Ambiguity, Kinds of Suffering, and Scapegoating

[AxumGold]

So true. I agree 100% and more. I would use different terminology from a Theistic perspective, but the concept of the randomness of life, the ambiguity of life, the otherrness that can wrap itself around cause and effect, carries with it a metaphysical uncertainty.

[DieOverIdea]

great video!

[LilachLavy]

Soooo true....i love how expresive you are with your face expresions and your voice here....

[startasicklegroup]

personally i saw this view as a stern talk that i never got. A wake up call; i already saw the world differently and now my eyes are just letting in truth.

[613suz]

Yes to all of what you say about amibiguity - the real test of strengh is one's capacity to surrender and simply live one's life.

[phlewis86]

Sometimes I don't understand your videos the first time I watch them but when I make the effort I realize you have some wonderful insights that that help me to get a better grasp on things. I am not a very academic minded person but I do appreciate you videos a lot.

[natedaug1]

Wow, dude, your extremely bright. Kierkegaard wrote about contingency a lot. You seem to writing about contingent.

[pointyhead1]

ProfessorAnton, Thanks.

I think ambiguity can be incredibly worthwhile for it's own sake. Of course, we see it all the time in political statements and sales.

Ambiguity in definition of "gene", allows "cross-checking" to see if results obtained using a non-ambiguous approach ( molecular biology ) perform under the other approaches ( figgerin's, ala theorists ) .

This is an organic development that came from the struggle to disambiguate.

Bob Dylan uses ambiguity to great effect too.

[pointyhead1]

I never allow the others to force me to declare any certain other position( other or additional to that which I am putting forward ), in order to ease their problem....

Professor Anton, to me, it has been evidenced that the insistence on having a "target' declare a well-known position is so that they can...

...produce a ready made response that is widely validated, and feel quite secure ( as it's been examined from that angle extensively already ).

[pointyhead1]

If you want a hilarious time, next time the discussion is Intelligent Design, try to separate Design from Creation ( supposing one were pondering about E.T. designing and delivering some DNA starter to Earth ).

People will be agitated if you will not declare yourself a Bleever - if you stay with the question of design, but will utter nothing about who how or why.

People get so agitated, they need to purge by talking about the psychological derangement of any possible God, and so on...

[davieworsley]

nfrnrf

[didate]

The value of stoicism is in an ability to self-manage expectations, mainly by scaling them down. Ambiguity is recognition of a lack of control over some processes in life. On the other hand, state of ambivalence is a big risk. The key is to tune self into a productive mode of mild anxiety to achieve goals in life. "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference" God part is optional.

[fruitsofnews]

how would you break this down to obama?

[soulfetcher]

Yes. Ambiguity is profoundly unsettling for humans. We have evolved with a need for answers, and have devised cultures and religions to provide them and help in our flight from ambiguity.

Seen this way, learning to live with ambiguity is an evolutionary advance, and we will hopefully evolve past today's destructive 'supernaturally based' varieties of religion....and at Lamarkian rather than darwinian speed :)

[Professoranton]

So well said

[shoujokakumei39]

@Professoranton Have you read de Beauvoir's The Ambiguity of Ethics? I am interested in hearing your response to her arguments and how much she differs from Sartre. Personally I agree more with her logic than Sartre's.

[fruitsofnews]

well... it seems isms are the most potent form of disambiguation. capitalism. qualified forms of fascism. whateverisms. including religionisms. but well... the only real sad thing are the singularisms among the isms... that have the means to impose their understanding of disambiguation by FORCE! europeans have been masterfull at that over the past 500 years.

[trick0171]

Hey Jedi,

Well, he brought up ambiguity, but used it in response to a specific ethical position posed by Gary --which as you probably know, attempts to replace the psychological/emotional response (as much as possible) with a logic based ethical system. So yes, he seems to be talking about something different than what he was initially responding to - hence the confusion on both ends. (MORE)

[trick0171]

They also have diametrically opposed epistemological stances, Gary from a more logical positivism/rationalist side, the professor from a more existentialist side. I align closer to Gary for a number of reasons (I think Existentialism is a logically flawed view of existence)

[Professoranton]

"Existentialism" is an epithet, and when people use it, rather than "phenomenology and existential philosophy," I am almost always very interested in what, exactly, they think that word means. Perhaps you could elaborate on what you take to be the main ideas or arguments of "existentialism" and then give what you think are the flaws and your reasoning therein.

[trick0171]

I am unsure why you say it is an "epithet"? It applies to the works of philosophers that apply "existential philosophy". If you would rather I can change that to "existential philosophy" and mean it in the same way I am implying.

Obviously I cannot summarize the flaws of existential philosophy in a few sentences, but to quickly overview why I have such a distaste for the movement, ... (more)

[trick0171]

...it reject the notion that natural science and science of psychology are our best methods for understanding what a human is. It is the methological standards that most existential philosophers use that I find does not align with what is logical or most reliable and consistent. Many seem to contrive knowledge based on individual feelings and emotions.

[dismutased]

You love the term 'ambiguity' no? :)

Do you really think the majority of people cannot reconcile the idea of either complete control or lack of control being a false dichotomy? Interesting. People usually tend toward black and white philosophies, but I'd thought in this instance it would be acknowledged that 'luck' and/or destiny/direction is a mixture of personal control and outside influences. I'm off to work to test this on colleagues.

[Fatherflot64]

Seems like Professor Anton is using the word "ambiguity" somewhat like the Existentialists used to use the word "absurdity": it is one of the primal facts of human existence that we are always-already thrown into situations that we didn't make, that are beyond our complete understanding, and yet require us to make choices, undertake projects, accept responsibilities, etc. I think "ambiguous" is a less dramatic and loaded term, so I approve of the use.

[Professoranton]

Very good. And Merleau-Ponty offers a philosophy of ambiguity.

This is quite helpful!

[Fatherflot64]

Professoranton: Fatherflot64 ---I'm the same guy who's been talking to you about the Media Ecology syllabus, Korzybski, etc.

[jogayot]

emperor is naked!

[trick0171]

Hi Professor,

Hope things are good.

I think the much of the confusion came about in some of your previous videos in which it appeared you were suggesting everything was ambiguous. I don't think anyone is saying that there are no ambiguous scenarios, or that there is ambiguity within the psychology of different people. (MORE)

[trick0171]

The point is, when discussion philosophy, the concern is what is more logical, not what is psychological. So if we can use logic to determine or wittle down the ambiguity, it matters not that it is psychologically ambiguous to multiple people. Part of the reason to use logic is to attempt to show what the more reasonable stance is. (MORE)

[trick0171]

Yes, even in logic there are scenerios that are entirely ambiguous (take the train track ethical scenerio for example), but most others we can reduce down or eliminate much of the ambiguity, if we accept the axiom of logic (which is sort of a criteria for philosophical discussion).

Anyway, that is what I am seeing in these recent exchanges regarding the use of the word "ambiguity".

[AimiriZ]

Seems like you're just referring to "complexity of determinism" as "ambiguity",.

[FeelFreeToArgue]

Enjoyed this vid. I have talked about these concepts many times in my vids - though not so eloquently. It almost seems as if we need to feel like we will own all our success to motivate ourselves to action. And perhaps acknowledging that it all MAY be useless is, on some level, tantamount to saying that it is - if not on an intellectual level then on an emotional one. Face it, it's a potentially disheartening thought. For those unfamiliar w/ its rewards, it looks a restless, uncomfortable state.

[AnomalousDataPoint]

This whole notion of 'ambiguity ' is toxic to thinking, everywhere that psychological drivers, random events, and what we had for breakfast comes to bear influence in our thoughts you seem to want to label as an 'ambiguity' . Of course, in dialog, we should keep an eye out for this sort of thing, but is there a useful taxonomy of 'ambiguities' to help us? No, I don't think there is, so it doesn't move us on and is far too loaded a term (as it would seem to implore an abdication of inquiry).

[2bsirius]

BTW...Honest and interesting video.

Thanks for thinking.

[2bsirius]

My favorite way to look at this is to say that we all muddle through as best we can...I like the dated cliche, "Onward through the fog"

It's hard to deal with subtlety on YouTube ...It tends to make everything look simple, even when the situation is, as you phrased it, ambiguity.

HIGHER AND LOWER STATIONS? They don't exist IMHO...Sometimes the person who cleans the toilet is better than the corrupt broker who is sitting on it.

[2bsirius]

Oops...

Meant:

"[A]s you phrased it, is AMBIGUOUS...

My obsessive/compulsive correction disorder kicked in again. I can't stop it... I've tried ;¬)

[Ramiiam]

Thanks for the video reply. In a future video, I wonder if you would speak to the kinds of moral and ethical ambiguity that you raised in your video to Gary.

[pgm98387]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Ambiguity

(n.)

The quality or state of being ambiguous; doubtfulness or uncertainty, particularly as to the signification of language, arising from its admitting of more than one meaning; an equivocal word or expression.

from dictionary babylon com

[PluripotentBrain]

Anton:

Thanks for the video. I've come around on this issue

[ORz42]

good vid

[pangeaprogress]

Thank you for covering this. Have you read "The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy" by Martha Nussbaum? Ernest Becker wrote, "In the world of ritual there aren't any accidents, and accidents, as we know, are the things that make life most precarious." The awareness of this mixture of choice and chance is important to emphasize in a culture that at times blames the victims of suffering for their demise when other variables should be considered as well.

[Professoranton]

Love all of the above!  The good stuff for sure.

[pfarabee]

I've often said that one of the problems with authoritative heirarchy is the very issue you mention.

Once in a status position, people like to forget, or never accept to begin with, that luck has a hand in why they are where they are.

In forgetting this, they also forget, to their peril, the fact that higher position does not always mean higher ability, intelligence, or drive, but is actually a combination of many things, including sheer luck. This can cause resentment among subordinates.

[AnomalousDataPoint]

Both your examples are statements of the completely obvious, how does labelling them 'ambiguities' help? All you are doing is noting that a subset of people retrofit simplistic rationalisations to the events of their lives and others, accept recieved wisdoms, and generally don't think much, so what?

[RowanFortuneWood]

Your notion of ambiguity sounds similar to that of Simone de Beauvoir's; is there anything to that? That is to say, "Men of today seem to feel more acutely than ever the paradox of their condition. They know themselves to be the supreme end to which all action should be subordinated, but the exigencies of action force them to treat one another as instruments or obstacles, as means. The more widespread their mastery of the world, the more they find themselves crushed by uncontrollable forces."

[gratex]

"How could I have been so stupid? I've been barking up a tree all these years only to see the woods now, but I don't want to appear a fool here, even if I only appear to be a fool from the perspective of this tree I've been barking up. Therefore I must continue barking up it.... can't let this tree get away with it now."