desperate for change

Back in my undergrad philosophy class, we studied logic. A simple example is as follows:

Alfred is an engineer.
Engineers are sexy.
Therefore Alfred is sexy.

Naturally we can have more complicated examples. The idea behind propositional calculus is this: given a set of statements representing the premise, and a particular conclusion, we would then work through the calculus rules to see if the conclusion is supported by the premise. There is a simple mechanical system to work out the answer of “Yes, the conclusion is supported by the premises” or “No, the conclusion is not supported by the premises.”

Naturally, we proved the existence of God in one example. Then in an example immediately afterwards, proved the non-existence. You don’t need to be a philosopher to understand that this all comes down to the what premises you are starting with.

Propositional calculus is of course one way to model human knowledge and beliefs. In fact, humans brains as computing devices are amazing in that we can carry contradictions in our belief system yet still function relatively normally. I, however, argue that carrying contradictions can lead to stress in our lives.

Let me propose this relatively simple example of a young man, trying to make the decision to move out of his parent’s house. We start with the following set of beliefs:

I won’t be happy unless I move out.
Moving out will require me to rent.
Paying rent instead of paying mortgage is stupid.
Being stupid makes me unhappy.

And then we try to come up with conclusions that would lead the young man to happiness:

I will be happy when I move out.
I will be happy when I don’t move out.

Clearly, the young man will never be happy, as neither one of these conclusions are possible.

How about another recipe for unhappiness:

I won’t be happy if she doesn’t like me as a boyfriend.
She doesn’t like me as a boyfriend.

So what does this mean? In our quest for happiness, if we have a set of beliefs that cannot support the result that we desire, then we will not be able to accomplish them. Maybe there is some flaw in our brains that allow for contradictions, and still let us get the result that we want, but wouldn’t it be easier if we could just have beliefs that support our goals?

In life, you have to be willing to step outside of yourself and examine the reality of the situation, and then change the rules you have so that you have a chance at winning. The rules are what you decide them to be, and you can negotiate new rules if it is appropriate.