The Ontology Gap

Let’s talk about why half of modern discourse feels like you’re debating physics with someone holding a plushie velociraptor insisting it’s vegan.

 (Not judging. Just observing.)

 This isn’t about intelligence. This isn’t about belief. This isn’t about politics.

This is about ontology, how a mind decides what belongs in the category of real.

And here’s the thing no one wants to say out loud:

 We’re not living in different opinions.

We’re living in different layers of reality.

 And only one of those layers matches how the universe actually behaves.

Strategy begins with ontology.

Let’s map this cleanly

Layer 1 - Natural Law

The ontology of the known universe.

 This is the hard stuff:

• biology

• physics

• cause → effect

• predator morphology

• evolution

• ecology

• constraints

 You don’t get to “believe” your way out of gravity. You don’t get to negotiate with a cassowary.

You don’t get to hug a tiger because a children’s book said he likes snuggles.

 Natural law = consistency.

Layer 2 - Symbolic Meaning

 The world of myth, story, and metaphor.

 We shine here:

• archetypes

• scripture

• narrative

• identity

• cultural coherence

A phoenix is a lesson, not a zoological creature. A parable reveals meaning, not physics.

Both layers matter. But confusing them causes catastrophe.

The Single-Layer Mind

 This mind collapses metaphor and mechanism into the same “real”:

• story = physics

• belief = evidence

• identity = truth

• meaning = mechanism

 Not irrational, just single-layer. This OS is running most of society.

The Dual-Layer Mind

 Rare, but powerful.

 Dual-layer thinkers can hold:

• symbolic truth AND

• physical truth

without collapse.

They can say:

 “I love the story and I respect the physics.”

 Dual-layer cognition is not elitism. It is adulthood.

Where It Breaks: Childhood Danger-Mapping

 Children learn survival categories:

 claws = danger

venom = danger

cassowary = danger

ancient raptor = BIG danger

 If you teach children biologically false categories like:

• “tigers love hugs”

• “snakes are accessories”

• “raptors were gentle vegans”

…you corrupt their survival heuristics.

 Symbolic safety gets coded as physical safety.

Adulthood: Ontological Inversion

 If symbolic truth is taught as literal truth, adults grow up believing:

• narrative > biology

• identity > physics

• feeling > mechanism

This is why people can trust physics to fly a plane and deny physics when it contradicts their worldview.

Not stupidity. Not ignorance. Just misbuilt ontology.

Key Insight

Some adults adopt single-layer ontology later because:

 belonging > precision.

 Identity has gravity strong enough to bend cognition.

 People will betray natural law before they betray their tribe.

 This is why society feels ontologically chaotic.

Why This Matters For GTM

 Markets operate the same way.

 When you collapse layers:

• brand = capability

• metaphor = mechanism

• aspiration = implementation

• identity = outcome

 …you get churn, confusion, and disillusionment.

 Great GTM requires:

• name the symbolic layer

• deliver the natural-law layer

• never mix them

 Ontology-driven marketing is the future.

Conclusion

 Suddenly everything makes sense:

• why discourse collapses

• why physics is treated as opinion

• why people argue past each other

• why symbolic thinking dominates evidence

• why GTM narratives misfire

We are not disagreeing on facts. We are disagreeing on what counts as real.

Dual-layer ontology isn’t elitism. It’s literacy in the structure of reality.

Once you see the ontology gap, you can’t unsee it.

 And you finally understand why some people argue with a cartoon

as if it’s a physics textbook.