The less I think, the more I know

The less I think, the more I know sounds a little odd. It parallels that equally peculiar line in chapter 56, One who knows does not speak; one who speaks does not know. If anything ever begged for elucidation, this does!

The problem with thought lies in the preconceptions necessary to think and speak. This puts up a wall of understandings that hinders us from considering anything beyond that wall. This wall of knowledge requires relying on preconceptions—words and names—instilled into our awareness from infancy.

Seeing the World through a Blue Filter

Words and names act as filters. Just imagine if your parents attached a permanent blue colored filter to your eyes in infancy. The world you would see throughout your life would have a blue tint. Because you would never experience the world without the blue filter, you would not know the range of other colors out there nor even a color called blue. In other words, you can only know you are seeing a color if you experience it contrasted with another color. In short, contrast ≈ information ≈ contrast ≈ information…

You would understand the world was blue, even while unaware of the word blue or that you were seeing through a blue filter. Only your parents would know everything you saw was tinted blue. In this same way, the framework of language is a real impediment to seeing the world as it actually is. We see it through our language filter, and this easily chokes off a sense of anything beyond that filter.

Alcohol and drugs can jar that filter a bit, especially the hallucinogenic ones, which is one reason some use them. Nevertheless, these just substitute one filter for another — the drug filter. On the plus side, such drugs can jar our preconception’s filter and open up other angles of awareness. On the down side, it can unhinge any mind especially dependent on the normal filter. That’s why drugs can threaten the stability of civilization’s norms.

The Taoist worldview simply attempts to weaken the normal filter – words and names. Some example include: Therefore the sage keeps to the deed that consists in taking no action and practices the teaching that uses no words #2; Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly #17; To use words but rarely is to be natural #23; The teaching that uses no words #43; Straightforward words seem paradoxical #78; Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good #81; and of course, The name that can be named is not the constant name #1. Chapter 71 then doubles down on all this with, To know yet to think that one does not know is best.

I can understand why civilization would not jump on a Taoist bandwagon. Populations need everyone to be on the same cultural page. That means a culture’s people need to share a belief in the validity of their myths, traditions, music, art, food, clothes, etc. Indeed, I can’t think of any exception — the more conformity the better for unity. The common ground of language, words and names, tie all these matters together. Civilization needs its people marching to beat of the same drum — a high entropy state ⁽¹⁾ of minimum information and maximum uniformity. That just doesn’t sit well with a free spirit, does it? Yet, on the other hand, it increases the sense of an egalitarian tribal unity.

⁽¹⁾ Entropy (The third law of thermodynamics) is a useful and perhaps odd way of understanding this situation. Contrast between individual bits is what makes information. Such a state of distinctness or individuality is a low entropy state. There is a universal pull on lower entropy states to increase in entropy, become more homogeneous, uniform. As entropy increases, the situation becomes more stable.

A native language is a way of increasing entropy and thus stability. Other ways a culture’s people increase entropy is by eating the same foods, wearing the same clothing styles, and of course, practicing the same religion! All these increase cultural uniformity and stability.

Hard science can offer deeper insights into life. For example, ponder how entropy provides a fundamental way of explaining the vigor behind revolutionary movements and free spirited rebellious teenagers. After that, consider what Using Yin and Yang to Pop Preconceptions does as far as entropy is concerned; do Correlations increase it, or decrease it? (See p.572.)