"What turned in on will turn it off" – since the epistemic trap was created by self, it's in one's hands to unlock oneself. In other words, the door can only be opened from the inside.
This point lays in the foundation of Phenomenology.
Let's explain the term using an example: Think of a dog, any dog that comes to your mind. What feeling arise in you while watching, privately, the picture of the dog? Did you experience positive feelings like love, or negative ones, like anxiety?
The image of the dog and the feelings associated with it are known to the person who perceived them and to him alone - no one but him will know whether is was a Rottweiler or a cuddly Poodle.
We experience the world in a subjective – private way. Phenomenology (from the word phenomenon), which was first defined by the 20th century German Philosopher Edmund Husserl, says exactly that. Our experience of the phenomenon around us is completely private and subjective and in order to understand them, one needs to duplicate the other's point of view. The inner world of self can be understood by others only by duplicating one's inner world.
Duplication should not be confused with either understanding or agreeing. Duplication is merely allowing a point of view to manifest itself in one's head without any judgments arising.
We try to change the viewpoint of people around us dozens of times a day. Whether our peers, subordinates, clients, spouse or our children, we try to bring their point of view as close as possible to ours. One might even say that the level of happiness we feel is in direct correlation to the level of change we're created in the surrounding environment.
The first stage in altering one's point of view – freeing him from the epistemic trap – is by adopting a Phenomenological approach. Understanding that the change can occur only from within – from the other's inner world.
With academic background in Economics, Accountancy, Law and Philosophy Asaf Shani is a highly experienced facilitator - consultant - trainer on confrontational situations. A Confrontational situation is a situation in which two entities (groups or individuals), holding opposing viewpoints, meet. Every conflict, negotiation, sales encounter, a difficult conversation etc, falls into this category.
Asaf started his way in the M&A division of Delloite & Touche, then in the beginning of 2001 he established Shani Mediation Inc. which specializes in consulting and training corporations and individuals.