Assumptions about the world

Our assumptions about the world both help – and hinder – our thinking.

In the summer of 2014, a Liberian man arrived at a hospital in Nigeria. He was sick. Very sick. So Dr Ameyo Adadevoh tested him for Ebola. Before the results were available, the Liberian government demanded that Adadevoh release the patient. Against everyone’s advice, she kept him in quarantine.

Her defiant choice was controversial, but it ultimately saved thousands of lives when the results showed that the man did in fact have Ebola. So how did Adadevoh arrive at her decision? And why was it different from everyone else's?

We can’t say exactly. But we can be sure that her stubborn course of action was influenced by her unique understanding of the world. She correctly perceived the situation as dangerous, and acted on that belief.

So far, we’ve learned that our perception of reality isn’t always accurate. Instead, it’s highly influenced by what happens in our minds. We’ve also established that, to some extent, our imagination gives us control over this process of interpretation.

Still, that’s only half the picture. The fact is that our imagination has limitations of its own, most of which come from our unconscious assumptions about the world.

Every experience we have creates an arrangement of connections in the brain. When facing new situations, we rely on those previously built connections to make sense of the world. So, instead of approaching reality with a fresh mind every single day, our thoughts follow certain patterns.

This can sometimes be useful. For example, if a certain set of stimuli caused a negative experience in the past, our brains will draw on that experience and be quick to recognize similar experiences in the future. The problem is that following the same thought patterns all the time trains our brains not to pursue novel ones. It’s in this way that our assumptions limit our ability to perceive the world in new ways.

Luckily, these assumptions are not set in stone. Through introspection, we can reflect on our thought patterns, uncover our hidden beliefs, and consciously deviate from them. It’s not an easy process, but it’s an extremely valuable skill that allows us to be more flexible in navigating our complex, ever-changing world.