Misdiagnosis Theory – Overview
Neither philosophical materialism nor philosophical idealism ought to be regarded as superior, as both represent avenues of truth. Philosophical materialism or the idea that the physical world is the fundamental reality from which the world the phenomenon of mind arises may intrinsically or eternally possess a greater weight or hard quality of evidence. But a greater quantity of corroborating evidence is not synonymous with a monopoly on correctness. Philosophical idealism is the idea that world of ideas, the world of the mind, the world of the soul, are the fundamental basis from which reality springs. It has been with humanity since the dawn of civilization and well before. The statement that both exist and deserve equal respect and attention may seem obvious, but an obvious statement may have value in its capacity to orient mind away toward necessary, life-giving, need-fulling, or peace-creating truth.
In Misdiagnosis Theory we allow ourselves to err toward the side of philosophical idealism — which is an assumption that mind is a fundamental reality, if not the fundamental reality, that determines much in, if not all of, our physical world. This is in part due to our perceiving the relative suppression of philosophical idealism in universities and academic relative to philosophical materialism as trending starting perhaps around the era of Hume but building through the twentieth century and into this one. Philosophical idealism has been regarded in academic settings as aligned with Descartes (”I think therefore I am”) and thereby the worst cultural notions of European Empire, or as aligned with self-help and other popular literature that has also bloomed during this same period of time — in any case not academic. Our view of philosophical idealism is not solipsism, that is to say, when I say mind is the foundational reality I should never mean to say my mind is the foundational reality. But by acknowledging mind as foundational I am more inclined to wonder about it, and by wondering about mind itself, I am more inclined to wonder more about other minds. The primacy of mind as a causative factor is a strong intellectual disposition in a number of Buddhist traditions, and we consider ourselves to be more influenced by these than by Christian cosmologies that would center “mind” as existing within a hypothesized central and divine creator being rather than as existing primordially in individuals. When materialism dominates beyond any reasonable limit and causes idealism to cower in a corner, all suffer, but it is likely the minds of misdiagnosed persons who suffer the most.
Next: Tenet 2 – Human minds are inherently intelligent, good, and competent.
Or, Explore the opposite: Tenet 1 – Philosophical materialism is superior to philosophical idealism
Misdiagnosed Anonymous 