Inclusion

Over-simplifications can be the result of looking at reality as if were a block of essence. If, to the contrary, we look at reality as if it were a body of connections, in other words the coming together of things, we can agree that to understand something we must see it with some degree of complexity. An example of an oversimplification that I heard just before this piece was first written came from a rabbi on a panel proclaiming that the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians was nationalistic and had nothing to do with religion. It is true that nationalism has been involved in this conflict, and it is true that the founders of Israel were secular, but to exclude religious differences from far back in history to today as one of the elements in the conflict deprives one of a fuller understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Occasionally we hear complaints that a writer has ignored context or has picked facts that support his position and ignored other facts. These are inclusion problems. A debate benefits an audience by forcing the inclusion of more connections to a question. And people benefit by debating with themselves when formulating their positions.

Nov 4, 2007:

Recently among scholars an inclusion problem surfaced concerning questions about Hitler's genocide against the Jews, described in Ron Rosenbaum's book Explaining Hitler. Said one: "No Hitler. No Holocaust." This might be true and it might be false, but it is surely overly simplistic. If it is true, one should recognize that Hitler could not have done it without others willing to help, obey or go along - an matter of inclusion. And bringing Germans in general into the equation one should also include historical circumstances in order to avoid the attributing to the Germans an inherent evil character. One circumstance not given prominence in the debate was the disappearance of restraint that accompanies war. The holocaust against the Jews and the Armenians both took place during wartime. So too madness at Nanjing in 1937.

The discussion on Hitler included a comment on psycho-history. Pyscho-history is another example of insufficient inclusion, or over-simplification.

address of this article: http://www.fsmitha.com/com/inclusion.html