Gray, D. [Dave Gray]. (2015, January 23). Liminal thinking: The pyramid of belief [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G_h4mnAMJg

Dave Gray introduces the concept of liminal thinking, using the story of the blind men and the elephant to illustrate the idea that we all have partial and subjective perceptions of reality. In the story, several blind men touch an elephant and describe it based on the part they feel (a wall, snake, rope, fan), leading to disagreements.

Gray explains that our understanding of reality (the "elephant") is built on experiences and observations, which lead us to select what's relevant, make assumptions, draw conclusions, and eventually form beliefs. These beliefs create the "obvious" to us – a bubble of unquestioned truths formed by self-sealing logic that excludes contradictory information or perspectives.

He mentions a study about the Iraq War and how people rationalize beliefs ('self-sealing logic') even when evidence contradicts them. This defensive mechanism keeps us in a comfort zone of certainty but prevents us from accepting new ideas that don't align with our current beliefs ('internal coherence'). This can hinder our growth and understanding.

Gray urges us to make the process of belief construction conscious, by deconstructing our own belief pyramid and understanding others'. To do this, we must suspend judgment and strive to understand how other perspectives make sense, even if they initially seem illogical to us.

Liminal thinking, as Gray defines, is about understanding the thresholds of our beliefs, questioning, and connecting with others' viewpoints. This skill is valuable for leaders in the 21st century to navigate an increasingly connected and complex world. He indicates he will elaborate on this concept in future discussions.