Today, I want to talk about how Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard classified thinking on one of his ubiquitous scales.
For those not familiar with the concept, Hubbard arranged several concepts into scales; the Tone Scale (which ranked emotions) is the most widely know. Items that are higher on a scale are positive; items lower down are negative.
L. Ron Hubbard wrote one called the Know to Mystery scale. It went through several iterations; this is the 1971 version, which appears to be the last. If this seems like gobbledygook, well, I won’t argue with you. Hubbard had a tendency to gloss over important concepts and go into great detail on the trivial. Still, when you see where “think” comes in, I’m sure you’ll get my point.
Tone Description
40.0 — Know
30.0 — Not-Know
22.0 — Know About
20.0 — Look
8.0 — Plus Emotion
2.0 — Minus Emotion
-1.5 — Effort
-3.0 — Think
-4.0 — Symbols
-5.0 — Eat
-6.0 — Sex
-8.0 — Mystery
-10.0 — Wait
-20.0 — Unconscious
-40.0 — Unknowable
Source: Scientology 0-8 The Book of Basics by L. Ron Hubbard, 2007 edition
Thinking is just above eating and sex, which Scientology views as almost involuntary actions necessary to survive. So you can see that per this scale, thinking isn’t very sophisticated. Note also that doing something (effort) is a higher function than thinking.
Now, in the real world, thinking is up higher. It’s an integral part of knowledge – you learn something, you think it through, you judge whether it is valid, and you know it.
Not so in Scientology. Hubbard will tell you what to know; you don’t need to think about it or pass judgment on its validity.
Once you start taking into account those numbers in the left column, the Know to Mystery Scale takes on even more sinister undertones. “Tone” indicates numbers on the Tone Scale, which goes from +40 (“serenity of beingness” down to -40 (“total failure”). Anything above +3 (“conservatism”) is pretty good. +1.1 is “covert hostility,” the criminal state that Marty accuses David Miscavige of being (Churchies say the same thing about Marty). +0.7 is “hopeless”. Zero is “body death” (presumably, the spirit lives on).
And -3.0, where “Think” is? That’s “owning bodies.”</p
Which, when you think about it, makes no fucking sense whatsoever, but if it’s down that low, it’s got to be pretty bad.
The point is that per Hubbard, thinking is not a higher function. Looking and knowing – those are higher functions. Scientologists often talk about certainty – the certainty that they are doing the right thing, and certainty in LRH’s tech. They look, they see cheery Scientologists and LRH’s tech, and they just know it’s correct.
They don’t ever think about it, because thinking is for degraded beings.
Of course, thinking also leads to freedom. Which means that for LRH and Scientology, thinking is very bad for business.
ML,
Caliwog
Caliwog's Blog 
“Of course, thinking also leads to freedom. Which means that for LRH and Scientology, thinking is very bad for business.”
I couldn’t agree with you more!
This was a major, major realization that preceeded my departure. I was very highly trained both in tech and policy and was beyond OT 3. I vividly recall where I was standing on Fort Harrison avenue in CW when the realization began to sink in that within the scheme of the sea org and scientology, who I was meant virtually nothing. It had all been replaced with Hubbard knowingness and anything that I might think of or consider meant zilch. I had allowed “me” to be squished out of existence. My value had become that of a “knowing” (mindless really) worker bee.
I have said before that I did foster care (none right now, taking a wee breather, since I work with teens, sometimes you just need a break)…
I have seen bio parents, just so SURE of their position in the way they were raising their kids. They were completely delusional, but they KNEW they were in the right…They lose their kids, because they are so sure they are right, there is no way for them to change their behavior..
KNOWING is probably a sure way to end up in trouble. Thinking and Questioning is what usually gets you out of it…
Of course if more scios did that, there wouldnt be anyone left in the church.
Just remember that Sex, Thinking, Symbols (language), Eating & Mystery (our reason for seeking answers and using our brains) have nothing to do with how Homo Sapiens came to rule the planet. Clearly LRH saw this and thought it polite to point out to you that these functions have nothing to do with survival.
Clearly, you are confused.
How could Eating be important? And who needs sex for procreation? And well, symbols, although Scientology is FULL of them, Homo Sapiens do not need them for language or anything useful. And as for Mystery – well we know that this function does not separate us from just about every other species of life.
Remember, try not to give facts LRH – and he was smart, he knew that doing that was the cowards way out. I know LRH is looking down upon Earth right now using his OT powers to bring me misery and pain, and DM so much joy.
Clearly, as the old man say, “Not knowing” is right there at the top, and as we all know from talking to Scientologists, it is clear that they do “not know” shit.
Everyone knows that immediately after you do not know anything, you know everything – just listen to the success stories of Scientologists.
It is no wonder SO members have no sex, and suck at creating families, eat crap, never think, know fucking everything and try not to think.
It is lower level thetans that do these things…
Marty, this is the brainwashing you absolute twerp…God Marty, you are a complete moron