Thinking about lenses through which we see the world \ stacker news ~meta

pull down to refresh

Thinking about lenses through which we see the world

1792 sats \ 25 comments \ @kepford 12 Jun meta

Over the years my way of viewing the world has evolved. This has mostly affected how I interact with other people. As I have learned how to view the world through a new set of lenses I gain understanding of the world and also the people around me. Most of us probably see this in others but do we see it in ourselves? What lenses have you added to your set? What lenses do you see others using? For me I see most people viewing the world through the lens they are given each day. The first is politics. Basically this comes from the news they consume and the friends in their circle. Few actually question these lenses. They think anyone that has a different view outside of the "norm" is crazy or maybe dangerous.

Here is my list of lenses. Are their any I've missed?

Personal benefit/profit
Politics
Incentives
Cycles
Patterns
Economics
Religion
Human nature
Culture
Bitcoin

view all related items

204 sats \ 1 reply \ @SilkyNinja 12 Jun

When anthropology had an intellectual evolution at the start of the 20th century, it became necessary for ethnographers to recognize their "lenses" in order to more objectively study other peoples¹. One anthropologist I read said something along the lines of there is nothing inherently more moral about believing the universe is built on order rather than chaos - that is the degree to which she attempted to decouple herself from her known lenses in order to understand other people better.

Typically, this is regarded as recognizing your own subjectivity; however, it's become a bit bastardized into guilting other people on the grounds of born privilege.

A very cool lens to look into is the development of the belief of some inherent worth of the individual (I think this starts in a secular sense with Kant), and how (I think) our culture has probably only halfway transitioned away from the belief of birthright to earned/ing merit.

A lens which I find interesting is whether or not a person believes in something like destiny.

It is recognized, however, that it is impossible to view other people objectively as we are always looking through our lenses, our subjectivity. ↩

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei 13 Jun

My eyes perked up when I read destiny. So I’m a great believer of destiny. I believe that the Law of Attraction is governed by the Universe/God (depends on how spiritual you are).

When I wrote about it, didiplaywell alerted me to the phenomenon of spontaneous synchronisation. So what I assumed to be the workings of the Universe may just actually be the laws of physics in motion

155 sats \ 0 replies \ @frostdragon 12 Jun

I'd say everything falls into a sub category of:

Physical well-being / Survival
Truth
Morality

with some possible overlap between those.

Zooming into sub categories like culture and religious and economics and politics is important, but I feel like you always have to zoom out to basics of morality, truth, and physical well being. For example, if something in "bitcoin culture" doesn't pass a first principles gut check, it should be called into question.

100 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford OP 12 Jun

Many people here view the world through bitcoin eyes. This is good because bitcoin at its core includes economics, incentives, and human nature. I would say that we all could use more lenses to look through though.

Do NOT make the mistake of thinking because a lens is wrong that it is useless. Lets say you have a friend that LOVES Trump. Believes everything he says and thinks he will fix the US. Drain the swamp. Whatever. It might be tempting to discount their view. I would suggest there is value in understanding where it comes from and how it both aligns with other lenses as well as where it is flawed.

The world is complex and most of the people around us are being controlled by lenses that they were given at an early age. Most people are not wired to question these lenses. This is why what is obviously false to you might be something they are completely blind to. Understanding this can help you relate and understand more people. I would argue this is severely lacking in our society.

Much is being gained by keeping people in the dark.

86 sats \ 4 replies \ @Natalia 12 Jun freebie

my lense is really simple: I travel there to see and learn. 😂

69 sats \ 3 replies \ @kepford OP 12 Jun

Amazing how few use the real world as their primary lens.

55 sats \ 2 replies \ @Natalia 12 Jun

so that I would have fewer biases or prejudices, like a baby with a fresh eye to see how things really are instead of what is told how's there.

69 sats \ 1 reply \ @kepford OP 12 Jun

This fake world of the Internet is often more real to people that the actual world and the people around them. The digital is rarely like the real. Most people I know and interact with (a broad range) are nothing like the stupidity online. Don't get me wrong, I see the world very differently from most of them but what we are told to be reality is most often complete nonsense.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Natalia 12 Jun

The digital is rarely like the real.

yes, that's why traveling is good if you want to see what's really happening out there, but then it takes more work if you want to see the real part of any place, e.g., most big cities are almost the same these days; let's say in Turkey, once you step outside of Istanbul is completely different and so much better, yet only a few are exploring.

65 sats \ 2 replies \ @0xbitcoiner 12 Jun

Sports
Food
Jobs
Nationalities

55 sats \ 0 replies \ @Natalia 12 Jun freebie

food could be a good one!

here is my top 2: Turkey and Malaysia ( then Vietnam or Thailand )

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford OP 12 Jun

I totally missed race. Nationality is usually a better lens though.

55 sats \ 0 replies \ @SatsMate 14 Jun

Lifestyle/Health and Wellness is a lens. While I think this could fall into human nature or personal benefit - this is something that many people see the world through in entirety. It makes up everything they do from start to finish - almost like a religion of the body. I do think it is a decent lens to pay some attention to.

55 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitcoinAbhi 13 Jun

https://m.stacker.news/35123

55 sats \ 0 replies \ @IamSINGLE 13 Jun

You're aCtually talking about 'objective reality'..

55 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter 13 Jun

Lenses are everywhere!

76 sats \ 2 replies \ @JesseJames 12 Jun freebie

As one ages (and we all are) one tend to be more forgiving since there is an experience of what we have seen, that doesn't mean that we stop exploring, it simple means we understand it better (I hope). The best way to see other lenses is to travel and see it from the other side. Don't tell anyone and travel to Moscow, Russia and see with your own eyes, wear these glasses for a few days and you will see. I bet a new perspective or lens will appear. Same with Japan or South East Asia, heck even the end of the world like New Zealand...lol All your lenses will gain a different shade and I think that's valuable.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @kepford OP 12 Jun

Never been to Russia but I agree. I was able to travel to a different continent and see a VERY different culture in my 20s. Changed my life and gave me a huge leg up to understanding the world. I agree with you on age with the caveat that its not automatic. Many refuse to learn and would rather think they are right than actually learn and gain understanding.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @JesseJames 13 Jun

"...All things change. How we respond to change is our choice. Fear it or embrace it. Resisting change leads to only one fate: our own extinction..." --- MoonHaven

P.S. It was so good I had to write it down and share with others, so here you have it...

66 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter 12 Jun

I view the world without putting my own lenses. Or, you can say that I've as many lenses as there are.

55 sats \ 0 replies \ @Satosora 12 Jun

The lens of personal disgust? Maybe that goes under human nature? When l see racism happening, sometimes l freeze with disgust. I have seen it more when l am by my asian wife. I also felt it when l was in taiwan.

55 sats \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin 12 Jun

https://m.stacker.news/35096

This world is already fucked up anyways, no matter what lenses you put, is not gonna change anything until people will learn who they really are.

For me, the only way I see is to leave this fucked up "civilized" world and never look back.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford OP 12 Jun

Been waiting for the "THEY LIVE" ref.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @tomlaies 13 Jun

Frequency illusion: The cognitive bias "frequency illusion" is the phenomenon in which people find the words, things, abstract concepts way more frequently in their day to day lives shortly after learning them.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @tomlaies 13 Jun

Since learning about the concept of frequency illusion, I'm seeing it everywhere.

Footnotes