
Embracing your total self for personal growth
Recognizing the role of the subconceptual in your decisions invites you to engage more deeply with your inner self. This fosters a Compassionate relationship with yourself, enhancing your ability to align your choices with your core values and needs.
It encourages an authentic growth process that integrates your conceptual understanding with the wisdom of your subconceptual experiences.
Practical applications
By becoming aware of the subconceptual influences in everyday life, you can better manage emotions and make decisions that truly resonate with who you are. For example, understanding these dynamics can help navigate complex emotional landscapes at work or in relationships, leading to choices that are rational and fulfilling.
It makes you more prone to be rational and value depth, both at the same time and integrated.
It makes you more prone to Compassion.
Related Posts
46. Is there life beyond conceptual thinking?
Here’s the picture. On the one hand, we think with or by way of concepts. A concept can be anything like <tree>, <grandmother>, <character>. It is not ‘this tree’ but <tree>. The concept of <tree> can be filled in by any specific tree (called then an ‘instance’ of the concept). The concept of ‘tree’ has Read the full article…
Explosion of the Heart
Nothing changes, and nothing is the same anymore after such individual experience. An open landscape may emerge for all to be one. Peak experience Maslow called it a peak experience, but, indeed, it is an explosion of the heart. It can happen in very diverse circumstances. We’ll see three examples. An explosion of the heart Read the full article…
Classical Reinforcement Learning – Bounded by Meaning
Reinforcement learning has an appealing simplicity: an agent acts, receives feedback, and adjusts. Yet beneath this familiar mechanism lies a more complex dynamic that is often overlooked. Humans, animals, and even sophisticated A.I. systems interpret ‘reward’ as something shaped by meaning. When seen from this angle, classical reinforcement learning remains valuable, but only when embedded Read the full article…