Apprehending Multiplicities and Recognizing Fallacies: On Freedom of Thought

“In those intervals we were thinking of ourselves
as resting from one being the other.”¹

We would not become who we are by ourselves. It is through the interaction with others – e.g. family, peers, educational and religious institutions – that we are always becoming. In every society, ways of life – e.g. moral standards, sets of laws and knowledge – direct us. “And we always disguised what we knew.”²

Diverse factors – e.g. geography and economic growth – give rise to differences within and outside of each society. Thus, our process of becoming is rhizomatic. Something in the world forces us to think³ apprehending multiplicities. “I could call anything by the name I invented: in the dry room I could, since any name would do, since none of them would.”⁴

Yet, because we are taught and learn to embrace certain norms, beliefs, language, and values, we often have difficulty seeing these objectively. What we think, practice and believe, we tend to accept as right without query or evidence. “The only destiny we are born with is that of the ritual.”⁵

And it is through declaring things intrinsic and not changeable – ipse dixit – that we slash off our freedom of thought. Recognizing fallacies strengthens our mind, challenges or reiterates our own accepted wisdom, and helps others question, reconsider or reaffirm theirs. “Ah, pre-human love invades me. I understand, I understand!”⁶

LINKS:

¹ The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector
² Ibid
³ Difference and Repetition by Gilles Deleuze
⁴ The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector
⁵ Ibid
⁶ Ibid