Fuzzy Thinking

We are not perfect thinkers, and so all engage in fuzzy thinking. Well, at least I am not perfect, and I think it is a safe assumption that this is true of all the rest of you. That's okay. We don't really have the time to think carefully and fully about everything, and intuition can handle many of the decisions we need to make.

On the other hand, when the decisions are very important to us personally, or when the thoughts affect others in important ways, we would do well to at least recognize the fuzziness in our analysis - or our entire lack of analysis. I was reminded of this on Memorial Day, when the television was full of the usual solemn honoring of those who kill others supposedly to protect us. It inspired my post Memorial Day Nonsense.

It is in the area of these kinds of culturally-reinforced beliefs and ideas that fuzzy thinking is most obvious - but only obvious when you step outside the culture. In the example from the post mentions, I point out that almost everyone in the United States has a vague idea that all soldiers should be honored. When you are brought up in a culture, such ideas are just handed down to you, and so seem perfectly reasonable. But what happens when you start to ask even the simplest questions? The fuzziness becomes apparent.

For example, why should we honor those who are or have been in the armed services? Because they wear a uniform? So do criminals in prison. Some would say that it is because they protect us all, but do they? What happened after 50,000 lost their lives in Vietnam and lost the war? Did we then lose all of our freedoms? Or is it the intent to protect us that makes them worthy of honor? But wait - not all have this intent. In that war they were drafted, and in other times many join for the benefits or for ego reasons. meanwhile, the perpetuation of this "gain honor by putting on this uniform" idea is great for the purposes of maintaining the power of the government.

I won't go on with the one example (though I easily could: the whole idea is fuzzy as hell). Lets look at another. What about the idea that "children are our future," in the sense that we need them for a better world. It is commonly expressed, and makes some sense if the intent is to enslave future generations under high taxes so we can stop working decades before we lose our ability to be productive and live off their labor. But is that a better world? And what if the children of today lead us into nuclear war that kills us all. It's possible.

The fuzzy thinking this idea is based on provides a convenient excuse for a lot of special treatment of those who choose to procreate. But why should I pay for the education (through public schools) and upbringing (through tax rebates) of children for upper-middle class people (and the wealthy)? Because they are my future, I guess. Sounds fuzzy to me. My future might be in my investments if the money for them wasn't all taken away in taxes used to benefit the spawners.

Anytime you feel the urge to just "go along" with the culture around you, stop and take another look at what you are being lead to believe. It may be nothing more than fuzzy thinking intended to support some agenda that you may not really agree with.