Thoughtcraft 1.5: Aims of Thought
When thought of any of our modes is undertaken for its own sake, its aim is usually given. This is another way of saying that our modes of thought are to a degree defined by their aims. Again, to use the example of a formal puzzle such as a game: regardless of its motivation, the aim of the thought process is simply the solving of the puzzle. But it is not entirely so simple, and we may benefit from looking a bit more closely at the aims of thought processes of each mode.
Random thought seems to have no aim. This may only mean there is no aim that we can discern; there may be “hidden work” going on. A part of what our minds do in sleep may be very analogous to the re-indexing of a computer database, a process which, in all but the most sophisticated databases, requires a temporary shutdown of normal operations. If this is so, then our saying so is another way of saying that some random thought is actually maintenance thought, but without the thinker’s awareness.
When maintenance activity is conscious, there is very often conscious choice of the aims. To use our example of rote rehearsal: this is usually undertaken when a conscious decision has been made that a particular subset of knowledge is valuable, and worth the effort to make its recall easy and swift. But just as the recall of simple facts or statements may be made easy by practice and hard by neglect, so a more complex process may be facilitated by rehearsal, such as chess playing or algebra. But such rehearsals will only be undertaken as a result of a conscious value decision.
Another aim of maintenance thinking is to establish or re-establish relationships between entities (very broadly defined) in the mind. This is a necessary aspect of maintaining one’s sense of self. Just as in the interpersonal realm, ritualization occurs to establish or reestablish relations between persons or classes of persons, so also intrapersonally, relations between “microselves” are maintained. For example, interpersonally, the bowing of Japanese or other cultures, or forms of address in language groups employing “formal” or “familiar” second-person forms, establish and maintain power relations. Just as power relations are part of a community’s sense of identity, power relations occur within the individual mind, and when they are not consistently maintained, self-identification problems can occur ranging from simple aimlessness and impulsiveness to more complex character and personality disorders.
For the other modes of thought, the aim of a particular mode is often dictated by another mode. In the example already given, explanatory thought often takes place to achieve a basis for puzzle-solving. Puzzle-solving in turn often serves the purposes of visioning, being aimed at helping a vision “find its place in the world.”
It is possible for any mode of thought to serve the aims of another mode. Puzzle-solving, for example, may be employed to learn new processes which will be used for maintenance, as when one works out a new mnemonic device by which to remember elements of history or anatomy.