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[► versione in Italiano]
A great part of our Knowledge results from the Need to be protected against the Unknown, and so a great part of our mental diseases; when we will understand that we can take advantage of Disorder rather than fearing it, then we will shift from a Culture "of Knowledge" to a Culture "of Discovery"
A Language-learning method based on the Fractal dimension
Example of Applying "► The Three-Words Method" to the field of Semiology
Series — "The Interpretation of Dreams as Fractals"
1. The Three-Words Study Method► 2. The Non-Linear Language Learning Method
3. The Rainbow Serpent
○ Follow-Up's (Research Main Page)
CONTENT
Short Video Version with Music
INTRODUCTION TO THE "NON-METHOD"
THE PHILOSOPHY OF NOT-ACTING. This survey deals with a "non-linear" study method, where we make use of Disorder to accomplish learning, by means of a contextual structuring of learning itself – a study which creates its own parameters by the time it develops; and it therefore aims at being a representation of the "Method without Method", mainly carried on by Oriental Philosophy, especially Taoism and Tantrism (as far as I remember).
— The secret of this philosophy is in fact that of "Not Beginning", that is, what is called Contemplation – observing without acting (see ► Wu Wei [Wikipedia]): for this reason the mind will begin to relate to an Object the way it finds the most suitable, rather forcing a result according to a known pattern.
- In this sense, we could say that "learning" itself results into limiting the ability to learn ("Fixation")
THE FREUDIAN METHOD OF FREE CONCATENATIONS. As said in my ► main article, my study system, however, derives from the Interpretation of Dreams – especially since I realized that Dreams seemed to give me informations on "how to interpret Dreams" thus developing "Problem-Solving Skills".
By using a stratified-symbolic language, Dreams refer to specific everyday situations, where some habits show up (eg. the tendency to piling up specific objects) that hamper the "creative workflow".
— Born many years earlier in a Associative way, mainly in response to Anxieties; during time they become "unconscious habits" consisting in some Assumptions in dealing with Reality, preventing creative transformation, and personal evolution with it; but thanks to Associations themselves, those old schemes can be brought up to Consciousness again and trigger a change of habits through a sudden Intuition.
- For an example of "Dreams as an Explanation of Themselves", see my surrealist work ► The Island of the Rain (1996)
GETTING USED TO CHANGE. A very long and diversified work therefore, from which I deduced that Dreams are a very precise way to re-establish a "natural" attitude to deal with problems – where Dreams actually pose themselves as "the Problem of Solving Problems" – and learn a much less schematic attitude, I therefore called "Associative-Intuitive and Fractal".
— The lesson of Dreams is that there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to problems, because in a dynamic system, the only rule that never changes is Change itself.
THE DESIRE OF STABILITY. As a consequence, Dreams and Oriental Philosophies agree on the need of being able to look at things "without bias".
Presuppositions are an expression of the fear of wasting energies – energies that we will not therefore make available for a creative restructuration of experience (but rather to keep the situation as it is), thus reduced to Notionism and to a Logical-sequential approach, which reflect an unconscious Desire of Stability, and which unavoidably turn into a tendency to Hoarding.
— The fact is that Stability is a consequence (rather than a target) of a reworking activity: that's why "Motivation" is the real point of any Theory of Learning, as it makes the difference in terms of being able to overcome the "resistance to Change", practically, the desire to deepen the knowledge of an object.
DARK MATTER. When we face a Study-Text or a Problem for the first time (just like a Dream) they are "indecipherable", incomprehensible – they are "Dark Matter", a compact block of informations and properties, which most of times we only approach with a pre-estabilished order; but, rather than a systematic attitude, first of all is needed the ability to identify Elements and Internal Relations to build a "Model".
- A "Linear" approach is such, that if you miss the base, everything above will fall down. A Web of connections instead, makes it for a broken "node" to be reached in more than one way, and "reactivated", without the whole system to depend on that element
My Three-Words Method is therefore just a "trick" to reconcile Spontaneity (at the base of Analytical skills) with the Intentionality required in our technological society continually to stay updated.
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FRACTAL COMPLEXITY. Trying to applying this tool in a "systematic" way will result therefore in a contradiction: you should instead realize it as a "consequence" of a non-linear approach, where you take advantage of the chaotic situation you yourself created by separating elements of a Block by mean of Contemplative analysis.
As I am going to show, this type of "soft" approach will spontaneously develop increasing levels of complexity, that is, we work in a Logical "Fractal" dimension, which perhaps is the one that best represents how our mind really "perceives" – then structures Reality.
— In particular, by randomly selecting the Three-Words as "Search Keys" from the Study Material, we will obtain some Analytical Tools such that they have "the same shape of their container" – that is, they are Modules of that object; but right for this reason, those tools will simultaneously serve as a Primary Scaffold for reorganizing the elements we deduce through Analysis – however, in a way that tends to be autonomous with respect to the logic of that text: that is, we learn through Continuous Modelling (rather than by "mirroring").
HOLISTIC USING OF COGNITIVE ABILITIES. That is, we continuously shift through different and complementary cognitive functions – such as Random exploration, Analysis and Search of configurations, Simulations and Formulation of hypothesis – which are generally used separately, since too often the Purpose of the study DOES NOT COINCIDE with its Object...
I WANT
SHOWCASING KNOWLEDGE. Perhaps the greatest problem that Language Learners have to cope with, is the assumption: "I want to learn". You know that you are much more motivated when you spent a holiday in a foreign country and you had a good time and met love. After the enthusiastic beginning, however, Grammar and Exercises make it hard to go on, and the task generally passes downrated in the priority list.
This is because when we pass from a Global-intuitive approach, to a Sequential study method, we also are making a fundamental psychological shift:
— We pass from a playful learning attitude, focused on the Activity itself (I am interested into the "language"), to something that we suppose be "the Right Way" to achieve a Result and showcase it to "the Adult Society" (which I called Tributing: I am interested into "your opinion" on me).
BEST ENEMIES OF OURSELVES. Now this is no more "Language learning", but a subtle Blackmail, part of the social phenomenon called Comformism (see ► The Fish-Man Syndrome in my main article):
— When someone "wants" a result, Oriental philosophies (and Dreams) state that this is a Mirroring Illusion, because the action is concluded "within the Subject" as it is meant to confirm its borders – an expression of fear and dependence which is the base for Personality Disorders: our targets are not meant to Personal improvement, but to show that we deserve "Protection".
As a consequence, unless our motivation to reaching a result is really strong, or of being possible to skip the obstacles on the track, the prospect of an "effort" will put us against the toughest resistence: Ourselves.
STUDYING IS LOVING. When there is no room for Intuition and personal attempts, no time for Observation and no issues to understand, then it cannot be called "learning" any form. To achieve an authentical knowledge, actually, we should be master of our personal dimension: so my method is not oriented to targets, but to the Learning Experience itself.
The following is an attempt to activate this mental attitude: we actually overcome that fear when we do things out of crazyness and, that said, love.
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LEARNING A DIFFERENT WRITING SYSTEM
A SENSE OF DISTANCE. Let's imagine we have to learn completely unknown a language, based on completely different an alphabet or writing system. What the "sequential" method would suggest?
- — We learn the alphabet, we learn to read it and then get some basic syntax to express simple sentences
In this approach, there is simply no room for Exploration; and even if the mechanical effort will leave important traces in memory, there will always be a sense of "distance": much better to be thrown in the very crowd and have to speak that language right off.
IN THE MIDDLE OF BABEL. So "Being in a Messy Crowd" is the principle I try to call and obtain a personal acquisition; let's imagine that the following one is the text we have to learn. At the moment we do not have a translation, and at the moment it does not matter even.
CASUAL SELECTION OF THE THREE-WORDS The Three-Words make up a Configuration through which we will afterwards may "restructure" the free exploration of the text – that is, they make for Aggregators of scattered concepts.
— Do not either bother worry about how you choose Random Elements, as any element within a system is always part of that system (Modular Logics) – so also Words, Sounds, Symbols, Images, etc.
CONTEMPLATIVE-RELATIONAL READING. Let's put aside the Three-Words for now; instead let's start a "contemplative" exploration of the text – spontaneous, curious and pleasant – letting it gradually turn into a search for Similarities and Relationships autonomously by bridging the Elements that emerge, just being careful not to turn it into a perfunctory process. Indeed we realize how the powerful Associative Thought makes this Modeling without effort.
— In this phase it is very important to train Short-Term Memory: so let's remember every now and then, to close our eyes and mentally reorganize our operations. At first, however, it will be difficult to remember anything more complex than simple "impressions".
In any case, by spending time in this exercise, your mind is slowly "taking the shape" of that language, and will soon make you feel being already able to speak it. This concept comes from Yoga as far as I know, it is called "samyama", which is actually very close to the instinctive mechanism of Imitation – and here comes in again your holidays buddy: for the animal brain, Finding Patterns is much more natural an attitude than Reading row by row.
LEARNING WITHOUT EXPLOITING MEMORY Let's try instead making this process a continuous "workflow", no interruption: which is then like speaking already that language, rather than just piling up terms. The Associative Thought makes it very smooth.
REORGANIZE ELEMENTS USING THE THREE-WORDS. Without waiting too long, let's take back the Three-Words on a sheet of paper, and rearrange the Elements through Chains of Associations: you will realize that your mind is able to remember MUCH MORE and longer, and that we can ourselves structure our own study path (Self-Motivation) thanks to the Intuitive Thinking:
— Initially we will try to stay in line with each Word, but then everything will tend to blend leading us to increasingly global considerations, concluding the address for the next repetition (eg. maybe we did not get a clear distinction between some two letters) and so on this way.
INCREASING THE LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY. In a process of "fractal" growth of knowledge, the Groups we defined starting from simple Elements, will be reduced more and more to "Elements" in turn (eg groups of letters, stems and endings): in this way we will be able to identify increasingly complex structures.
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CONCLUSION
This cycle of steps serves one simple thing: reflecting on knowledge . Knowledge that is not reworked and condensed is wasted time. In this way, instead, we are not only consolidating notions, but – autonomously by structuring our study path – we also act on our self-esteem: this is in fact a self-motivating method, because learning itself "calls" us to develop an always increasing competence.
ALL KNOWLEDGE IS "FOREIGN LANGUAGE". By using this method you can learn anything, since it provides such a natural and progressive learning, that no more "too complicated topics" will exist.
— In a certain sense we can even conclude that "everything is Language" – that every single field of human knowledge is a "Foreign Language" with its own Signs, a specific Terminology and Concepts; but increasingly familiar each new cycle of reworking.
And do not forget that if you do not create Disorder you will not have your Order
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THE MODERN PHILOSOPHY OF DISORDER. So this is how, thanks to my artistic studies on the Shape of Clouds, I too entered an avant-garde current of Research trying to make Chaotic Motions a universal key of interpretation – in Cognitive Sciences too; so I believe that having come on a publication with my same title ( ► Language Learning from the Perspective of Nonlinear Dynamic Systems (Peltzer-Karpf, Hohenberger)) may be a good omen.
Thanks for reading
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