How to think about things. Have you ever had a course on thinking? Do yourself a favor and learn to think.
How do you think about love? Seriously how do you think about an emotion or feeling?
Thinking is natural. But if we are born to think in the natural, how do we think in this crazy world?
Thinking is really fun. I hope you like to think. Thinking things through with a partner is really cool. Understanding how things work, is fun.
So the young man walked into his university sociology class. And the professor said that he would learn how to think in this course. Knowing sociology liked to think of itself as a science the young man was intrigued and remained.
In fact from a very good psychiatrist/sociology professor the young man learned How we think. Quite a fun bit of language, neurons, gray matter, perceptions, comprehensions and more. It is delightful how man has learned how we learn and think in the mechanical sense. Probes and thermograms and eegs and ekgs and CT scans and MRIs produce a huge volume of understanding. Then the chemists get involved and secretions and nutrition and vitamins and minerals are all factored in.
We will get back to that young man later.
Nowadays we say a silly thing: "Don't you tell me how to think"
Well that is just fine. But what is a father supposed to do, let the TV teach his son to think, the internet? Or in sad cases that seem healthy, let elder siblings do it? That is horrible. And for sure our elementary schools are backwards at the task.
I know a man with three adult yet to be married healthy children. Between them and their father they have been on every continent on earth. Over 115 countries visited. Between them they have eleven university degrees. (yes we include the arctics in continents) They have art and philosophy degrees and a doctorate and a masters. And the have sociology and environment degrees and anthropology. They are all successful and came from zero family money.
This family knows how to think. Now the man never taught them what to think he only taught them to think. The teenage debates were never about what he told them, but about what they thought about theirs and others actions. A two step process of "if this then that" and "if that maybe one of these". The art of learning must be nurtured.
What do you think?
Do you think that thinking is?:
I do hope you ain't never been in the man's place. But the midnight special has it's own logic. How to survive.
I. R. A.C. Is how to think. It is adaptable to all areas of inquiry.
Issue. What is the issue you are addressing. Remember "he who defines the issue wins". Think about a theory or hypothesis. And do not worry that it might be wrong. i.e. Does a man entering a property with the intent of rescuing a victim commit trespass? or Can I build it so water flows uphill? Or If faith is belief in matters not experienced does that mean I have no faith in matters experienced?
Just look around and ask why? If my son acts badly should I spank him? Now you have the issue framed and it is time for the Rule.
Expanding our horizons.
Rules are what we apply to our issues. Not complicated.
What rule would apply to trespass. No college degree necessary. It clearly should be entering onto the land of another without invitation of right. In our issue, it is for sure right to enter to save a life. But do we have a right to enter the dwelling of another to save a life?
Water only flows uphill when pressure is applied that is greater than gravity. A water wheel comes to mind. Half the water can go up because of the pressure of the other half going down.
We wonder about the sun coming up again. There is no rule that says it must. So our rule is that it may or may not come up, regardless of past experience.
Spanking a child is a punishment. Do you want to punish you child or teach him? The logical rule is to teach him so punishment is not a rule.
How does the earth create a canyon?
Application of rule to issue. Or you could say your argument.
Now what we do is accept our rule and apply to our issue. Teaching children is good, punishment only teaches punishment and consequences of wrongs.
If we put enough water on one side of a scales device it should lift a lessor weight of water on the other.
Trespass is a wrong thing to do, saving a life could never be wrong.
If we assume that the earth keeps turning, we can assume the sun will "come up" tomorrow.
Conclusions
Draw your own conclusions. I will not spank a small child. That sun is coming up tomorrow. Saving someone out weighs the policy against trespass. We can make a device that actually allows water to flow uphill.
Back to the young man
Eventually the young man went from sociology to philosophy to law. Degrees in all. But here is the rest of that story. Although loved, the boy grew up the youngest of 6 children so of course he was always behind the curve. And so he was considered an overachiever for even squeaking by in school. The young man grew up believing he was not smart enough to think well. Perhaps he was.
Perhaps by learning how to think he overcame a disadvantage.
It would be his hope that no person limit themselves by thinking they are not smart enough, but rather settle down and learn how to think.
Think about this!
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