Phil • Cr. Think • Science • Hist • …
TST PRACTICE

By Philosopher Michael Alan Prestwood

OVM Perspectives

☐ Listened
☑ Listened
You’ve listened to this 0 times.
You’ve read this 0 times.
~ < 1 of audio

OVM Perspectives

The four OVM Perspectives categorize a mind’s position on a particular topic: believer, explorative agnostic, apathetic agnostic, or skeptic.

Where you personally stand on a topic?

In ordinary usage, the term perspective often overlaps with viewpoint or even lens, but not in TST. In TST, a perspective is the position of a mind on a specific topic, a viewpoint is a thinking position available for any mind to consider, and a lens is an available worldview approach to things like truth, belief, and ethics.

OVM Perspectives is a specific TST term.

People hold different positions on different topics. A believer accepts a claim. You might be a believer in things like science, vaccines, evolution, and the Moon landing. A skeptic says a topic is false. You might be a skeptic in things like unicorns, astrology, and Valhalla. Agnostics are in between and there are two types: explorative and apathetic. An explorative agnostic remains uncertain but actively investigates. You might hold explorative agnostic perspectives on things like ghosts, the afterlife, or String Theory. An apathetic agnostic remains uncertain but also wants to be left along. You might hold this perspective for things like the disappearance of D. B. Cooper, what a particular passage of the Catholic Bible says, or the specific political topic of the day. Everyone can benefit by understanding where their interests are and bowing out of dialogue for topics they are apathetic about.

These perspectives describe how someone approaches a specific subject, not their entire worldview or personality. A person can believe one claim, doubt another, and remain agnostic about many others. Understanding these differences helps us discuss difficult subjects without reduction to labels.

Here’s your premium extra.

Categorizing your own perspectives and those of others helps you understand your self and others better.
Subject: Viewpoint Prevention.
Thinking well includes recognizing where you stand on individual topics. You might be a believer in science, a skeptic of unicorns, an explorative agnostic on ghosts, and an apathetic agnostic on politics. Understanding these four perspectives helps you understand what you and others believe, when you want to dialogue with others, and when you want to claim mental agency and skip confrontation.

Flashcard.

What TST term categorizes a mind’s position on a particular topic?.
Answer. OVM Perspectives.


That Philosophy FAQ, 

was first published on TST 18 hours ago.
This tidbit is part of the broader TST project.
A tidbit may be small, but it does important work. It gives one claim a place to stand, a source to answer to, and a path back into the larger framework.

The end!

Scroll to Top