Meaning is grounded in stories that make sense

Exploring Sean Carroll, John Vervaeke and Michael Polanyi

Understanding Meaning Through Mythos:

To embark on a discussion of meaning, we begin with the concept of mythos. Unlike a singular myth, a mythos represents a cohesive collection of narratives imbued with profound cultural, religious, or societal significance. These narratives serve as lenses through which a specific group interprets the world and their place within it, offering a framework for understanding and creating meaning.

For example, the Greek mythos resonated with them because it presented deities with human emotions like anger, lust, and envy. This anthropomorphization allowed them to relate to these stories and, consequently, find meaning in their own lives. Additionally, the mythos provided explanations for causality, making the world seem ordered and purposeful.

However, a mythos can lose its explanatory power over time as cultural and societal landscapes evolve. The Enlightenment, for instance, challenged established meanings by offering scientific explanations that conflicted with traditional narratives. While science has undeniably advanced our understanding of the universe, it cannot offer definitive answers to questions about morality, beauty, justice, or human purpose. These concepts seem beyond the grasp of even the most advanced scientific theories.

Sean Carroll explores this complex relationship between science and meaning in his book, "The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe itself". He proposes Poetic Naturalism as a framework for reconciling these seemingly disparate realms.

Poetic Naturalism Explained:

Carroll borrows from Muriel Rukeyser, who stated,

"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms."

This quote reflects the core principle of poetic naturalism: the world exists objectively, but our understanding is always shaped by the stories we tell and the language we use to interpret it.

This approach doesn't reject the existence of objective facts, but rather acknowledges that our access to them is mediated by our conceptual frameworks. Meaning, according to Carroll, arises from the way we create stories that cohere with the known facts and infuse our lives with value. As he aptly concludes:

"meaning is not something that we discover, but something that we create, and that we can choose the stories that best suit our purposes and values, as long as they are consistent with the laws of nature."

Note: the defintion of meaning is reminiscent of Abduction,

Making Sense of the World: John Vervaeke's Relevance Realization

A core challenge in understanding meaning is the vast number of possible interpretations for any given situation. Cognitive scientist John Vervaeke, in his series "the meaning crisis" , proposes Relevance Realization (RR) as a potential solution.

RR describes a mechanism that helps us navigate this complexity by selecting the most relevant interpretations in any given scenario. This process applies to various domains, including problem-solving, reasoning, communication, and ultimately, meaning-making.

Vervaeke views RR as the engine of meaning creation. It allows us to understand the world around us, fostering a sense of connectedness, coherence, and belonging. This aligns with Sean Carroll's definition of meaning, where individuals shape their own narratives "consistent with the laws of nature" and aligned with their values.

The "best fit" in Carroll's definition refers to finding interpretations that are most relevant to a given situation. This resonates with Vervaeke's concept of saliency within Relevance Realization. Salience signifies the degree of importance or attention we assign to specific information in our environment. It acts as a filtering mechanism, guiding us towards interpretations that are most relevant to our current needs, goals, and context.

From Grand Narratives to Everyday Sensemaking:

The concept of meaning-making has undergone a shift, transitioning from grand narratives about life, existence, and reality towards a focus on smaller, everyday experiences. This shift parallels the growing understanding that meaning is not simply discovered but actively constructed through our evolving worldviews.

While questions like the meaning of life and our place in the universe remain relevant, a significant portion of meaning-making now manifests as sensemaking in specific contexts. This shift is evident in various scenarios:

• A businessperson deciphers the impact of new Federal Reserve policies on their company.

• A physician interprets the complex medical situation of a COVID-19 patient.

• A young woman tries to understand the emotions behind her boyfriend's facial expression.

In these situations, individuals engage in "sensemaking in the small." While the practical aspects become more immediate, the underlying principles of meaning-making remain consistent. Individuals still utilize their existing knowledge, beliefs, values, and experiences to construct narratives that "best fit" the situation at hand, helping them navigate the world and derive meaning from their experiences.

Polanyi's Creative Leap: From Tacit Knowledge to Emergent Meaning

While Michael Polanyi's contributions to philosophy often focus on personal and tacit knowledge, his work also sheds light on the concept of meaning. In his book "Meaning" (1976), co-authored with Harry Prosch, he proposes a unique perspective on how meaning arises.

Meaning is the result of the 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 that integrates the disparate elements of life through metaphorical expression

Polanyi argues that meaning emerges through the creative imagination, acting as a bridge between seemingly disparate elements of our lives. He describes this process as the integration of these elements through metaphorical expression.

To understand this concept, it's helpful to consider Polanyi's earlier work on "The Tacit Dimension". This theory highlights the way we transition from focusing on specific details (particulars) to grasping the whole picture (coherence).

Consider the example of a piano maestro. Initially, the aspiring musician practices individual notes and techniques (particulars). As they become more proficient, these details become internalized (Indwelled) and intuitive. This allows them to shift their focus to the overall piece, using their creative imagination to connect the individual elements into a cohesive and meaningful whole. The resulting performance becomes a powerful expression, evoking emotions and meaning in the audience, even if they haven't mastered the intricate skills themselves.

This "connecting the dots" process, with details in subsidiary awareness and the whole picture in focal awareness, resembles the principle of Gestalt psychology. He emphasizes that creative imagination allows us to see new connections and possibilities not readily apparent through logic alone. These imaginative insights are then expressed through metaphors – linguistic or artistic devices that capture the essence of these connections.

In essence, Polanyi highlights the crucial role of creative imagination in transforming fragmented experiences into meaningful wholes. He emphasizes the power of metaphor as a tool to express these imaginative insights, allowing us to share and understand the deeper connections we create and the meaning we find in the world.

Connecting the Dots: Relevance Realization in Action

Polanyi beautifully illustrates the process of connecting the dots through the example of a piano maestro. As the musician masters the individual notes and techniques, their attention shifts from the specific details (particulars) to the whole picture (the complete piece). This transition mirrors the core principle of Relevance Realization.

Recall that RR emphasizes selecting the most relevant interpretations in any given situation. In the musician's case, the vast number of individual notes and techniques initially occupy their awareness. However, as their understanding deepens, their saliency shifts, focusing on the interrelationships between these details. This allows them to connect the dots and create a coherent and meaningful whole – the musical piece.

Therefore, we can see how Polanyi's "connecting the dots" metaphor aligns with the core mechanism of Relevance Realization. Both concepts highlight the dynamic interplay between individual elements and the emergence of meaning through the selection and integration of the most relevant information.

A Dynamic Tapestry of Meaning: Conclusion

The concept of meaning, though evolving in its focus, has remained intertwined with the stories we weave through our creative imagination. These narratives, while tethered to our knowledge frameworks and lived experiences, hold the power to imbue even the most mundane with significance.

Sean Carroll captures this essence by defining meaning as the "best-fitting story" within the boundaries of established knowledge. John Vervaeke's Relevance Realization further clarifies the selection process, highlighting the salience of information – personal, task-oriented, and arising from creative imagination. Finally, Michael Polanyi beautifully illustrates this process, depicting the transformation of disparate elements into a meaningful whole, emphasizing the crucial role of creative imagination in bridging them.

In conclusion, meaning is not a singular, fixed entity but a dynamic tapestry. We continuously weave this tapestry through our individual, context dependent narratives, shaped by our unique blend of knowledge, experiences, and creative insights. This ongoing process of sense-making allows us to find meaning not only in grand narratives but also in the smaller, everyday moments that make up the rich fabric of our lives.