Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Provisionality is the seldom-discussed capacity to think flexibly but relevantly, avoiding absolute assumptions that restrict our options. Robert M Ellis here draws on the discussion of provisionality in his book 'The Five Principles of Middle Way Philosophy', to explain how provisionality works, why it is beneficial, and how we can develop it. This talk was delivered in the context of a zoom meeting of the Middle Way Network on 2nd May 2023, and is followed by questions from the audience and by practice focus questions to help you consider its application to your own life.
0:00 Introduction
9:58 Optionality: how provisionality works
21:55 Adaptivity: the benefit of provisionality
30:30 How to be provisional: Suppression
36:50 Slowness
43:32 Synthesis
48:57 Conclusion
52:46 Question: is provisionality linear?
55:38 Question: How do we avoid extremes without eliminating absolutes?
58:09 Practice Focus Questions
Picture credit: Change your mind by Dr CVSB (Wikimedia Commons) CCSA4-0
Provisionality is the seldom-discussed capacity to think flexibly but relevantly, avoiding absolute assumptions that restrict our options. Robert M Ellis here draws on the discussion of provisionality in his book 'The Five Principles of Middle Way Philosophy', to explain how provisionality works, why it is beneficial, and how we can develop it. This talk was delivered in the context of a zoom meeting of the Middle Way Network on 2nd May 2023, and is followed by questions from the audience and by practice focus questions to help you consider its application to your own life.
0:00 Introduction
9:58 Optionality: how provisionality works
21:55 Adaptivity: the benefit of provisionality
30:30 How to be provisional: Suppression
36:50 Slowness
43:32 Synthesis
48:57 Conclusion
52:46 Question: is provisionality linear?
55:38 Question: How do we avoid extremes without eliminating absolutes?
58:09 Practice Focus Questions
Picture credit: Change your mind by Dr CVSB (Wikimedia Commons) CCSA4-0
