Asklemmy

42521 readers

2283 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

Open-ended question
Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

Lemmyverse: community search
sub.rehab: maps old subreddits to fediverse options, marks official as such
!lemmy411@lemmy.ca: a community for finding communities

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone

AdaShovelace@lemmy.ml

If you were asked to think of something you never thought of before, what would be the most reliable way to do it? (lemm.ee)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by b92rk1yzrm@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

32 comments fedilink hide all child comments

When I read about how most of our thoughts are repetitive, I wondered if it would be possible for us to have a thought that is completely new or original by will. Is there some way we can have unique thoughts whenever we wish to?

Please note that this question does not focus on our brain's mental capacity or free will to be able to think of something original. You could think of it something like asking you to paint something original; I am not asking if you are even able to paint in the first place, but instead how you would paint it if you could.

Also you should ideally be able to think of something new completely by your own in your consciously aware and normal self, without relying on external factors like taking inspiration from your surroundings or words from a recent/ongoing conversations, looking at the content open in your device, using any drugs or consumables, being affected by strong emotions etc.

Edit: Elaboration in last paragraph

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] demystify@lemmy.ml 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'd take two random words/topics, and try to think of something that involves both of them.

For example, I just thought of a bicycle and of curtains. I immediately imagined a person riding a bicycle with curtains stuck in their wheels, getting torn more and more as they tried to cycle away. That's a thought I don't think I ever had before.

[–] b92rk1yzrm@lemm.ee 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I tend to do exactly this whenever I am bored, however I often keep coming up with the same combinations of words.

[–] dom@lemmy.ca 2 points 10 months ago

Pick randomly from a long list of nouns then

[–] radix@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

Maybe try different directions. I just tried and imagined a giraffe nudging a fried egg off the roof of a car on a hot day. The heat and how it sears fur on your face is a different thought from someone riding a bike with wheels caught in curtains because the bike idea is more visual and emotional (frustration, probably) and the giraffe one is more physical (heat).

To be fair, I'm quite sleep-deprived.