How to Achieve Clarity?

Note: This article is based on the work of author and technical expert Tom Chatfield, in which he tells us about ways to clarify our ideas and improve our self-knowledge so that we can communicate with each other better.

Nonetheless, I recommend you practice this tip regardless of your family status. It can be challenging to persuade someone of an idea, and it requires taking deliberate steps. In addition, while trying to do so, I often find that I don't fully understand it.

For this, there is a subreddit on Reddit called "Explain like I'm five" for this particular purpose, where thousands of people try to simplify complex matters.

For example, how can archaeologists decode ancient manuscripts and languages? The answer is, "It can be basically seen as a giant jigsaw puzzle." How do conferencing programs like Zoom handle so many different screens so quickly? The answer is, "Everyone has one connection to Zoom's central servers." Another question is, if carbs are sugar, why can't we just eat sugar? "It would be a bit like replacing the firewood in your fire pit with a tub of gasoline." And so on.

I enjoy browsing the "Explain like I'm five" subreddit because it doesn't seek perfection to some extent. Instead, it is full of commentaries, discussions, and works in progress, as well as opposing points of view, laughter, and biting irony.

It is similar to explaining a topic to a five-year-old, as the process is full of distractions and dead ends. However, it's strictly committed to relentlessly tackling misconceptions, not to mention creating a safe environment to ask spontaneous questions.

All of this underscores an essential point, which is how to think clearly. In the first place, this implies that your ideas are blurry, in the sense that some aspects of them need to be rethought or based on stronger foundations. It seems like you're shedding layers of preconception, misunderstanding, and false awareness. However, proving the validity of your views shouldn't be your ultimate goal. Rather, your sense of satisfaction as a result of comprehending the matter.

Why would anyone care about any of this? I would argue that seeking clarity is a humanitarian and life-enhancing quest.

To achieve perfection and to be more realistic, one must be committed to and reciprocate the pursuit of knowledge, as this might help us get a better understanding of who we are, eliminate misconceptions and prejudices, and connect with one another more easily during the conflicts of the twenty-first century.

Similarly, seeking clarity requires constant effort. Whenever you set out to clarify your thoughts, you don't aim to express an absolute truth. Rather, continuing a process with an outcome that will always be effective as a form of complete communication. In this article, using a three-stage method, I will help you imagine how this process will turn out for you.

The first stage involves thinking about the reasons that make something important or true for you. The second stage entails arousing the assumptions that form the cornerstones of this way of thinking. The final stage entails acknowledging what you know and what you don't, as well as the uncertain aspects of your life and how to deal with them.

Ponder on the following

First, take a breath, and then slow down. What is happening? What do you think and feel? What matters most to you? In his book Do Pause, Robert Poynton talks about the importance of evaluating your life in the following wonderful way:

By pausing for a while, you can reflect on your current behavior, find inspiration, or appreciate the life you live. On the other hand, without pausing to observe yourself, how can you explore your full capability or who you might become?

One of the simplest pieces of advice to ever give—and one of the hardest to follow—is to invite people to pause for a while. However, it is essential to clarify your mind, because all it takes to initiate this journey is a moment of self-reflection. Without pausing, second thoughts and self-criticism would vanish, and there wouldn't be a process until you invested some time to begin it.

You might think this point is too obvious to be mentioned. However, in my experience, this is where the majority of us fall short. Every one of us carries countless vague, confusing, and contradictory thoughts and feelings. Specifically, they remain so because we have neither the time nor the tools to arrange them.

However, if you take a moment to reflect, a common psychotherapy exercise can assist you in taking the first step toward greater clarity. The key to achieving this is to observe yourself as neutrally as possible.

Stay calm and relaxed, and observe the flow of your thoughts and feelings without judging them, so that the glimpses of anxiety, anticipation, and remorse fade into consciousness. That is, memories and thoughts.

These are the raw materials with which any thought clarification process must begin. The more you can evoke them, the more likely you are to understand their complexities and contradictions. Therefore, it will be less likely that you will mistakenly assume that whatever seems obvious to you will necessarily seem obvious or compelling to someone else.

What's the fruit of this, and why?

While practicing the aforementioned exercise, I observe myself thinking about an annoying diet-related question: Should I go vegan for personal reasons or ethical and environmental ones? And if not so, then why?

In philosophy, what is known as the standard model is often used to articulate the basics of a stream of consciousness as clearly as possible. Thus, using the standard model to express your ideas requires writing a list of assertions followed by a conclusion. However, if you succeeded in doing so, the listed statements should provide a stream of consciousness that justifies your conclusion. For example, here is my first attempt to arrange my diet-related thoughts:

1. The consumption and use of animal-based products will result in a great deal of unnecessary animal cruelty.
2. It consumes more energy and resources than most plant-based alternatives.
3. You can maintain a healthy diet and lead a healthy lifestyle without using or consuming most animal-based products.
4. Therefore, to some extent, I must prevent unnecessary animal cruelty and the pointless waste of energy and resources.

If all of the above is true, then I should adopt a vegan diet.

You may have encountered numerous examples of this approach or employed it in your practical life before. You may also have had quite a bit of discussion about logical formulas, unreasonable justifications, and so on.

For me, what distinguishes the standard model isn't the logical rigor it gives me. Rather, the ease of mind that it gives me to turn the process into individual steps and ask these two questions:

• Why should a reasonable person accept this particular claim?
• What are the consequences of accepting this claim?

When it comes to clarifying my thoughts and feelings, the strength of such an approach lies in incorporating anything relevant into its reasoning. In other words, if I can clarify the extent of this connection, here's how some other ideas might fit into my example:

1. The consumption and use of animal-based products will result in a great deal of unnecessary animal cruelty.
2. It consumes more energy and resources than most plant-based alternatives.
3. You can maintain a healthy diet and lead a healthy lifestyle without using or consuming most animal-based products.
4. Therefore, to some extent, I must prevent unnecessary animal cruelty and the pointless waste of energy and resources.
5. If all of the above is true, then I should adopt a vegan diet.
6. However, I'm not a vegan.
7. This indicated either that I don't believe the aforementioned arguments to be true, that they are insufficient, or that I just think so, but to some extent, I still find them convincing.

If I want to clarify my take on this, I need to dig into the gap between my apparent beliefs and my behavior.

How can you benefit from such an approach? Notably, the aforementioned ideas added to the complexity. As a result, they turn what was previously a relatively straightforward conclusion into something more complex.

Ironically enough, getting rid of excessive accommodation—no matter how convenient it may seem—and replacing it with a realistic perception of the situation is a crucial component in clarifying your mindset. My initial logical argument may have seemed impressively clear. However, this clarity seemed a bit unrealistic. Sincere self-examination and repetition are crucial here. Yet, while reviewing the aforementioned, I'm not sure that I accurately conveyed my state of mind (or the issues at hand).

Is it accurate to say that there is no ethical way to consume or use animal-based products? Do the concepts that I overlooked in my attempt to create categories that distinguish moral and immoral acts lead to confusion? Or have I simply been passive and self-indulgent, failing to act on my convictions?

These are just some of the questions my scenario raises, behind which lies a key point. For it is only by repeatedly questioning the reasons and essence of our claims and the claims upon which they in turn depend that we can hope to be stripped of the habits, confusion, and self-justification that so often form our daily thoughts.

What do you take for granted?

On what basis can I justify any of these claims? Some will rely on external cues, others on personal preferences and experiences, and some on a combination of these factors. However, each of them will eventually raise some presumptions that I am willing to regard as fundamental. The identification and examination of these presumptions, however, is where the most crucial clarification lies.

Assumptions are things that we take for granted. That is, things that we don't explicitly say but on which our thinking is based. In addition, having common assumptions makes communication (and many other things) possible.

As I'm writing this article, I assume that you will share the same passion as me. But if I overexplain it, things will be overwhelming and pointless.

Without some common assumptions, it is impossible to establish either mutual understandings or meaningful disagreements. While mutual understanding and meaningful disagreement may seem in opposition to one another, they are in fact two sides of the same coin. The assumptions that underpin our ideas, no matter how obvious they seem to us, may need to be disclosed to others.

For instance, to some people, animal cruelty may seem like a non-issue, considering that morality is measured according to humanistic factors.

On the other hand, some of them might think that there's no need for further justification to go vegan other than preventing unnecessary cruelty to the creatures that share this planet with us. However, others (including myself) may think that most forms of industrial farming and hunting are repulsive, but there are some circumstances under which animal products can be ethically and sustainably sourced.

In other words, our assumptions aren't just unconsidered ideas; they are also the roots of our identity, loyalty, and the greater good or harm we inflict on others. In addition, what we take for granted is only an atom compared to the world.

What is the outcome of this? When it comes to achieving clarity, you need to be aware of the difference between the consequences of your assumptions and their state. Here's a deeper look at it:

• Any stream of consciousness must begin with certain assumptions (things that you covertly and overtly take for granted). Regardless of your relentless efforts, you will never be able to find a completely self-evident, uncontroversial claim.
• Assuming that your claim is logically correct, a careful analysis can demonstrate where your assumptions are leading and what their logical consequences are.
• Different ways of thinking, based on various assumptions, will, however, probably lead you in different directions.
• Sharing the things you and other people take for granted, followed by a comparison of the results, is one of the most beneficial things you can do.
• If you are open-minded enough, this can help you identify the assumptions you share with others, challenge the misconceptions on each side, and politely disagree with the opposing viewpoints.

Elicitation of the implications of your assumptions has nothing to do with being right. In addition, understanding the difference between these two concepts forms the core of expressing your opinion sincerely.

Embrace communication and know your limits

So far, what's your take on my attempts to express my thoughts on eating meat? Even if you disagree with the aforementioned, you would be more in solidarity with me if I just shouted, "I should stop consuming meat." As this will make me feel more confident about my beliefs.

This suggests that if we end up discussing these matters directly, we are more likely to be able to discuss our differences constructively. Perhaps we can determine our agreement and disagreement points, and why? Instead of being hindered by confusing affirmations. Ultimately, we may come together with a better and clearer understanding of each other.

In my opinion, the most valuable thing about achieving clarity is that it doesn't determine whether you're right or virtuous. Rather, it shows your willingness to indulge in logical discussions. This indicates your readiness to:

• Justify your claim through logical analysis.
• Consider other people's perspectives and learn from them.
• Accept when faced with sufficiently convincing evidence or argument that can be reasonable enough for you to change your mind.

This approach is based on what is known as the Principle of Charity

Although the word "charity" may seem odd in the context of disagreements, it actually represents one of our most traditional and useful principles for having productive discussions. As it exists in many shapes and is all rooted in the same idea. In other words, you should try to think rationally and positively about what other people have to say, especially if they're opposing you.

More importantly, the principle of charity extends not only to what a person says but also to your assumptions about why they say it. Unless you have decisive proof to the contrary, your first impression should be to rationally accept the other person's claim rather than assuming that they have malicious intentions.

You should not only do this out of politeness but also ensure that any final judgment you make is founded on an accurate and fair assessment. Only by making a good first impression can you fully comprehend the viewpoint of the other party.

Obtaining clarity entails having an honest perception of your knowledge and being willing to deal with any internal limitations.

In fact, perhaps the most essential factor in any attempt to achieve clarity is the ability to continuously test and refine your ideas as if they belong to someone else.