Epistemology 141 This provides the initial set of absolutes for Perceiver thought.I suggest that this combination of childish Mercy identification and
innocent Perceiver 'belief' produces what we call culture.A Within each
society, Perceiver mode in every child sees the words and actions of
parents and others in authority and 'believes' that the connections which
exist within this society are 'true.' As these children grow up, they find
themselves agreeing about how experiences should be arranged; this
common set of emotional 'facts' forms the on-going basis of culture, from
one generation to the next. When people from one culture encounter those
from another culture, their initial assumption is that our way of doing
things is 'right' and that their way of putting experiences together is
'wrong.'
If this analysis is accurate, then there are some major implications. First,
we conclude that learning to think involves mental reprogramming, and
not just mental programming. This is because the Perceiver room of the
adult is already filled with emotional 'facts.' Therefore, if we want to gain
control of Perceiver thought, then we are going to have to sift through the
mental baggage of our childhood.
Second, rational thinking must find a way to build the confidence
which is needed to handle emotional pressure. This is because Perceiver
strategy is already subject to feelings which are strong enough to
mesmerize it. If we attempt to be rational without tackling our childish
'beliefs,' we merely build sandcastles on the edge of a sea of childish
emotion. Whenever these feelings whip up the surface of the water, then
waves of doubt come crashing down upon the fragile structures of
emerging thought, and submerge them again.
Third, if Perceiver strategy is already filled with the emotional 'facts' of
culture, then active Perceiver thought will have to question the 'absolutes'
of culture. The first major job of Perceiver strategy will always be to clean
up the Perceiver room from the mess of childhood. Of course, it is possible
to shove culture to one side, clean out a corner of the Perceiver room and
begin to think rationally in this area. That is what many of us do. However,
if we want to become truly rational, then we face a massive task of „spring
cleaning‟—we must sort through all of the debris of our past, preserve the
valuable and toss out the garbage. In terms of our seashore analogy,
Perceiver confidence must reclaim the sea of our childhood and turn it into
dry land.
A The word „culture‟ has many different nuances. Here I am referring to
culture as an accepted way of acting and reacting, as in American culture,
Russian culture, middle class culture, small town culture, upper crust
culture, Western culture, primitive culture, Mennonite culture or Jewish
culture.