The Plague of Misidentification

Causality Part 2

In today's installment of TPOM, we will go deeper into causation and the art of questioning. What does it mean to ask the right questions?

Questions

We left off during our introduction to causality with quite a long list of questions. Then we spoke about how many questions actually attend causality whether or not the questioner is aware of this fact. The list was spawned partly from creativity, curiosity, desire to understand and drive to discover. There are many ways to ask questions with the mental ascent toward causality or the understanding of the causes of things, and one can do this from many approach vectors. In the end, we will likely have more questions than answers as the answers, when understood, tend toward the discovery of further questions. 

Process

I want to use the study of causality to help us learn a process for questioning into the deeper areas of whatever we desire to learn. Once we can effectively seek out causation, we can better grasp the subjects of our various inquiries and what they are about. With all of this in mind, I am going to walk through the process of discovering, investigating, learning, and actualizing a subject, topic of study, idea, or thought, or any other like entity of the thought space realm. 

While linear models are helpful to use to get started in studying any subject, it is imperative that the fractality of life stay present within the learning process and the linear model. What this means is that while we will be applying a model at any given moment, we will also be in simultaneous parallel states with any two or more conceptual thoughts along the path of learning and the linear model. For instance, we could be realizing x thing while also realizing x thing connects in a novel way to y thing that creates z reaction while q thing is interacting with both x and y respectively. If we freeze this mental state within the space it would take to complete those thoughts (what was just detailed), i.e., the time to have that mental process from start to finish, then we would see that though the linearity is still present, it is present on multiple levels of thought space as each independent thought was factually on a different rung of the ladder of the linear model. In this way, linear models work for humans but need to be understood from the standpoint of fractal nesting or layers of parallelisms along the differing components of the linear model. 

You could say that the above example is strictly linear as I represented it, which is true. The point is that though it is linear, the thoughts that underpin the variable expressions written above are nested and are factually happening at different location states of the model. This can seemingly be of little importance at this level of observation. That said, if we are to understand the deeper levels of reality and the coming concepts within this series, we need to grasp this fact of fractality or nesting as it applies to the linear models of human thought.

Mental Models

In this series, we will cover a wide array of mental models. Today, I will introduce the scientific model to help us achieve our learning goals. 

The model is as follows:

• Characterizations (observations, defining applicable words, terms, and concepts, along with making various types of measurements of the subject of inquiry)

• Hypotheses (the theoretical, hypothetical explanations of all data collected regarding the subject of inquiry)

• Predictions (inductive & deductive reasoning conducted based on the hypothesis or theory set forth)

• Experiments (tests conducted to gain solid logical grounding from which to proceed in gaining factual knowledge regarding the subject of the inquiry)

It is important to note that the above distillation of the scientific method is not a legalistic list to be practiced without intelligent observation, inference, and creativity; it is a model and, as such, it is only as good as the thinking system that applies it to the subject of inquiry. 

The following is the scheme that is most often referred to as "The Scientific Method." We can see that this method is iterative, and exactly like what I referenced in the first essay, it is designed to operate on multiple levels while constantly adding to its knowledge base through the method and through each confirmation and denial across all iterations:

• Define a question

• Gather information and resources 

• Form an explanatory hypothesis

• Test the hypothesis via conducting an experiment and collecting data that is replicable

• Analyze the data

• Interpret the data, being careful to conclude where possible such that you have a new starting point for a new hypothesis

• Publish the results

• Retest for verification and validity. Note this process is also done by other scientists or peers within the field. Once your experiments are considered replicable by other scientists with the same results, this is deemed to be significant

Whenever you hear people reference the scientific method, this is what they are referencing, along with the occasional change here and there depending upon the various disciplines. It is very important to remember that the above is an excellent system. Still, it is not to be taken and performed by rote without regard for the many potentials that may necessitate small changes from time to time. We generally want to avoid legalism and favor ingenuity, creative thinking, abstraction, and logical progression whenever possible. 

As we move forward, try to pick out sections of the scientific method and see if they apply to what we are doing. Try this by going back and looking at the older installments and see if you can track if it or another mental model was being applied. This will be a good exercise for you, and it will sharpen your ability to engage the material more deeply. 

Questioning

We will leave the scientific method for a moment and move back to the art of questioning. When do you want to use a question? You use a question when there is something you want to find out, understand, investigate, or differentiate. You may or may not even know that something is there, so you ask questions to see if it is there or not. Then, if it is there, you ask questions about what it is, etc. When it comes to questions, we need to ask the best questions we can, and this task, though not easy, has some methods of approach that will enlighten those who attempt to get to the core of what makes the best questions. 

Context

Let's consider what context is for a moment. Context is the interrelated conditions in which something occurs. It can be the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light upon its meaning. I often think of context as being the whole of the environment's aim and intent. If, for example, I were to write about ancient Egypt, that would be my context. That is for sure a broad context in which to write, but if I were writing within that context and I used the word “pyramid,” it would mean something different than if I were writing in the context of fraud detection in which the word “pyramid” would almost immediately regard a pyramid scheme. Context is very powerful, and words simply cannot be interpreted intelligently if taken out of their context. In fact, it is fallacious to do this, and the fallacies that result are numerous. We often see these types of errors made in politics, for example, as well as across various forms of Christianity, which are notorious for their skewing of the context of many Biblical passages. 

To put a fine point on it, you will be lost in your study without context. Imagine trying to decipher the usage of the word “pyramid” without knowing its context or the usage of the word “troglodyte.” It is interesting to note that some words, such as the two I chose, come with some preloaded context as they are very often used in regard to Ancient Egypt or, in the case of troglodytes, in regard to anthropological studies. Still, one could jokingly call their friend a troglodyte as a form of play, and a literal interpretation at that moment would certainly not fit that context. One of my favorite teachers always says, "Context is king," and he is correct. Without it, we can't do our jobs as learners nearly as well and sometimes at all. 

Now that we understand the importance of context, you may wonder what this has to do with questioning. It is the proper framing of context that needs to be acquired at the beginning of any study. If we cannot gain the context at the beginning of the study, we must question our way into the framework of the subject of inquiry or thing such that we start to generate an articulate outline. Then, from this outline, we should better understand the context; if not, we continue with the questioning process until we strike gold. We can immediately see that this is part of the scientific method, so at least we have that going for us! 

Now, let's work through a scenario together and see what we can learn. 

We should appeal to Aristotle's Prior Analytics for the most straightforward, best advice as to how to start: "First, we must state the subject of the inquiry and what it is about." The subject is questioning, and what it is about is how to question well. We should build this out in a visual format to simplify this:

1. First, we state the subject and what it is about. The subject is questioning. What it is about is how to question well. 

2. The subject will come with a context, or we will have to generate one. What is the context of questioning? It is the setting forth of a method of investigation, so the context will change depending upon what we question. We are questioning how to question well, so that will then regard context to better help us question. Do you see how this can be cumbersome at times? No fear. We have a path ahead.

3. The context is the discernment of how to question well through the study of questioning. Here is our path. What are the types of questions? There are six questions to start with, and they are: who, what, why, when, where, and how. 

4. Next, let's apply those questions systematically to the topic. 

5. Who questions? People within this context. 

6. What is being questioned? How to ask the best questions concerning any topic. 

7. Why are we asking this question? Because we want to understand and learn how to learn deeply and efficiently. 

8. When are we asking this question? Due to the medium (time and when you read this writing) that changes constantly, let's say 02/16/2022 for now.

9. From where are we asking this question? This can regard lots of where answers, but for now, let's go with our inner desire to know. The answer could be Atlantic City or Narnia if we were doing certain types of studies. 

10. "How" are we asking this question regards many things, and most are profound. Let's go with: through the faculties that generate our brain's capacity for thought.

Okay, that was very easy, and I hope it was not taken as pedantic. Next comes the revealing part. We are going to take each of those numbered questions and ask all of the questions about them. Get ready for some thought adventuring, otherwise known as thinking. 

No. 5

Who questions? People. What are people? People are classified as human beings. What are human beings? Human beings are a species with the name Homo Sapiens (wise man). This is interesting, and we can see that very soon, we will have volumes written if we were to answer these questions adequately. In fact, this line of questioning would most certainly cover human taxonomy completely. There is just one problem. All of these answers have lost the context of how to ask the best questions. It would not be long before no living human would be able to answer the questions along that above line, and it does not regard the subject of the inquiry and has become quite distanced from that subject. That said, look at how powerful this type of questioning can be if for nothing else than discovery. 

It so happens that “who” questions don't fit this investigation so well initially. That said, let's move on to the next question type and see how it goes. 

No. 6

What are we questioning? How to acquire the best questions to learn any subject. What do we need? A subject, context, analytic skill, creativity, and mental toughness. When we ask a question, we are getting to a level of understanding, and each further question should aid us in going deeper into that topic and, therefore, the knowledge of that topic. In this way, how we ask the questions matters.

What is the best place to start after you have your target? We start by defining process. What is process? It is the way we go about doing a thing, and if done well, it should be systematic or systematizable. What is a system? It is a defined process or ordering of components such that it aids in gaining understanding. What is the process for this question? Start with questions that are topical and related to the context and drive deeper through iterations of those questions. 

Ex. What makes a good question? A good question will penetrate the topic in a way that drives discovery. What makes a good follow-up question? The follow-up question must regard the topic and the furtherance of the first answer. Can we iterate at this point and cycle on down if we follow that advice? Yes, to some degree, but we need to be mindful of venturing off-topic or noting when we are getting diminishing returns regarding our topic. Consider No. 5 regarding how easily that can happen. Ok, we have been at this a while, but we are starting to get somewhere now. 

No. 7 

Why do we question? To learn. Why do we want to learn? So that we can grow and contribute to the knowledge base and, therefore, safety and development of the human race. Why does learning do this? Because the knowledge acquired, when shared, can lead to changes in environments such that pitfalls and various dangers are avoided. Consider the development of penicillin and how many lives that have been saved through its discovery and implementation. How does this apply to the topic? The discovery of how to ask penetrating questions will lead to precisely those types of discoveries. This type of observation is not directly topically related, but it is related through abstraction and is, therefore, meaningful. 

Why can we question well? Because we have the capacity to infer and extrapolate regarding a subject, and that is a powerful aid in gaining the type of insight that will open the pathways to profound questioning. This leads us to more of the process. When stuck, we must make inferences based on prior knowledge. Inference questions look like the following: Wouldn't that likely go here? What happens if we add this here? Can the addition of this magnetic field modify the way x moves? These types of questions can often bring about interesting realizations. There will be more to come along this line of questioning. 

No. 8

"When" questions can be used in some very interesting ways. When is the best time to ask a tremendous topical question? When you have a clear pathway to increase the impact of the question. Otherwise, anytime is the best time. When can you move to deeper levels? When you have gained the proper answers to the first-order questions. When do you know you have the proper answers? When you have tested them, given their field type, and the results are replicable. When can we move into more abstract questioning? At any time, but usually after the first-order questions, though not exclusively. When does the data tell us to move laterally? When it comes back, the current answer state is such that no further depth has been obtained, and we have a host of questions yet to be answered. Then, we can move laterally without issue, as the environment requires lateral movement before the deeper penetrating movement is possible. Note that it only becomes possible due to the lateral movement causing one to pick up the sufficient knowledge base required to pass the current threshold. 

No. 9 

"Where" questions are another of those that can be used in some very creative and interesting ways. Where is the study of questioning enhanced? It can be enhanced in any arena that brings further depth to the study. That said, since the human mind is the perceptive mechanism that is operating on this question, the answer would regard the human mind by necessity even though the explanation that deals with the reality or the real is as it is regardless of the presence of the human mind within the universe, thus the answer is the universe. This answer is significant because it bypasses the human mind or other minds as the decider of the enhancement and places the factual reality as having all of that data contained and is thereby the answer. We and our perceptive mechanisms distill this data through whatever available means and, therefore, cannot be the ultimate answer. That said, both answers are solid. 

Where is the study of questioning effectively ineffective? In the thought space that generates illogical connections, fallacies, biased starts or outcomes, or moves away from the subject without knowledge of doing so. 

No. 10

"How" questions get to the causal agents with ease and are intensely profitable. How do we ask the best questions? By framing context and following the causal structures all the way down to the base level of reality. Whoa, there you have it. That is the answer we have been looking for during the last part of this essay. You may say, sure, but that doesn't detail the process. That is a fair statement unless following the causal stream with the first-order questions is the process. 

Let's take a crack at it now. 

• Subject stated

• Questioning

• Best way to question

• Context

• Locate the causal stream

• Ask the six questions on point following the stream

• Iterate the questions on every new level

• Move laterally if you cannot move deeper in at the moment

• Ask the lateral questions until the knowledge base is built

• Once built, sufficient knowledge will lead you to the next in line of the causal stream

• Question that level and iterate until the core is reached or the knowledge base becomes so massive the human mind cannot maintain its grasp. If this is achieved, continue to improve on one's abilities until the level required is reached or something prohibits your development 

Did you pick up on all of those answers within our little investigation on questioning? If not, no big deal at this time. This one was a little weird in that it dealt with such simple materials with some deceptively complex movements that, now, catch this, looked simple, so much so that you likely read past the answers, at least in the way that I summarized them in the above bullet point list. 

Why would I ask this of you as a reader? There was a lot of material there, and it was weirdly simple, and could if you didn't trust my intentions, be taken as if it was pedantic. In some respects, this is very meticulous and requires a high level of observation along with the inevitable, starting from utterly simple foundational materials to organize one’s thinking for what is to come. It is with all of that and more in mind that I venture forth the answer to the above question; it is that I have seen these types of things frequently happen since I was a little boy. The solutions to many of those questions I observed in my youth were held directly within the first or second-order of questioning. People would give up and leave the problems on the table and not answer them or get them wrong, and sometimes that ended up causing pain and suffering. The reason I put you through that, by your kindness, I might add, was so that you would see how deceptive this can be and also how easily you can get to what you need through questioning so that you can get to the answer.

Whew! There will not be many essays like this one, and though the material is much needed, I am glad for that fact.  

Thank you for continuing along this path. I am sure that it will enhance you in some way if you apply the knowledge gleaned on this little journey to your thought life. 

We will continue. 

B.S.R.