![]() ![]() ![]() The Todd Haynes film about Dylan, appropriately named “I’m Not There,” was partially a reference to an obscure song from “The Basement Tapes,” but mostly a metaphor for his elusiveness. His closest competition, of course, is Bob Dylan, famous for his false autobiographies, his musical shapeshifting and his lifelong antagonism of narrative structure. No musician I can think of - in fact, no person I can think of - appears so driven to defy resolution. But, too often, and in too heavy a dose, it leads us far astray.īeck has made a career operating in that tension between cognitive closure and openness. We need cognitive closure to move forward in life. But to resist it requires a level of patience and mindfulness that most of us cannot tolerate or afford. Cognitive closure causes pigeonholing and rushes to judgment. It’s part of why our country (and most of our world) is irretrievably polarized - because we have come to rigid conclusions based on too little evidence. As much as it is a problem solving aid, it is equally, if not more so, a problem causing agent. On the other hand, the pursuit of cognitive closure is a leading cause of knee jerk reactions, false impressions and general close mindedness. ![]() Our antidote to the disorganizing effect of meaninglessness is cognitive closure. As a species, we generally love cogency and despise open endedness. But, as much as anything, it helps us avoid discomfort. It helps us make reasonable predictions and solve mysteries and recognize patterns. The ability to draw conclusions on the basis of incomplete information is a small part of what makes us human, but a meaningful part of what has kept us around for a couple hundred thousand years. The pull of cognitive closure is vehement. ![]()
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