The basis of understanding and meaningfulness. The integration of meaning can provide us with more resources to face new conditions, as well as increasing our sense of meaningfulness. This video explains the reasons for fragmentation of meaning (the opposite) and how integration of meaning can be developed. It draws on the embodied meaning theory of Lakoff and Johnson. This is a tributary video to number 6 on integration.

This is the 22nd video in the Middle Way Philosophy introductory course.

Some suggested questions for reflection:

1. Give your own examples of integration of meaning that you have developed in the past: one each from external emotive, external cognitive, internal emotive and internal cognitive meaning integration.

2. Have you ever experienced temporary integration of meaning? How did you benefit from it?

3. In what ways could you increase your stock of symbols?

4. In what sorts of situation in your experience would it be helpful to clarify, and how would this add to integration of meaning?

5. In what ways could tolerance of ambiguity help you to integrate meaning, and in what sorts of circumstances do you most need to practise it?

Suggested further reading:

Middle Way Philosophy 3: The Integration of Meaning