Chapter 2 - Mind and Paradoxes

Summary

Our minds, when confronted with paradoxes, react differently. In some cases, they benefit from paradoxes. Being open to paradoxes is a trait called paradoxicality. Embracing contradictions is one of the paths for paradoxicality, especially that embracing contradictions can enhance the creativity of individuals and teams. Similarly, conceptual blending is a method of generating new ideas by combining two concepts. It involves cognitive processes that combine words, images, and ideas within a mental network to create meaning. Contemporary perspectives indicate that the tensions between opposing ideas can be constructive (differing from the Festinger’s belief that the tension between contradictions is unpleasant and the mind tends to reduce it). An example is Janusian thinking, drawing inspiration from Janus, an ancient Roman god with two faces looking in opposite directions. Niels Bohr, for example, believed that by holding opposites together, the mind can reach a new level where traditional convergent thinking is suspended. Paradoxical thinking refers to an individual’s internal contradictions and posits that limitations arise from an individual’s limited frame of reference, particularly when avoiding internal paradoxes. Paradoxical thinking is understood here as a cognitive process marked by contradictions.