Unusual and Exploratory Words

[Dekalb_Blues]

Apohenia is the human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns within random data.
 This simple abstract figure, which merely consists of three circles and a line, is perceived by humans (and some other animals) as a (human or ape) face, despite having only a few of the features of actual such faces



The first use of the term is attributed to Klaus Conrad by Peter Brugger, who defined it as the "unmotivated seeing of connections" accompanied by a "specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness". Apophenia has come to imply a universal human tendency to seek patterns in random information, such as gambling.

In 1958, Klaus Conrad published a monograph titled Die beginnende Schizophrenie. Versuch einer Gestaltanalyse des Wahns ("The onset of schizophrenia: an attempt to form an analysis of delusion"), in which he described in groundbreaking detail the prodromal mood and earliest stages of schizophrenia. He coined the word "Apophänie" to characterize the onset of delusional thinking in psychosis. Conrad's theories on the genesis of schizophrenia have since been partially, yet inconclusively, confirmed in psychiatric literature when tested against empirical findings.

Conrad's neologism* was translated into English as "apophenia" (from the Greek apo [away from] + phaenein [to show]) to reflect the fact that a person with schizophrenia initially experiences delusion as revelation.

In contrast to an epiphany†, an apophany (i.e., an instance of apophenia) does not provide insight into the nature of reality or its interconnectedness but is a "process of repetitively and monotonously experiencing abnormal meanings in the entire surrounding experiential field". Such meanings are entirely self-referential, solipsistic‡, and paranoid‡‡ — "being observed, spoken about, the object of eavesdropping, followed by strangers". Thus the English term "apophenia" has a somewhat different meaning than that which Conrad defined when he coined the term "Apophänie".

(from Wikipedia article "Apophenia" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia)

A common place for this to manifest is in the kind of phenomenon addressed in this Bring4th forum thread:  Have you ever been given a sign from the cosmos?

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* A neologism (from Greek νέο- néo-, "new" and λόγος lógos, "speech, utterance") is the name for a relatively new or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not yet been fully accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event.

† An epiphany (from the ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia, "manifestation, striking appearance") is an experience of sudden and striking realization. Generally the term is used to describe scientific breakthrough, religious or philosophical discoveries, but it can apply in any situation in which an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective. Epiphanies are studied by psychologists and other scholars, particularly those attempting to study the process of innovation.

Epiphanies are relatively rare occurrences and generally follow a process of significant thought about a problem. Often they are triggered by a new and key piece of information, but importantly, a depth of prior knowledge is required to allow the leap of understanding. Famous epiphanies include Archimedes's discovery of a method to determine the density of an object ("Eureka!") and Isaac Newton's realization that a falling apple and the orbiting moon are both pulled by the same force.

‡ Solipsism ( from Latin solus, meaning "alone", and ipse, meaning "self") is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. As an epistemological position, solipsism holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure; the external world and othe minds cannot be known and might not exist outside of the mind. As a metaphysical position, solipsism goes further to the conclusion that the world and other minds do not exist.

‡‡ Paranoia is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself (e.g. "Everyone is out to get me"). Paranoia is distinct from phobias, which also involve irrational fear, but usually no blame. Making false accusations and the general distrust of others also frequently accompany paranoia. For example, an incident most people would view as an accident or coincidence, a paranoid person might believe was intentional.


NONRATIONAL CONCERN

The individual reared in a Western cultural setting is often at a disadvantage when faced with the problem of learning, because of his preoccupation with the question of 'dominate or be dominated,' to which he gives intense and undiscriminating emphasis. He is often aware of the 'problem' in only the crude form ('dominate or be dominated'), and his literary and philosophical roots give him little ability to realize that the problem is centered around the assumption that there is no more rarified possibility than 'struggle or be struggled against.' Some Western observers have noticed this essential crisis. Under the heading of 'Nonrational Concern,' the editors of a recent symposium [A. E. Biderman and H. Zimmer (editors) The Manipulation of Human Behavior, New York, 1961, p. 4]  refer to this inherent characteristic:

'. . . the inability to make others fulfill one's wishes; and the reverse, the fear of being controlled by others, with the consequent loss of the autonomy that is believed to be fundamental to the conception of the self. These opposites are incongruously exaggerated in paranoid thinking, one of the most prevalent mental symptoms of Western man.'

--- "Annotation" from Idries Shah, The Sufis, New York, 1964, p. 434




There's a fine line between the miraculous domain-leaping connectivity of genius and the draco-spiralling projective fallacies of madness; so much depends upon the percipient human's ability to self-reference itself (rather more humorously and self-compassionately than dead-seriously) in the act of the most poignantly self-provocative and self-interesting perception, so as to orient itself properly in the super-rich field of transdimensional superimposition and synchronicity (with all its breath-takingly complex symbolism) to be found in the domain of the deep psyche.




http://theendlessfurther.com/qian-the-cr...principle/ :

Example of Doing It Right, on many levels:



(Artist Nathaniel Barlam's commentary on his "Amelia Illustrated", https://www.behance.net/gallery/24823651...llustrated -- pour lagniappe, Joni aficionados will also dig his "Song For Sharon Illustrated" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1UXqTDIfIY)

Word.





Hey, what a synchronistic coincidence, the recurring hexagram-lines motif... something must be trying to tell me something!