Immediate Direct Negative Consequences

And the learning response

When we experience the negative consequences of an action directly and immediately, it is relatively easy to learn from it, such as when we learn not to place our hand on a hot pan.

Could there be conditions that would deter us from learning from such an experience?

Let me take the hot pan as an example. The underlying assumptions will be that I wish to avoid harm, seek benefit and remain in good health. If I accidentally touch the hot pan, I would expect to reflexively recoil from it, unless:

1. I am unable to sense that it is hot (sensory failure)
2. My nervous system does not register heat as a threat (reflexive perception failure)
3. I do not feel pain (reflexive response failure)
4. I wish to feel pain (reasoning failure)
5. I am indifferent to pain (?)
6. I predict that nothing will happen since I believe that heat doesn’t affect me (belief failure)
7. Pick your reason

Now this is a situation for which most of us have ancient, evolutionarily developed protection mechanisms, and yet it is possible for us to override these mechanisms or be part of the minority that lacks them.

For situations where our biology doesn’t have a ready response (1, 2 & 3 apply), all we have is our consciously developed awareness, our critical thinking and our desire to protect ourselves from harm.

How many situations have we been in where we fall prey to harm simply because we have not learnt from the past?

At the same time, when we do not learn the right lessons, we can fall prey to a different sort of harm. What if my experience of touching a hot pan was so debilitating that the next time I see a pan:

1. I fail to judge if it is hot or not (testing failure)
2. I fear that I will be forced to touch the pan (prediction failure)
3. I feel pain without even touching the pan (reflexive response failure)
4. I resign myself to being a slave to the pan’s wishes (superstition)
5. Take your pick

The other situation leans into other biases that can easily crop up.

Learning the right lessons gives me the freedom to act in a way that helps myself and others. It helps me protect myself without shackling me with superstition.

How does one learn the right lessons? I think a big part is learning beneficial skills: reasoning and testing are the 2 main ones that come to mind.

Changelog:

originally written on 27 October 2023