Stuff that repels the attention

Abstract

Certain phenomena do not merely go unnoticed but actively repel human attention, differing from passively unnoticed things in that the mind actively works to dismiss or ignore them, often inventing rationalizations. This attention repulsion prevents engagement even when direct focus is attempted. Examples include uncomfortable truths about the self, such as one’s own future death, selfishness, stupidity, and the motivations behind actions, particularly those yielding short-term satisfaction at the expense of long-term consequences for oneself or others. It also encompasses difficult ethical considerations like the interests of exploited beings (e.g., non-human animals), the vast scale of suffering in nature unrelated to human activity, remote or future suffering, and the potential validity of arguments challenging one’s deeply held beliefs or moral stances, especially those requiring behavioral changes perceived as difficult or impossible. Other examples include the risk of extreme pain, the act of consciously measuring satisfaction (which paradoxically decreases it), formless phenomena, and the recognition of therapeutic obsessions. This active avoidance mechanism hinders the acknowledgment and addressing of significant personal, ethical, and existential issues. – AI-generated abstract.