Dimensions of Unknowability: How Our Brain Recognizes Belief as Identity
Belief is a subjective concept that varies from person to person.
In this article, we will delve into belief from two perspectives.
One perspective is that of unknowability. The choice to believe or not believe in something unverifiable is a personal belief. A belief rooted in unknowability can become a strong conviction because it cannot be disproven.
The other perspective is self-recognition. This article proposes the hypothesis that the brain recognizes beliefs as part of the self. Just as when one’s physical body is harmed, there can be strong emotional reactions when one’s beliefs are denied. This hypothesis explains such reactions well.
Understanding this, the possibility of mutual understanding, even with differing beliefs, emerges. This is crucial.
Let’s explain step by step.
Dimensions of Unknowability
Intelligence can come to know an object by obtaining information. On the other hand, there are subjects for which absolutely certain information cannot be obtained. Without that information, you cannot know about the subject. This characteristic is termed unknowability.
For instance, suppose your grandfather A once told you that he was friends with a famous person C. Your grandmother B, however, expressed doubts about this story. Now, you cannot meet any of the three. Whether grandfather A and famous person C were friends is unknowable to you.
You can take three stances here: 1) believe your grandfather’s story, 2) doubt his story, or 3) acknowledge its unknowability.
Since definite information cannot be obtained, no stance can be absolutely overturned.
If you have a sibling who holds a different stance, neither of you can change each other’s position because neither can obtain definitive information. Even if arguments arise and one admits defeat and declares a change in stance, nothing really changes.
While one’s expressed stance can change, the stance in one’s heart cannot. Ultimately, only you have the authority to decide your stance on unknowable knowledge. In other words, you can completely decide on the unknowable based on your will.
Self = Controllable Uncertainty
Intelligence predicts for survival. For prediction, intelligence has capabilities like pattern recognition and simulation.
The brain holds the result of a prediction as an image. If the prediction is correct, reality matches this image.
On the other hand, any object that one can fully control will always match the image.
The future holds uncertainties, which include not just what can be predicted, but also what can be decided. Decidable uncertainties are those fully controllable by one’s will.
Utilizing this principle, toddlers can distinguish between their controllable bodies and the external world, gradually recognizing the things they can fully decide as the self.
Belief as Part of Self
Your stance on unknowability is completely decidable by your will, which is a belief each of us holds.
Since we recognize anything we can decide on as self, it seems beliefs, which can be decided on, can be termed as part of the self.
Beliefs vary by individual and cannot be changed by others. From both the perspectives of ownership and decision-making rights, they meet the criteria of the self.
Also, when what one believes is denied by others, one might feel strong emotions like anger or sadness, or become defiant. This reaction mirrors the response when physically restrained or threatened.
This might sound far-fetched, but when organized in this manner, there are many commonalities. It may even be harder to find differences between the body and belief from an intelligence viewpoint. The brain can recognize both physical entities like the body and conceptual entities like beliefs as the self.
Mechanism of Self-Recognition
The self is where the image and reality align. Using this, one can easily distinguish between self and the external world.
Intelligence has predictive functions. Sometimes, when forming an image based on a prediction, it purposely creates an image that lacks rules. In the external world, this would be an incorrect prediction. But if reality follows even a random image, it’s recognized as the self. Since it’s possible for there to be a coincidence even with random operations, you would perform multiple random operations to reinforce your belief of it being the self.
Using the part verified as the self, you check if things further along can also be manipulated. For example, a familiar tool that can be used as intended would be positioned as an extension of the self. Not just physical tools, but language abilities and various skills are also extensions of the self. In this manner, the range of the self continues to expand.
Process of Recognizing Belief as Self
It’s not just about the physical aspect. The conceptual self, which is belief, is verified through the same mechanism.
You intentionally introduce randomness to the knowledge you recognize. If there’s definite information or inferences that can confirm some info, a contradiction arises somewhere. However, for unknowable knowledge, introducing randomness doesn’t result in contradictions.
You then set the unknowable knowledge to a state of belief, doubt, or maintaining its unknowability, deriving related knowledge from there. Knowledge derived from the unknowable doesn’t contradict reality.
At some point, even if you purposely introduce randomness into the initial knowledge, contradictions arise with the surrounding derived knowledge. Unless you change everything simultaneously, you can’t change the initial piece.
Once something was recognized as part of the self, it remains recognized as the self, even if it can no longer be controlled. Similarly, for beliefs, even if they cannot be changed due to surrounding derived knowledge, they continue to be recognized as part of the self.
Awareness of Belief and Unknowability
It is important to recognize the parts of your beliefs that originate from Unknowability, and those that do not.
Just because something originates from Unknowability does not mean you have to deny the belief. However, you must understand the fact that you cannot obtain definitive information. Otherwise, you might feel uncomfortable or dissatisfied when others do not understand your beliefs, or have different beliefs. Then, you may be driven by a desire to deny their beliefs.
Concerning the subject of Unknowability, constructive discussion is impossible since it cannot be determined. No matter how much you deny or try to persuade each other, it will only end in vain effort.
It’s important to hold beliefs while recognizing that they are unknowable. And it is good enough if you can understand that you have your beliefs, and others have theirs.
In Conclusion
In this article, I explained methods of physical self-awareness and organized how this can be applied to conceptual self-awareness. I also demonstrated that beliefs can be considered part of the self.
Furthermore, I touched upon the fact that once established, beliefs spread to derived knowledge around them, making it difficult to overturn.
It is vital to grasp the Unknowability at the foundation of these beliefs. This is to enable understanding that you have your beliefs, and others have theirs.
By doing this, even with differing beliefs, you can avoid futile conflicts and divisions, and create a foundation for mutual understanding.
