We must discuss again the problem of understanding and problem-solving.
Many people interested in problem-solving address the problem to people it is not in their interest to understand.
For example, during slavery. Let's say you're a slave seeking freedom, and you address the problem to your masters.
Very few of these masters it is in their interest to understand. For most it's not in their interest to understand the problem of slaves. It's in their interest to understand the problem of masters, to keep you slaves, and by any means, and to continue the tradition.
So you don't continue to address the problem to these people. Certainly you can have debates on slavery with these people, but they are not the persons to help to solve the problem, and their role would most be that of coming up with arguments to support slavery. Of course, you need to hear these arguments, but these are not the slavery problem-solvers.
We saw a recent rerun of a Stargate episode in which it was in the interest of alien masters to sterilize humans.
To make humans think that these aliens had come to Earth in their interest, doing great things for them, but in truth their true role was to destroy the whole human race. To sterilize them without them knowing it, while making these humans think they were great alien just doing so much for them. Well, you know the story.
Masters throughout history, whether alien or human, always use this same ploy. We learn of the various subterfuges generations later, but there are many such ploys with the "natives." In this Stargate episodes, as in many science fiction stories, the humans get to play the "natives."
So what is the problem? And what is the solution?
First, who understands the problem?
Secondly, who is it in their interest to solve the problem?
Of course, we need to know the arguments of those against solving the problem, but we also need to have those for solving the problem.
Let's say you're the owner of a company and you don't have enough money to continue to pay high salaries.
Certainly the workers want high salaries. They are not going to be concerned--most of them--about the problems of an owner. The only thing they know is they do their work, they want their salary, and they think they deserve a very high salary.
Very few workers, unless they have been owners of companies themselves, are going to be concerned about the problems of the owners, about making payroll.
Similarly if workers have problems, very few owners, unless they have been workers themselves, are going to understand the problems of workers, including salary disputes.
So often they have to address their problems to people who know the problem, who understand the problem, and who have an interest in solving the problem.
Many owners of companies often begin as workers so that they know the problems of workers before they become the owners of companies. So therefore when the workers have problems these types of owners are more receptive to the problems of workers because they know what it's like to be a worker. However, they also have to find workers who know what it's like to be an owner, then they can often come to a mutual understanding and a mutual solution. So we notice that much of problem solving is point of view.
Often people address their problems to the wrong people. These people either don't understand, as we have said, pretend they don't understand, and/or it's not in their interest to understand.
So when problem-solving, for certain problems, you have to find the people that understand the problem and it's in their interest to understand. It also must be in their interest to solve the problem.
On the Stargate episode to address the problem, the humans had to get together with those who understand the problem and it was also in their interest to understand and to come up with a solution.
In that way, they were able to solve the problem.
Since we're dealing in science fiction, these humans were able to dial the Stargate to go back in time before they even met these aliens. They were able to get a note to the people to not ever dial that Stargate, so that the whole history with those aliens never presented itself.
Therefore, you had the problem, those who understood the problem, and those interested in solving the problem. Thus, they were able to come up with a solution.
These are the requirements for problem-solving of almost any problem.
Of course, all problem solvers must contend with those who don't want the problem solved. This is another aspect of problem-solving. And we must also ask ourselves, are the problem-solvers correct or are those who don't want the problem solved correct? Sometimes this aspect of problem-solving is moral. Sometimes it is merely practical.
