Author

Artist/Author: The Honorable Dr.⁹ Mattanaw, Christopher Matthew Cavanaugh, Retired

Interdisciplinarian with Immeasurable Intelligence. Lifetime Member of the High Intelligence Community.⁶

• Masters Business & Economics, Harvard University (In Progress)
• Attorney, Pro Se, Litigation, Trial, Depositions, Contracts (E.g. State of Alaska v. Pugh, et. al., Alaska Superior and Supreme Courts)⁴
• B.S. Psychology, University of Maryland, 4.0, Summa Cum Laude¹
• B.S. Computer & Information Science, University of Maryland, 3.91, Magna Cum Laude²
• B.A. Philosophy, University of Maryland.³
• G.E.D., State of Maryland, Montgomery County, 1999.
• Lifetime Member of the High Intelligence Community, Mensa Lifetime Member

Former Chief Architect, Adobe Systems

Current President/Advisor, Social Architects and Economists International.

CEO PlaynText | CEO PlainText

Contact:

• cmcavanaugh@g.harvard.edu
• christopher.matthew.cavanaugh@member.mensa.org
• mattanaw@mattanaw.org

Resumé

• Professional Resumé

Contents

• Author
• Edit History
• Foreword
• Abstract
• Prologue
• Preface
• Introduction
  • A Framework for Minimizing Omissions in Thinking
• Limits on Action and Behavior
  • Illusion of High Capacity of Action
  • Illusion of Non-Path Dependence
• Neuropsychological and Intelligence Limits
• Cognitive Fallacies and Distortions
• Illusions
  • Perceptual Illusions
  • Linguistic Illusions
    • Assumption that Language is Not Omitting
    • Assumption that Words Map to Real Entities
• Fiction and Literary Illusions
  • That creative stories have reality
• Scientific Illusions
  • That one is scientific or is using science
• Logical Fallacies
• Impossible Entities
• Humans as Animals
• Togetherness
• [Taxonomy of Human Errors](#taxonomy-of-human-errors]
• Conclusion
• Afterword
• Glossary
• References
• Notes

Edit History

• 69 Wanattomians, Epoch 1728471543, Wednesday, October 09, 2024 18:59:03, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Initial work from as early as 2004. Scans have been archived.

Foreword

If the reader has been exposed to the topics of logical and cognitive fallacies, and illusions, they might also be somewhat irked and irritated by the lack of education on these topics to slowly rid of them. After learning about fallacies, one sees again and again, in politics, in social life, in business, and at home, that people make the same mistakes again and again. One hopes that one can influence others to not make these mistakes further for their benefit and the benefit of others, but one realizes that this is not possible without an improved educational system that teaches these with seriousness and does not simply teach them in passing. One wants a fallacy free, illusion free, scientific society that understands truth and ficitons. One wants all to be well in their thinking, and that some would not devolve substantially, to be those who have minds filled with erroneous thinking strategy, delusions, which if go too far uncorrected, result in actual psychiatric conditions. Instead, what is wanted by readers of this type, those who know something about the human shortcomings related to the propensities to fallacies and illusions, is that all would simply know about them, and know about them wherever they happen to exist. Some are conflicted, and worrisome, that one may have cognitivie fallacies and illusions that they are not at all aware of, and were never able to understand, see, or correct. The result of that of course is that some aspect of life has become forever erroneous without correction. The study of human shortcomings then, is to enable people to be aware comprehensively of all the shortcomings that exist, and not a few, and to be able to work on them as one strives to achieve greater personal excellence and virtue.

Human shortcomings demarcate strengths of human behavior. As people, communities, and cultures strive to improve themselves, they are not always aware that even their strengths are limited, and this results in improper teachings about the extent to which people individually can develop, and the extent to which cultures can develop in the time they have for that development. One thing that has been missing from human teachings for quite a while, especially in marketing related to education, and the education of children, is that life does not have unlimited development in a span of time. So children are taught that they can be famous, that they can achieve impossible feats, that they can and should plan to be greater than they could be. This greatly decreases the reasonability of life, and contributes to the feeling that dreams are dashed, and objectives are thwarted. A reasonable approach leads one to understand and enjoy that one strives for self alteration and improvement to a limit which is nowable. That limit involves all sorts of limits as one considers the diverse areas of human shortcomings. Having a complete understanding of human shortcomings makes it possible for one to live more satisfied knowing in advance what the boundaries of possibility and impossibility happen to be.

This book, therefore, should be seen as something totally vital for the betterment of individuals and humanity. We should not be complacent about the delusions and illusions of humankind, letting people eternally remain in a state of ignorance about it. Of course, people do engage in good quality thinking, and are to an extent able to dodge illusions; but we know that the state of understanding on this topic is not very great, and this means that none have had the education to be in a state where we’d like them to be! This implies that we are actually in a serious condition, because we wish to believe we are more modern than we are, and that humanity is in a pinnacle situation at the moment, that we are as good as the final humans, as good as humans could ever be. But a simple study of this topic reveals we are future ancients. This should not come as a surprise, however, because what were the ancients but future ancients!

This topic give us as a species quite a lot to look forward to. What would it be like, if someone was entirely truth understanding, and extremely aware of all shortcomings, and extremely already adept at overcoming what can be overcome. People who have been adapted through proper education to eliminate fallacies and illusions of various kinds really have permanently overcome them in a tremendous amount of ways. Again the reader who understands fallacies well, detects them, corrects them rapidly, until they seem to no longer arise in the mind, has really overcome them. How far can this be taken in an individuals life now, being realistic? What does that mean for future children and their lives. They will be much greater than people are at present, and that’s amazing. Contributing to this effort by being more aware, and making children aware will improve lives dramaticall. I hope thath is a result of the efforts of this book, if it has a good amount of influence. I would like that it improves the ability of individuals to improve themselves and teach it to others. If we look accross the culture, people are spending much of their time advising others, because they want to be seen as good exemplars, and want to teach others to be able to make similar improvements. I’ve made many personal improvements by focusing my mental efforts on this large task and hope that the reader learns something, and is able to take it to others to help humanity on an individual basis and collectively.

Abstract

This book and disseration concerns the slow eradiction of human shorcomings through correction and human improvement as human life evolves into the future. An approach is recommended, for self-improvement, that allows one to improve one’s own life, and the life of others, by recognizing a finite set of human shortcomings, becoming aware of them all, and gradually eliminating and self correcting. A thesis of this paper is that human experience is bounded by a non-infinite set of limitations that separate what is impossible to human life, and what is possible, but that what is possible has not yet been clearly conceived or written by another author. A methodology is recommended for coming to a more complete, if not entirely complete, understanding of what those boundaries consist of, and what modifications to human thinking and behavior is possible, for growth. The thesis explains that the human trajectory is bounded by such limitations, that it’s direction can be understood by this knowledge, and that the methodology, if used in education, will allow to re-orient human progress on individual human development, and cultural development. It is discussed that techology can only partly improve human experience, because some of the primary human limitations are technical limiations. The primary object of analysis, while interested in collective human progress, is the individual and it’s progress or stasis. It is explained that the progress of individuals is what comprises the progress of aggregates of individuals, and that is understood as culture. Cultural progress is made to be dependent on individual progress, and it is already understood, that even largescale advancements depend on individual improvements to come into existence. Individual advancements related to the boundaries of possibility relating to human shortcomings involve the ever-interesting and important topic of making life better. Improving the minds and excellences of individuals is a moral matter, and moral processes that culminate in the overcoming of personal obstacles and the improvement of individual minds and behavior involves what all people care most about. It is argued that without a clear full awareness of the complete set of human shortcomings and ways to address them makes it impossible for people to find adequate focus on next steps and strategies for life direction. Instead people natively and reactively choose what happens to be next for improvement on the basis of more short-sighted recognitions about what improvements would immediately result in a better life. But this omits a more comprehensive direction. Education itself is largely for the overcoming obstacles, and education can be measured by the extent to which its teachings has reduced, and lessened the effects of certain life circumstances which include these obstacles. The method recommended is comprehensive and can be used to guide curriculum to make what is learned more obviously instrumental to what all children would want to learn. It creates better direction for one to determine the course of one’s education later, in private thinking, and for forming goals for the future. Goals for the future are always connected with what one believes to be progressions, and these progressions relate to the decreasing of problems in life, and for the increasing of excellences by decreasing miscellaneous shortcomings. It is explained that self-improvement can be framed in terms of decreasing of shortcomings, and this can be connected well with the theory of evolution that humans are to be increasingly adaptive to life circumstances which includes elminating problems and decreasing shortcomings that exist. The advancement of strengths is a key area for the decreasing of shortcomings, so the book and dissertation should not be thought of as a non-positive advancement of goals. Additional subjects for study include expanding the typology and classification of human shorcomings to include more details within the framework. More shortcomings can be added and others can be refined. The methodology can be extended to directly address changes in the typology which should map together.

Prologue

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Preface

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Introduction

This work has been developed from the early 2000s with the goal of creating a collection, later well organized, of human shortcomings which create fixed limits for our species, and also those that imply training needs for overcoming errors. It also provides areas in which humans could self improve via biological engineering, or various ways of being combined with technology.

Within the field of philosophy logic and logical fallacies and various errors were taught so as to avoid errors in argumentation, so that we are better able at arriving at truths from basic facts we think are reliable. This goes much further to includes all human shortcomings, or those that are worth recalling, referencing, classifying, or further studying, including biological and psychological limitations. In my training in Psychology I became aware additionally of cognitive limitations, illusions of perception, and various constraints of the brain and nervous system, and learning. Various biological limitations around our being bodily animals with definite boundaries and ranges of abilities implies incapacities, which obviously exist in other animals, but might exist if we were something different than we are. I go further to include various types of limitations which might be thought more abstract or mathematical, or related to physics. I think many more limitations can be added in addition to those I’ve thought of or have collected, but what I offer here is uniquely comprehensive and honest concerning our limitations.

By emphasizing human shortcomings here I don’t want to take out of view, or remove from the total system on moral guidance, strengths and advantages, that are scoped within our limits. This section is not intended to not be positively constructing a truthful and accurate understanding of humans and ourselves, despite being primarily interested in limitations and capacities. It is very important to know what we are not able to do, and where we introduce errors, to know how to correct those errors, work within our limitations, and use or strengths and good qualities for what they can do for us, and not pretend they can do more.

I have found in my observations and thoughts about people and their religions and somewhat primitive attempts at morality (all attempts have been primitive attempts), that they are really expect too much concerning what is achievable with the resources they have as people, and their existing cultures. Some think they can take naturalistic actions that they do not even know are naturalistic, and have supernatural results. This is the among the worst of the errors, not realizing human shortcomings like those here. Others simply miss psychology, with the result that principles are created and practiced without any satisfying result; oftentimes, the result simply cannot extend from the morals created. Illogic also results in an inability to know certain sentences are false, and being false, cannot be good for guiding behavior. This is also a very unfortunate mistake. Consider how often a faux-moral dictate or maxim, that really has a source in a short quote starts with “Always” or “Never”, and does not include any psychological knowledge about cyclical behavior, or data about how often anyone has observed any such formulation. These shortcomings combine creating issues that are more complex and harder for most regular people to see, with errors too numerous to point them all out.

This work on human shortcomings falls into the preparatory materials in this work of mine, but could also appear in the section that might be called “Theoretical” or “General” because it is widely applicable, and not merely preparatory. But I add it here as preparatory material, because I cannot be understood at all unless my own background on thinking about errors and logic, and psychology, and good thinking is not appreciated before moving on to other material. Logic is a basic course in philosophy because much that comes later uses it actively; in this way, Philosophy is like science, and science teaches proper methodology before sharing works that make use of those methods. This work also includes scientific limitations even though I have not noted that above, so this comment is directly relevant. Likewise early mathematics comes before later mathematics. Similarly, and probably more fundamentally, this work is intended to prepare with similar basics for thinking through the material that actively makes use of and depends on such thoughts.

At this moment, as I write this, I feel mildly saddened that I could not share this work with others earlier. Over the years I have not been well understood, because material such as this figured into so much of my thinking, going into my communication, with the effect that my offerings to others were either 1) underestimated in terms of the degree of thinking and preparation and therefore the quality, and 2) inability to interpret or comprehend, because the thinker would have used other mental resources instead to interpret. When communicating with others, I like to rely on paraphrasing, and reiteration of the statements of others, to confirm for them, that I have understood, or to give them rare opportunity to correct me, for failing to understand. I’ve noticed others do not do the same, and when they do try, they usually do not understand or understand only partly. Otherwise I don’t know, and it appears their memories later indicate they have not understood, because they are unable to develop off the same conversations which have already happened, yet admittedly, rely on the same earlier thinking, which implies that all future conversation would be ineffective until preparations have been provided.

This work should provide readers an extremely good idea about what high quality philosophical thinking and high quality science demands, and I think the reader will be better equipped for naturally thinking critically about various topics covered later, but in general all through life as well. If one studies logic, one gets something valuable, but more narrow than what is shared here. However, acquiring good logical thinking allows one to really understand most that one does better than one did before, if one takes it seriously enough to train it into most thought.

A Framework for Minimizing Omissions in Thinking

Having a set of life categories along with a set of topics that relate to morality, where morality is considered to be a covering of life and thought, one will already have really good coverage regarding the synthesis of thinking and knowledge that is required for good action and decision making.

However, one will not have anough. Having experience in a variety of sciences and studies that are related mutually to different topics of thought and action will be required to have a more full development of thinking.

The existing framework I have for covering the life categories and approaching personal morality is already extensive and really does provide a good framework for ensuring there are few major omissions to thinking. But this needs to be combined with a framework for inclusding the various sciences as they are applicable. At present, I happen to be aware of many scientific topics and areas of research that are applicable to thoughts and actions, but admitedly I do not yet have a knowledge framework yet that corresponds in completeness and finality to the life categories I have developed. I will need to develop such a framework.

Together, these constitute in a way a simple list of what knowledge happens to relate to any thought or action. I don’t think it will be too hard to make a list that is good eough forfrom a framework perspective. The framework would simply be expanded to include subfields and subcategories, and refinements of the major categories. LIke the animal taxonomical system.

This sounds advanced, but making it more simple and practical, it is just a large list. Imagine if one was about to make a decision, and one had a list of all that must be considered in order to decide well. Now imagine that one has advanced in experience and maturity, one would need a new list, that is longer and perhaps has modifications, if the first list was well done. Now imagine that on ehas become incredibly experienced across the full offerings of knowledge of humanity in its diverse fields. One still just has a list. The list can be organized and reorganized for what is most important, and can be tailored to different scenarios that one finds oneself in.

Now imagining that humans have evolved quite a bit, the list grows. It is still just a list! Even if there were some computing or application mechanisms to organize and read out the list or guide, it would still be known that there is a list mapping. It is still just a list. It may be that forever it is just a list.

Since forever it is just a list very likely, then there is a point in the list improvement in which returns on development are lessened. This means some state of development already does most of the work with the list it has created and uses.

So what is wanted is a framework, a list, that is near that threshold. And, one wants to use that list to blend it with one’s thinking such that one scan recall without the list. Tehen the thinker and the actor has a powerful tool that is known to be correct, that is consistent with the list, at the threshold of power in advancement of civilization.

After that threshold level, developments can still be made, so it willl keep going as knowledge grwos and as people evolve in complexity. But after that time, it will have to be forever admitted that those who had the framework earlier were already powerful, and nearly as powerful as those with the newest list.

Also, people in history would then have potentially had sometimes greater ability to implement. Since there is a scale in sophistication of living peopple.

This is very diffferent than today. Today we look back in time, at the ancients, and know well, that they were too limited, and that any particular individual would be greatly inferior in many ways because their culture did not have the tools for them to adapt to for betterment.

Some few in history of course would be better than people today, but their numbers would be few. The number of people today who would be better than the people who existed before would be very grate.

So in the future, it may be that they don’t look at the ancients as ancient as much. They are just seen as advanced moderns, with less, but with the key tool being as powerful as any that they could have.

Togetherness

Created Saturday, September 10^th, 2022 at 1:57 pm Las Vegas time

The last writing on human shortcomings were from well over a decade ago. Here I continue that writing with a list of human shortcomings, more recently noticed or of recent interest. Earlier categories of human shortcomings and some various specific shortcomings were listed and written in longhand. These will be scanned an included here also, in the near future.

In this sitting I have written a list of various shortcomings related to togetherness, or social-group situations in which people are seated together, standing together, or variously spatially commingled. This can be during parties, gatherings, social meetings, work meetings, larger gatherings, sporting events, religious events, school lectures, entertainment events, and many others in which people arrange to be together, or find themselves together. There are many errors concerning what people believe such events achieve, what they commit people to in terms of moral obligations, what they imply as far as communication, and so on.

Here is a list of shortcomings, errors, or mistakes, related to this spatial standing or sitting near each other, and what false inferences relate:

• There is an assumption that people sitting and conversing together implies a result of making sense together.
  • Consider if you are combined for a school project. False agreements, and attempts at courtesy, create an outcome expectation of mutual combined intelligibility and progress. However, sometimes the result is collective nonsense, inability to find what is agreeable, and inability to combine individual nonsense.
  • Large gatherings which indoctrinate nationalistic views are assumed to make sense. For example, there is an assumption in gathering, that praising flags makes sense. The size of the gathering is somehow included in creating an expectation that the result, or reason, or purpose, must exist, or make sense. However, it is plain to one nation, such as the United States, that nationalistic behaviors, and certain views of other nations, are rejected, as not being apart of its nation, and the behavior of outsiders figures into other rituals, other events, and other ceremonies, which may be completely rejected as nonsensical. I’m a citizen of the United States, but I reject much about their ceremonies, as much as an American citizen might completely reject, or ignore, or laugh about, the behaviors of other nations. Interestingly however, joining in the events of other nations, when abroad, calls for pretending their views make sense. I reject his also, but here indicate that most cannot be consistent and this too implies their grouping behavior may not result in sense, if it is about multiculturalism.
• That specific connections, unities, and onenesses exist, simply by being together.
  • togetherness, apart from spatial proximity, implies for others, erroneously, connections and unifications that would be absent. (Analogy: one would not be able to assume that communications existed that never happened, by touching heads together. Similarly, sitting beside someone, does not imply that communications have happened, that have not happened. Only those that have happened have happened, and from an analysis of those, typically, it can be found that very little unity, or connections, or agreements, or similarities, and so on have been created. Rather, sitting together and some speaking has occurred).

[More to be added soon]

Taxonomy of Human Error

Human errors can sometimes be thought of together in a complex collection of errors interrelated, making for a taxonomy of errors and unknowns. This system of mistakes identifies what is systematic about human mistake making, what kinds of mistakes they will make again and again, what is permanent or impermanent about mistake making, regardless of level of development, and what can and cannot be done by an individual and organizations to correct for mistakes, to eliminate them, or to live with them more effectively.

Conclusion

Afterword

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Glossary

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References

Mattanaw. (2024). Book and Journal of Mattanaw http://www.mattanaw.com

Mattanaw. (2024). Abandoning Equality http://www.mattanaw.com

Mattanaw. (2024). Procrastination http://www.mattanaw.com

Mattanaw. (2024). Humans are Animals http://www.mattanaw.com

Mattanaw. (2024). The Velocity of Significance and Ideation. Retrieved from: http://www.mattanaw.com/thoughtstream.html

Mattanaw. (2024). Higher Order Attention. Retrieved from: http://www.mattanaw.com/thoughtstream.html

Mattanaw. (2024). A Framework for Minimizing Omissions in Thinking. http://mattanaw.com/thoughtstream.html#a-framework-for-minimizing-omissions-in-thinking

Mattanaw. (2014). ThoughtStream. Retrieved from: http://www.mattanaw.com/thoughtstream.html

Cavanaugh, C. (2014). Black Notebook Two. http://www.mattanaw.com/olive-notebook-mattanaw-31032004-mid2016.pdf

Cavanaugh, C. (2007). Black Notebook One. http://www.mattanaw.com/olive-notebook-mattanaw-31032004-mid2016.pdf

Cavanaugh, C. (2005). Beige Notebook. http://www.mattanaw.com/olive-notebook-mattanaw-31032004-mid2016.pdf

Cavanaugh, C. (2005). Olive Notebook. http://www.mattanaw.com/olive-notebook-mattanaw-31032004-mid2016.pdf

Cavanaugh, C. (2004). Sand Notebook. http://www.mattanaw.com/olive-notebook-mattanaw-31032004-mid2016.pdf

Cavanaugh, C. (2003). Rational Times. http://www.mattanaw.com/rational-times.html

Notes

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