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Summary
- What we perceive as what goes on 'out there' is not what goes on 'out there'; we cannot perceive all of what is going on.
- What goes on 'out there' and what goes on 'in here' must be integrated as unique, ever-changing, never-repeating experiences by each individual.
- Each of us has our own 'world view', developed in the context of our previous experiences and environments. This 'world view' shapes how we react and respond to the events we encounter.
- What we 'know' is the result of structuring, relating, and revising our prior 'knowledge' with new experiences.
- Language enables and facilitates our learning; through language, we can build on the achievements of prior generations - called time-binding.
- However, language itself is not perfect; it allows structural errors which permit humans to distort and misinterpret what goes on, creating communications problems with others, and with ourselves.
- Effective language use is that which is similar in structure to the non-verbal referent to which it refers; "similar", but not "the same as" - just as "the map is not the territory".
- We need to become aware of and avoid: subject/predicate misrepre- sentations; either/or two-valued attitudes; mistaking inferences as facts; and "word magic", among other language traps.
- We can apply a scientific approach in our daily life by continually challenging our assumptions and beliefs, and revising them as new facts and data warrant.
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