When am I evading?

[Hotu Matua]

I would like to know whether choosing to give just a litlle bit of thinking is evasion.

How much time must be invested in addressing a difficult problem to recognize that one has thought it through /thought it out ( I do not know the exact phrasal verb, excuse my English)

The more thinking you give the problem, the more likely you will come with a right conclusion or decision.

But you may as well settle with a conclusion or decision that will not take your full attention and effort and time, because you are not feeling like giving it your full attention/effort/time. You may be so tired, so stressed, and yet not willing to just "follow your instincts" without some thinking.

You may be considering some facts, but not all facts that could be available to you if you were more patient, more focused, more willing, etc.

My question is: Is evasion a black and white phenomenon: you are either evading or not evading, or is there a continuous spectrum between full evasion and full reasoning?

[softwareNerd]

Evasion does not equate to the act of not considering some line of thought. Often one's time and the outcomes of one's decision make it appropriate to consider only a certain "depth" or "breadth" of exploration. However, one might also ignore some exploration incorrectly. One might be ignorant -- for whatever reason. Or, one might evade: i.e. you may know that the situation justifies following a certain path of analysis, but you do not -- usually (always?) because you fear that line will lead to a conclusion you do not like. A blind man may not see the 800-pound gorilla, the evader ignores it, the justified person may give it a fleeting glance and guess that it does not warrant further thought.

Edited November 12, 2009 by softwareNerd

[Grames]

Evasion is a black and white phenomenon, but it is not true that limitations on time and attention turns one into an evader. Evasion is a decision to stop thinking motivated by a desire to not know.

[Bob G]

I would like to know whether choosing to give just a litlle bit of thinking is evasion.

How much time must be invested in addressing a difficult problem to recognize that one has thought it through /thought it out ( I do not know the exact phrasal verb, excuse my English)

The more thinking you give the problem, the more likely you will come with a right conclusion or decision.

But you may as well settle with a conclusion or decision that will not take your full attention and effort and time, because you are not feeling like giving it your full attention/effort/time. You may be so tired, so stressed, and yet not willing to just "follow your instincts" without some thinking.

You may be considering some facts, but not all facts that could be available to you if you were more patient, more focused, more willing, etc.

My question is: Is evasion a black and white phenomenon: you are either evading or not evading, or is there a continuous spectrum between full evasion and full reasoning?

Avoiding an issue is not evading either. There are good reasons to avoid thinking about an issue. Avoidance can turn into evasion if the issue is not considered at some point.

Generally, for an adult, evasion speaks of a policy, an approach, an unwillingness to think about an issue, and the mind will usually try to build barriers, defense mechanisms to maintain the evasion.

If you are wondering if you have done enough on a subject, you aren't evading. If, all of a sudden, you realize that there is an important issue, especially a personally important issue that you have not thought about you probably have been evading it (a person evading would tend not to realize there was an important issue).

Prioritizing issues is not evading, unless you are pretending that something is less important than you know it to be. Pretending to yourself. That is a defense mechanism. But not every question or issue you come across is equally important. You may make an honest mistake regarding the priorities. You'll find out. We learn from mistakes, right?

Thinking an issue through is not a one-time deal. You may have done all you can at that time. Your subconscious may need to work on it a while. You may need more information. You may need a different perspective. You just may need rest, or food, or fun, or less pressure. But worrying about it is a clear sign that you are not evading. You would be trying to wipe the issue from your brain if you were evading it.

Evasion can be compartmentalized. A person could be fine about most everything but, say, his parents, or philosophy in general. However, over time, evasion will spread. Integration will suffer. The mind will tend to fragment.

Worrying about evasion is not really necessary. Turn that energy into good self-awareness and you'll be doing great.

[Hotu Matua]

If you are wondering if you have done enough on a subject, you aren't evading. If, all of a sudden, you realize that there is an important issue, especially a personally important issue that you have not thought about you probably have been evading it (a person evading would tend not to realize there was an important issue).

Worrying about evasion is not really necessary. Turn that energy into good self-awareness and you'll be doing great.

Thank you, Bob G.

Your answer was very useful.

[steckSalathe]

I have a question to expand on the OP's original.

So, as I understand, the evader works not see. "[Evasion] is the WILLFUL suspension of one's consciousness, the REFUSAL to think" as Ayn Rand said (I added the caps). The opposite would be the person who accepts and opens his arms to reality. The third person, as Peikoff said in OPAR, is the one who does not work to see. The lazy. To me, everyone that asks me, "Who is John Galt?" or "What is that Objectivity stuff anyway?" I would classify as Lazy. Lazy because after a little conversation I get the response, "Oh yeah? That sounds nice." or something along those lines. But are they not evaders!? I mean wouldn't they have to be? I realize that they might not be worried about anything at all and, therefore, do not give any mental effort to understand but, someone who goes to church every sunday, whether thinking about it or not, would have to be an evader, right?

[Robert J. Kolker]

Evasion is a nasty blend of ignoramibus and apathy. It is when I will not know meets I don't care.

Bob Kolker

[Mister A]

A blind man may not see the 800-pound gorilla, the evader ignores it, the justified person may give it a fleeting glance and guess that it does not warrant further thought.

Actually, an evader would at least have a dim, subconscious awareness of the danger posed by the gorilla but will imperiously demand for someone else to get mauled to death in his stead (i.e. "You will do something Rearden").

I believe evasion may occur whenever you deal with something in which you are deeply invested on an emotional level. To critcally examine the subject of the evasion can lead to a paradigm shift that an invested psyche could not withstand.

There is such a thing as 'benevolent' evasion. The perfect example is Henry Rearden's refusal to recognize the true nature of his wife and that he will have to abandon his mills to triumph over the looters.

Edited December 27, 2009 by Mister A

[A is A]

Avoiding an issue is not evading either. There are good reasons to avoid thinking about an issue. Avoidance can turn into evasion if the issue is not considered at some point.

Generally, for an adult, evasion speaks of a policy, an approach, an unwillingness to think about an issue, and the mind will usually try to build barriers, defense mechanisms to maintain the evasion.

If you are wondering if you have done enough on a subject, you aren't evading. If, all of a sudden, you realize that there is an important issue, especially a personally important issue that you have not thought about you probably have been evading it (a person evading would tend not to realize there was an important issue).

Prioritizing issues is not evading, unless you are pretending that something is less important than you know it to be. Pretending to yourself. That is a defense mechanism. But not every question or issue you come across is equally important. You may make an honest mistake regarding the priorities. You'll find out. We learn from mistakes, right?

Thinking an issue through is not a one-time deal. You may have done all you can at that time. Your subconscious may need to work on it a while. You may need more information. You may need a different perspective. You just may need rest, or food, or fun, or less pressure. But worrying about it is a clear sign that you are not evading. You would be trying to wipe the issue from your brain if you were evading it.

Evasion can be compartmentalized. A person could be fine about most everything but, say, his parents, or philosophy in general. However, over time, evasion will spread. Integration will suffer. The mind will tend to fragment.

Worrying about evasion is not really necessary. Turn that energy into good self-awareness and you'll be doing great.

Very good analysis, Bob.