Multidisciplinary Analysis of Unusual Meanings as Components of Possibilistic Thinking

Abstract

Background. In modern scientific knowledge, with the emergence of the psychology of the possible, the role of such a tool of scientific intelligence as possibilistic thinking is increasing. There is a need to analyze three types of unusual meanings as the functional units of possibilistic thinking: the use of unlikely meanings of words and situations by a knowledgeable subject; the understanding of various circumstances by people with mental disabilities; and the comprehension of extraordinary situations — impossible, inexpressible, unthinkable.

Objective. The study had its purpose to conduct a multidisciplinary analysis of the problem of unusual meanings.

Results. The role of unusual meanings in possibilistic thinking is considered from multiple and diverse perspectives of different scientific disciplines. At the same time, the status of the substantive center and core of the problem study is given to the psychological analysis of possibilistic thinking. While ordinary meaning is mundane, predictable, and unoriginal, devoid of novelty and creative interpretation (corresponding to understanding-recognition in the psychology of understanding), the unusual meanings, as components of possibilistic thinking, are manifested in the subject's understanding-interpretation and understanding-comprehension of the human world; they reflect hidden realities. Consequently, unusual meanings express the discovery of previously unknown properties of the analyzed situation. The study provides an analysis of three types of unusual meanings and substantiates that all of them are characterized by the understanding subject's orientation toward the unusual and unexpected.

Conclusions. The psychological basis of unusual meanings lies in the subject's tendency to exploit unlikely meanings of words and situations, actualizing possible paradoxical, yet acceptable, developments. The rethinking of the problem of unusual meanings in the social sciences and humanities is largely driven by new discourses that have emerged in human history over the past hundred years. These discourses describe new types of events — "overdeterministic" ones. Such events have the ability to instantly spread throughout the world and have a profound impact on large groups of people. The proposed multifaceted approach enables the integration of knowledge, methods, and perspectives from various scientific disciplines to achieve a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the essence of unusual meanings.

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