DIM Hypothesis

Encyclopedia : D : DI : DIM : DIM Hypothesis

This article is part of the Objectivism series

Objectivist philosophy Important Groups Objectivist movement Ayn Rand Institute Nathaniel Branden Institute The Atlas Society Important Figures Ayn Rand Nathaniel Branden Alan Greenspan Leonard Peikoff Harry Binswanger Peter Schwartz Yaron Brook David Kelley Special Topics Libertarianism Homosexuality

This box: [ view] • [ talk] • [ edit]

The DIM Hypothesis is a proposed explanation for the three fundamental ways the mind functions in concept formation.

As of 2004, its discoverer, the Objectivist Leonard Peikoff, is writing a book of the same title.

DIM is an acronym for Dis-integration, Integration and Mis-integration. There are two types of D and M: D1 and D2, M1 and M2 respectively. The distinction between 2 and 1 is whether one uses the method as a matter of principle, or not, respectively.

Given a concrete situation,

* integration is when one applies a principle which is valid, to deal with the situation.

* dis-integration, or pragmatism, is when one takes the issue apart in order to deal with it in a particular case detached from wider abstractions or principles.

* mis-integration is when one uses a principle which is not valid, to deal with the situation.

References

• [1] Leonard Peikoff, The One in the Many: How to Create It and Why. An introduction to the DIM-Hypothesis. Available for free at http://www.peikoff.com/fordhall.htm.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.