The Assumption

Chapter Two of The Thousand Mile Hole (Assuming This is True…) is about how the assumption or assumptions we are making in any particular context limit our thinking, and how to deal with this problem. The simple solution? Challenge all those assumptions and posit new ones as necessary.

An excerpt:

Assumptions may be a permanent part of our intellectual architecture, but that does not mean we have to maintain the ones we currently have. We can question them to find errors, change them for better results, or even borrow new ones just to see where they lead our minds. What we consciously or unconsciously assume determines our level of understanding and the range of our ideas, so working with assumptions is a great way to begin deepening how we think and expanding our creativity.

There are key assumptions made in moral systems, politics and all areas of life. These may be where challenges are most needed, but I like to also start with everyday routines and habits of thought. For example, you might notice upon waking up that the assumption is already there that you need to go to work, but why not challenge that? There are many other ways to live after all.

There is nothing wrong with a job. They work for various purposes and will often be at least a temporary part of one's life. But investing and starting a business may be better suited to many people, and these are just two of the many options other than regular employment. What other assumptions are being left unchallenged in our daily lives?

I happen to think that there are many more people out there with children than there are parents - in a functional sense. We easily assume that kids are a part of life, but every individual is different, and many are not suited to parenting. Now if we could only get more of these people to challenge the assumption that they need to have kids to be complete.

Cultural norms become assumptions about what is possible. Here in the United States, for example, it is uncommon for the middle class and even the upper middle class to have hired help around the house, but why? It is assumed that it isn't affordable. Yet when we challenge this we can see that the payment on a second-car would easily cover a weekly cleaning of the house, freeing up time for any goals a person wants to pursue.

The assumption that you have to live the way you do is normal, but certainly not necessary. And despite the sense that you have to think how you currently think, that too is just another assumption.

Note: At the moment the book is available only as a Kindle version: The Thousand Mile Hole