‘Open’ and ‘Closed’ Thinking

I often return to John Keats’ term ‘Negative Capability’ which he defined in a letter to a friend as “…capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts”. For Keats this was an essential element in the creative process, so in that sense the condition is positive rather than ‘negative’. The way such terms can seem to pivot between opposite poles of significance suggests a dialectical process which itself embodies uncertainty. The Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was known for his ‘negative’ questioning technique which forced people to examine the ideas and opinions they held, but he professed himself to be certain of nothing and to have no absolute knowledge. His interrogation of unexamined certainties was, however, a path to clarity of thought, an encouragement to be clear about the bases on which beliefs and opinions are held, often with a certainty that is belied by the shakiness of their foundations. But I think, too, in respect the perceived need to challenge the views of others, of the advice given in the Quaker ‘Advices and Queries’ : “Think it possible that you may be mistaken”.

This is not to argue that we shouldn’t have beliefs and opinions, or that we should abstain from criticism of things that we consider misguided or unjust. But closing off any possibility of further questions is to arrive at a finality that closes off the future. If, for Keats, the value of Negative Capabilty within the creative process precluded the “irritable reaching after fact and reason” and kept the channels of creativity open, for Socrates, whose business was analysis rather than creativity, it was necessary to remain open to truth as a process of exploration, allowing ‘facts’ to emerge from reason rather that imposing either on an argument before it has even begun. The two aproaches need not be incompatible. The dialectical pivot between imagination and reason works well enough if we are open to the needs of each scenario, but breaks the necessary balance if either our minds or our imaginative sensibilities are closed by preconceived ideas or creative cliches.