Paul Nervy Notes
“Jokes, poems, stories, and a lot of philosophy, psychology, and sociology.”


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Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  .This section is about the concept of a mistake.  ---  1/24/2006


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  .This section is about the concept of a mistake.  ---  12/30/2003


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  (1) Ethics and mistakes: negligence, responsibility.  (2) Elements and principles of mistakes.  (3) Causes and effects of mistakes.  (4) Mistakes in general, and in your specific situation.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  (1) Mistake death spiral.  Mistakes that lead to more and bigger mistakes.  (2) Mistake chains and webs.  One mistake leads to another.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  (1) Mistakes: the cost is what is important.  (2) Is a mistake (A) An accident (pure chance) or (B) A failure (totally your fault).  ---  4/28/1998


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  A mistake is a wrong guess, a nice try, a swing and a miss, thanks for playing.  ---  8/24/2004


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Assimilation and understanding of mistakes is important.  From mistakes we learn what does not work, and what is no good.  But you have to look closely to see what was wrong and why.  It is all a big science experiment.  ---  03/07/1989


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Causes of mistakes:  (1) Fatigue.  (2) Don't think.  (3) Think poorly.  (4) Repression.  (5) Ignore.  (6) Poor ethical system.  (7) Mistake priorities.  (8) Poor technological development.  (9) Crazy.  (10) Stupid.  (11) Ignorance.  (12) Unethical.  (13) Carelessness.  (14) Forgetting.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Causes of mistakes.  (1) Lack of information.  (2) Lack of learning.  Due to (1) not being motivated, (2) not knowing what to learn, (3) not knowing how to learn, or (4) not knowing to learn.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Causes of mistakes.  (1) Lack of preparation.  (2) Lack of practice.  (3) Lack of planning.  (4) Wrong plans made.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Causes.  How we make mistakes (causes).  (1) Causes of thought mistakes vs. causes of action mistakes.  (2) Common causes vs. rare causes.  (3) Psychological factors, and physical factors.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Definition.  (1) Everything is a problem.  (2) For every problem an infinite number of mistakes are possible.  (3) A mistake is a type of problem.  (4) A mistake is a wrong solution.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Definition.  Nothing is perfect.  Everything we do is a mistake by degree.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Definition.  What is a mistake?  Any unethical act.  (1) Didn't get a goal.  (2) Got an anti-goal.  (3) Hurts.  (4) A loss.  (5) Creates more problems.  (6) Knowingly done vs. unknowingly done.  (7) Totally out of our control vs. totally in our potential control vs. totally in our actual control.  Implies it is in our control to some extant.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Definitions of a mistake.  (1) Mistake as wrong.  For example, the test paper had two mistakes on it.  (2) Mistake as accidental, unintentional and unintended.  For example, he drove across the town green by mistake.  ---  11/12/2004


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Degrees of mistakes.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Didn't even attempt it vs. did it wrong.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Do's vs. don'ts.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Freedom vs. forces.  Internal (ourselves) and external (others and nature).  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Given an individual in a situation.  (1) Mistakes possible, and not.  (2) Mistakes most likely, and not.  (3) Mistakes actually make, and don't.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Learning from mistakes is good.  Learning before you make mistakes is better.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Little mistakes that add up.  Unrelated mistakes accumulate arithmetically.  Related mistakes accumulate exponentially.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Mistake defined as a failed attempt to solve a problem.  Thus, you can have epistemological mistakes and ethical mistakes, corresponding to failures to solve epistemological problems and ethical problems.  And you can have mistakes in theory and mistakes in practice, corresponding to failures to solve theoretical problems and practical problems.  ---  8/24/2004


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Mistakes analysis.  (1) Type.  (2) Size: how many affected.  (3) Degree: how badly affected.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Mistakes of thought precede mistakes of action.  The biggest cause of mistakes is pathological psychology.  ---  12/26/1997


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Not knowing that it is a mistake, or why it is a mistake.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Techniques.  (1) Figuring out mistakes.  Before the incident, during the event, or after you make it.  (2) Seeing your mistakes: how soon you see them.  Seeing them before you make them, seeing them during, or how soon after.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Techniques.  (1) Figuring out your own mistakes.  (2) Finding out, or being told of your mistakes.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Techniques.  Analyzing mistakes, ours and others.  What went wrong?  How did it go wrong?  How could it have been prevented?  What should have been?  How should it have been done?  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Techniques.  Avoid mistakes.  (1) Know the mistakes.  (2) Know the causes.  (3) Know the mechanisms.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Techniques.  How to avoid mistakes.  Imagine all mistakes possible.  Know the mistake before you make it.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Techniques.  Recognize mistakes and understand mistakes.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  There are many areas in which to make mistakes.  There are many possible mistakes in each area.  In general, and especially for you.  Know them and know why they are mistakes.  Avoid them.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Time and mistakes.  (1) Past mistakes.  Could have made vs. couldn't.  Did make vs. didn't.  (2) Present mistakes.  Could be making vs. couldn't.  Am making vs. am not.  (3) Future mistakes.  Could make vs. can't.  Will make vs. won't.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Two types of mistakes.  (1) Failure to identify a problem.  (2) Failure to solve a problem.  ---  8/24/2004


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  (1) Amount: too much/too little, excess/lack.  (2) Timing: too soon, too late.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  (1) Common vs. rare.  (2) Reversible vs. irreversible.  (3) Obvious vs. inobvious.  (4) Costly vs. not costly (inconsequential).  (5) Simple mistakes vs. complex mistakes.  (6) Intentional vs. unintentional mistakes.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  (1) Major vs. minor.  (2) Thought mistakes vs. action mistakes.  (3) Mistakes by goal, by subject, and by perspective.  (4) Mistakes by time: past, present, future.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  (1) Metaphysical mistakes:  Take something that is as not.  Take something that is not as is.  (2) Epistemological mistakes:  Wrong reasoning.  Wrong fact gathering.  Bad scientific methodology.  Blind belief rather than reason.  (3) Ethical mistakes: against self, against others.  (4) Aesthetic mistakes.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  (1) Mistakes in thought.  (2) Mistakes in action.  Wrong action, or incomplete action (leaving out a part).  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  (1) Mistakes of value, importance.  Too much vs. not enough.  (2) Mistakes of care.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  (1) Mistakes you make, others make, or nature makes.  (2) Mistakes by subject.  Mistakes by perspective.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  (1) Technical mistakes (action) vs. logical mistakes (thought).  (2) Action mistakes.  (A) Doing nothing: omissions.  (B) Doing wrong thing: commissions.  (3) Crucial, blink of an eye mistakes vs. little, everyday, long drawn out mistakes.  (4) Acute vs. chronic mistakes.  (5) (A) Mistakes of thought: logical fallacies.  (B) Mistakes of action: omission vs. commission.  (6) Super-mistakes, mistake, sub-mistakes.  (7) Thought mistakes.  (A) Didn't think of it.  (B) Wrong conclusions.  (C) Wrong arguments.  (7) Oft repeated mistakes vs. one time only mistakes.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  Ethical mistakes: Mistakes in goals.  Mistakes in means.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  Mistakes in what you do, become, get, and experience.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  Mistakes that cause damage vs. mistakes that prevent improvement (blown chances, missed opportunities).  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  Mistakes you saw coming vs. didn't see.  Mistakes you did not see but could have if were more careful or if learned more.  Mistakes you did not see but there was no way could have seen them.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  Subjective, perceived mistakes.  Objective, actual mistakes.  ---  12/30/1992


Psychology, thinking, problem solving, mistakes.  ---  Types of mistakes.  Understandable mistakes vs. not (stupid mistakes).  You couldn't help it, anyone could have done it.  ---  12/30/1992




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Paul Nervy Notes. Copyright 1988-2007 by Paul Nervy.