The scientific research shows that a significant percentage of the population use compassion to chaperone their knowledge while another significant group of the population chaperone their knowledge with logic.
How Knowledge Seeking And Knowledge Chaperoning Impact Individuals And Societies
What exactly is ‘Knowledge Chaperoning‘?
The term ‘knowledge chaperoning’ refers to the standards that individuals use to judge between various solutions to a problem, in order to pick the best solution. This term was coined by Hiram Bertoch. A researcher who looked into various differences that cause people on either side of a political divide to misunderstand one another.
What Bertoch found was that one of the key differences between political ideologies related to how individuals judge the value or correctness of a potential solution to a problem. With those who identify themselves as liberals often choosing to chaperone their knowledge with compassion, while those who identify themselves as conservatives frequently chose to chaperone their knowledge with logic.
What this means
If someone chaperones their knowledge using compassion, then they are going to view the best solution to a problem as being the one that appears to be the most compassionate. They will naturally reject other potential solutions as being inferior. Because based on the standard that they are using to judge the validity of solutions, they fall short.
Alternatively, someone who chaperones their knowledge with logic will view the best solution to a problem as being the one that appears to be most logical. These individuals will naturally reject other potential solutions as being inferior. Once again, this is due to the standard that this person is using to judge the validity of solutions.
A Recipe For Misunderstanding And Mistrust
Suppose that a significant issue occurs in society that requires immediate resolution. Those who chaperone their knowledge with compassion are going to examine that problem and come up with a solution that revolves entirely around attempting to help the most people, regardless of cost. These individuals will focus on the most compassionate choices to a solution, and they will often be very passionate about advocating for those solutions, which in their minds, based on the value they put on compassion, are the clear cut most correct solutions to the problem.
Meanwhile, the individuals who chaperone their knowledge with logic will all get together, and view the same problem very differently. They will value the solutions that tend to add up mathematically, that are logical, and that in their minds make the most common sense. The will put these logical solutions forward as the very best options, and debate them passionately. Logical thinkers tend to be very good at debate incidentally, since logic is the foundation of winning a verbal battle of wits.
In the end, the two groups have looked at the exact same problem, and come up with two very different sets of solutions. The first based on compassion, and the latter based on logic.
Which one is more right? Which group’s solutions are more valid?
Well, the answer depends on whether you chaperone your knowledge with compassion or logic. It really is one of those (in the eye of the beholder) moments. The two sides will look at each other in absolute dismay and confusion. Often becoming convinced that the other side has some nefarious intent. They convince themselves that the only way that the other side could possibly support such clearly invalid solutions is if they have some ulterior motive! Or, if because they are just plain stupid!
The Two Sides Are Speaking A Different Language
It stands to reason that both sides of the ideological divide (liberals and conservatives) have similar percentages of intellectuals, moderately intelligent individuals, and below level intellects. It also stands to reason that both sides have an equal share of honest and dishonest people. The difference between the groups isn’t found in the quality of those who make up the groups. It is found in how they seek knowledge and how they chaperone their knowledge.
Thus, it isn’t that one side is inherently good, right, or more enlightened. It is simply that the two sides are speaking different languages. With some more inclined towards compassion, and some more inclined towards logic.
Both Compassion And Logic Matter
Here is the kicker! The painful truth is that both logic and compassion matter. The research makes it clear that pragmatic solutions (those that account for both compassion and logic) are more effective than solutions relying wholly on just compassion OR logic.
Interestingly enough, the research also shows that individuals who are both highly logical and highly compassionate tend to be more successful in life, in terms of income, job performance, relationship success, and happiness.
What This Means
It is good to value logic.
It is good to value compassion.
However, the research shows that a well balanced individual must learn to value both. Becoming too dependent on one or the other will lead an individual to make less pragmatic decisions. Where either there is no heart, or there is no logic. The stronger you become in both logic and compassion, the more effective your decisions will ultimately become.
We Need Both Sides To Function
Too often in today’s world we hear groups talk about dissolving the Union that exists between the various United States. They talk about how large the divide between the red states and the blue states has gotten. Suggesting that it is insurmountable. The proposed solution being to simply allow the red states to go one way and the blue states to go another way.
Never giving heed to the reality that we need each other! The red states will fail without the blue states, because they are often overly dependent on logic. The blue states will fail without the red states because they are often overly dependent on compassion. Liberalism needs conservatism to balance the books. Conservatism needs liberalism to bring in the heart.
Celebrate The Other Side
Recognizing the value that is inherent in those individuals who belong to the other political ideology is critical! We must begin to celebrate them for their contributions to us! Thank goodness they exist, so that they can counter us! Far too often we tend to demonize the very individuals who are our own counterbalance. Forgetting that if they fall off the pendulum, so do we.
We must recognize that compassion and logic are both equally valid ways of chaperoning our knowledge. Both are important. We must strive as individuals to become more balanced, and we must work as communities to recognize and validate the goodness of those around us!
