Prelude
Before you decide to scroll away thinking that this is some amateurish rambling of a pseudo-scientific topic, I implore you to see the below justifications for this project:
- I have been accumulating information on this topic for 8 years, be it via online forums, articles, Youtube videos and books. This is not some spurious, overnight passion that I decide to document and forget.
- I think there is a lack of accessible information on cognitive functions alone. There are, to my knowledge, many resources on learning differences between functions and personality types. There are many resources concerning identification of types and the credibility of quizzes. This series intends to clarify and explicate cognitive functions in isolation.
- I think it is a common misconception that Jungian typology is a form of pseudoscience. As far as I am concerned, typology has made no claims to be part of the (natural) sciences. I do not think the common association with astrology is fair as well — Jungian typology is a descriptive theory of cognitive processes, not contingencies that you cannot control (i.e birth dates, palm lines, facial features).
- I study the history of philosophy in college and by interest. One of the ideas that I wanted to explore is how different cognitive processes of philosophers generate different types of philosophical systems. In simpler terms, I can classify philosophers by similarities in their ways of thinking and trace differences between types to differences in cognitive functions. This motivation will become clearer as the series goes in form of examples.
Overview
The aim of this project is to give a concise introduction and elaboration of each cognitive function. I see cognitive functions as patterns of thinking that are universal for all humans. I hope this will serve as a reference material for interested readers, both beginners and “experts” alike. This project is intended to be non-academic, hence the loose structure of writing that I am using. I write with full fidelity to the pool of knowledge that I have as of today and strive to give fair representation of all cognitive functions.
As this project is not concerned about typing people, it is largely theoretical and has no interest in application (although it might, tangentially). If you’re looking for a concrete, certain answer of your type or someone’s type, then this will disappoint you. What I will provide are not answers, but food for critical thinking. How much do you think you know yourself? Why are you prejudiced against certain personalities over others? What do introversion and extroversion actually mean? Again, I am not writing to spoonfeed answers, but giving you the theoretical foundations to think about these questions. If this prospect looks promising for you, please read on.
About Me
In the name of full disclosure, allow me to reveal some information about myself. This is to allow you to be aware of potential biases that I might bring along in this project.
Like the majority of people on the internet, I am an INTJ, 1w9. I am not concerned about other typing methods (e.g. Dave’s Objective Personality, OCEAN, DISC) because the above information should be sufficient for you to discern my pattern of thinking, therefore my biases.
List of Cognitive Functions
- Introverted Sensing (Si)
- Extroverted Sensing (Se)
- Introverted Intuition (Ni)
- Extroverted Intuition (Ne)
- Introverted Thinking (Ti)
- Extroverted Thinking (Te)
- Introverted Feeling (Fi)
- Extroverted Feeling (Fe)
Links will be updated once the relevant article is completed.
