Orthogonal epistemology? What now? 

Don’t panic! It’s not a word or phrase you’re supposed to know. What IS important is that you know what it does. 

Each of us lives by a set of rules that operate subconsciously. Think about the pressure you put on a brake pedal when you come to a stop. You don’t consciously think about how much force-per-unit you’re applying. You know. You just know.

What you don’t know is that the reason you know is that you were conscious about the initial experiences that taught you. Those experiences gave you a framework from which to operate. In this case, you consciously chose how and when to move your hands and feet in order to drive. In fancy terms, you learned the theory of knowledge about vehicle operation. Plainly stated, you were intentional about wanting to learn to drive a car. 

We have so many other operating systems, most of which we didn’t choose. We inherited them. Your lived experience tells you, “this is so,” whatever “this” is. You see something, it’s similar to something in your past or something an authority figure told you early on. You automatically categorize the experience based on the theories in operation…subconsciously. It’s fast.

Pre-judgment = prejudice, and that happens fast. Judging something quickly is adaptive for danger. Doing so also creates a prison, keeping you out of the possibility of something bigger and better for yourself. 

When you recognize that you’ve only been thinking based on what you were told or what you lived through, you can open yourself up to new possibilities. 

Orthogonal Epistemology tells us that your lived experience is but one axis of knowing. Specifically, what you know now is not the limit of what is real or what is possible for yourself. 

Your personal history, what got you here, gives you information. It doesn’t command what’s next. Where you are now is the culmination of your personal history. 

🡪 Who you are now is only the starting configuration for your Next Big Next and who you’re                                                                          becoming. 🡨

You know how sometimes I’ll comment that those voices in your head are information for you to use, but they don’t get a vote? The same with your personal history. It’s great information, but it doesn’t get to vote on what your future looks like. 

When you break away from the singular epistemological line or schema of your past, you get to become “unrealistic.” 

Just because you’ve never done something doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Do not confuse any particular axis or dimension of knowing (e.g. past experience) with the whole of reality. 

Instead, lean into Orthogonal Epistemology and seek multi-dimensional thinking. This is an intentional practice. That is, it requires intention on your part. In my TEDx talk on The Parallax Perspective, I noted that there are always more things you’re missing about any context, another person, or even yourself. Orthogonal Epistemology asks that you look to those other perspectives or dimensions for viewing any situation, good or not-so-good. The situation just is. And the approaches to it are multi-fold. So stay curious and look for areas you might be missing something.

To bring this all back to you, and in thinking about your Next Big Next, recognize that your past experiences are just that: situations you lived through and, at the time, gave meaning to.

That gave you identity.

Your experiences, and the meaning you gave to them, built your identity. 

Identity is but one valid axis for knowing or understanding the world. Just know that who you decide to become does not require validation from past evidence. Decide on what you truly want and dare to declare it. 

Possibility Does Not Need Precedent

You don’t need to have done or seen something for you to set out to create it! 

You can choose to take action before feeling confident.

You can make decisions based only on the certainty that you’ll figure out the next step based on what you learn in taking this first step. You do not need any external reassurance to take that step. Yes, acknowledge the reality of the past. Don’t let it bind you to other possibilities for your future. 

When you stop extrapolating from the conditioned knowledge of your past, when you step away from your current identity and ways of operating in the world, you then design your life by stepping orthogonally into a world of possibility. 

That’s where you live into a new identity in service of your Next Big Next. 

See you here next time! Keep making your magic.

= Wayne =