Why Do We Think?

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   Rishy Richposted 14 years ago

   Stick to the topic...

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      myownworldposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      because...um...we can't help it?

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      mintinfoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      We think in order to navigate the course of life. We may possibly think for a greater purpose but first we need a thorough understanding of the world around us.

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   Justine76posted 14 years ago

   I try to not think. Does nothing but stress me out.

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   double_frickposted 14 years ago

   hmmm...
   
   can we help thinking? can it be avoided?
   
   is thinking what makes us...human?
   
   thats a really good question, you know.
   
   
   i think, therefore i am. i know someone will post this, may as well be me if it hasn't been posted yet. ;P  is there truth to that statement? thinking is what makes us individuals...but is thinking what makes us conscious?

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      Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Technically u didn't answer but still its a nice reply

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   zampanoposted 14 years ago

   Do We Think?

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      Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      @ zampano..no not all of us

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         Mikel G Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         oh come on not true, we all think some of us just think deeper thoughts than others.

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   lyricsingrayposted 14 years ago

   no offense but i think i'm confused
   
   zampano go see my hub your featured

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      zampanoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Lyric.
      I didn't subscribe because my Infinite Modesty (of wich I'm so Proud...) prevented me from that.
      But you know me better and you included.
      Thank you. I'm glad you did it and I'm amazed at the sum of work you gave.
      From now on, I'll call you Lady Lyric, baby.

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         lyricsingrayposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         ah, Im so glad your not mad but you deserved to be there too,
         From now on I'll call you zamp the light of lamp? :  I tried

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            zampanoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            

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   Cagsilposted 14 years ago

   Why do we think?
   
   We think because we have a consciousness, for which, creates the ability to form thoughts.

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      Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Is that an assumption?

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         skyfireposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Not assumption actually. Try walking on a crowded road and see if any car coming towards you with speed of 80+ then think about consciousness.

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            Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            @skyfire..Rene Descartes arrived at only a single principle: thought exists.
            However some modern proponents took this idea one step further by adding that Even Thought May Not Exist. When you think that you are thinking because of your consciousness, may be you are not thinking at all, it could just be a small fraction in the whole equation of harmony.
            
            Another assumption! I believe you can prove it wrong with validity tests. Can you?

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               skyfireposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               How thoughts emerged, you know that ?

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                  Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Didn't get my answer...but nice try

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                     skyfireposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     Thoughts emerge from our consciousness. If you're with some prejudice then you'll deny this for sure otherwise you have already found your answer.

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                        Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        I love talking parrots

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               mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I really like that phrase "equation of harmony" - it has got me thinking!

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                  Denno66posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  But why?

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                     mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     so I can plan dinner?

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                        Denno66posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        I like where this is going.....

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         Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         No, it's not an assumption.

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         Mark Knowlesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         An opinion perhaps? That is what you asked for is it not Mr. religionist pretending to be an atheist, so you can share the atheist agenda with us......
         
         So - which one of the recently departed religionists are you?
         
         Dead dog guy?

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            zampanoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            
            Shall we have a nice thread ?

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               Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               @zampano...u r looking great 

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            Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            @ boo boo...another assumption!

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   mega1posted 14 years ago

   we think so we can answer goofy forum questions - also so we can find the bathroom

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   Beelzedadposted 14 years ago

   Thinking is mostly brought on through chemical reactions in the brain, but still needs training in order to function correctly.

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   manlypoetrymanposted 14 years ago

   UUUH...I can't think of an answer...?

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      A Texanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You're not thinking!

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    china manposted 14 years ago

    We think because it is an evolutionary advantage.
    
    If you need proof - go outside where wolves, tigers, lions and other big bad scary things used to be and you should find that we have replaced them, bypassed them to become top predator.
    
    For some reason some people stop thinking altogether - this is called intelligent design.
    
    Some other people never even started thinking - these are called Creationists.

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       mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       as for the evolutionary advantage - we could debate this - sometimes, it occurs to me, so much thinking makes us very vulnerable to the natural world.   I'm saying thought can be an impediment to actually staying alive.  Of course, we like to think that this language-thought is what makes us superior - but we have invented the very concept of "superior"  Living in a world where there is no "superior" or "inferior" but just ISness
       makes it possible to create and have things OCCUR to you  - so I'm saying if we give ourselves permission to have purely sensory-thoughts for at least some of the time, we will be able to survive in even more incredible ways than heretofore. 
       
       and you can quote me on that!

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          china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          wow !  I get the point I think - but just because thinking may be an evolutionary advantage - we now have to compete with other thinkers don't we, competition for the top spot predator.  Maybe that is why the ultra rich are such assholes, it is their primal instincts gone berserk.
          
          I kind of agree - I think if you are not also in touch with the natural world you are getting into trouble. Surely this is what meditation does though.

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             mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

             what I am thinking is that competing with other thinkers may be counter-productive and even kind of suicidal.  If your goal is to have power at any cost, then your thoughts may lead to dominance over other humans and in the end you may find you missed out on things like the scent of a rose on summer evening as you sit next to the one you love on your grandma's front porch - or not  . . .  I think each individual gets what they get and I, from my perspective, feel sorry for thinkers who never really pursue their own totality and experience as much of the world as their opportunities will allow. 
             
             Simplistic thought is useful, but the world is so diverse!

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    skyfireposted 14 years ago

    And i like trolls who offend others, my timepass you can say.

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    zampanoposted 14 years ago

    Well, there is a "Theory of Knowledge" that tells us "grosso modo" that one part of what we know and what we are is just imprinted in our brain or somewhere in our body from birth. Our genes bear the basic code.
    And one part is contextual, meaning that it is aquired and developed by our environement as we grow.
    And this is very easy and intuitive to admit.
    Maybe "thoughts" emerge from the interaction between us and our environment.
    If I went into the trouble of writing this long post, it is because I've had dinner already.
    So, we could try the hypothesis that "thought" emerges from the stomach.

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    skyfireposted 14 years ago

    Spot on.

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    double_frickposted 14 years ago

    do people in a coma think?
    i think so.
    i think i would think regardless of the external stimuli...
    however, the environment around me gives me much to think about. gives me much to understand. gives me much to experience through thought and those thoughts also move me to experience outside of mere thinking.
    
    i am a spirit in a physical body...
    my thoughts may be seen as brain chemistry, but the thoughts are what initiate the chemical reactions. not the other way around. can you "train" chemicals? can you train a plant?? i don't think so, but of course i can train my self to have healthy, beneficial thoughts which in turn gives me healthy brain chemistry and hence a healthy emotional state.
    
    anyways, i'm rambling.
    sorries.

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       zampanoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Wow ! You sure think a lot !

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       mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       you CAN train chemicals - at least you can train them to follow a certain path - just as you can train a plant to move up a trellis by selectively cutting off portions and gently moving other branches -  this kind of thing happens to our thoughts all the time, some people learn to consciously manage their own thoughts through quiet awareness in the world and then they overcome the predominant "trends" that are managing others' thoughts - or at least I THINK this is what happens - I am new to this quiet awareness stuff and I keep looking for quick rushes in the forums, which I get from other mind-control freaks,  ahhhh lawzy me! dis here old world gettin mighty precarious!

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    searchblissposted 14 years ago

    We think to mask the bordom.

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    zampanoposted 14 years ago

    You think you're bord ?

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       china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       no - he is a bord mask

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    Georzettaposted 14 years ago

    As opposed to what? I mean that seriously. What's the other option? "Feeling" is a sensory or emotional experience that can be mitigated by what we call "thought". How can you pull far enough away from thought to observe it?
    
    We can externally observe the thought of others by watching brain scans but that does not convey the experience of thought. We can only have that experience within ourselves but we probably alter it by observing it .

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       china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       You know someone else has 'thought' adn it exists because they can send it to you - like we are doing now ?

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       mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       re: observing thought - this is meditation, or at least a portion of the meditative process and very fun - try it!

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          Georzettaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, we can observe our own thoughts to some degree. I think you're right about meditation. That's one of the things that makes it useful. What I'm wondering about is the question of observing thought objectively. Can it be done? By it's very definition, isn't the only way to observe thought subjective?
          
          Sorry, I wandered off the main topic.

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    mega1posted 14 years ago

    I have beeg queshing - are we discussing the thoughts that are dependent on language?  or also including thoughts that are sensorily based?  because these are different to some extent.  When you only discuss language thought you are leaving out the basis of the life awareness impulse that moves all living things with brains.

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    marinealways24posted 14 years ago

    The ones that think the most have the best chance to survive.
    
    The ones that think the least have the best chance to live.

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       mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       this is exactly what I think is debateable!

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          marinealways24posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Everything is debatable. Why do you think so?

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             mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

             I think the issue is really whether humans are superior - so I take it a little further and say "the concept of superior/inferior is a human one" therefore, our perception of survival may not be the only one out there - therefore "thinking" the way we do it may not really be helping us survive.  I think, myself, that at least some people survive IN SPITE OF all the thinking they do!  this is just from personal experience.  I am not a scientist!  I just walk this way!

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                marinealways24posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                I think those that think too much are the ones that are constantly thinking about the future not being able to fully enjoy the moment. The ones that think the least seem to be the ones that live for the moment with no worries of the future. I think a person that worries the least is usually a person that thinks the least. What do you think?

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                   mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                   here:
                   
                   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe_HtA5z … ature=fvwp

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                      china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                      I can't get youtube here so don't know what is on the video - but I think you are confusing living for the moment with not thinking. Not thinking just means someone else does it for you, the media, the politicians, your missus. If you choose to not think you may as well put a dog collar on because that is the level you put yourself at. Thanks for the humour - I just hope to hell you are winding people up as I think you are and not serious !

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                         mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                         I am thinking and talking here about zen concepts of reality - I am not the best person to explain these concepts but they do describe fully what I instinctually believe is true about human thought - I guess what I am saying is that sometimes our highly developed ability to use language gets in our way. Living life fully to me means using my senses in harmony with my brain.  I call that living a "whole" life.  I have gotten my opinions from knowledge that is pretty ancient. East Indian Aryuvedic teachings, Buddhism in many cultures, early Christian teachings, all the ancient religions in other words, and more modern science teachings - all point the way to the sensibility of living this way.
                         
                         I don't use the television as a source for knowledge, but more as an indicator of the trends that are out there in our cultures and how the power-mongers use them. I have to hear some of the stuff that's on it but I don't have alot of respect for it, certainly not as a teacher or model for my life.  I see it as primarily a marketing tool.
                         
                         I do see what you are saying about not thinking and just going along with what the marketers are selling you - easier that way for some. 
                         
                         But non-thinking as I practice it is instead a very powerful meditative tool for freeing my thoughts so I can be more open, as well as more in control of my own mind and more in harmony with it all.  I believe in a universal harmony that pulls us back into balance, sometimes that is very hard to do - sometimes this process is grueling when we have been so de-sensitized that we don't even recognize that there is this other kind of thought than just word-thought.   
                         
                         I also believe that it is kind of dangerous for humans to be too attached to seeing ourselves as "superior" to other life in the world.
                         
                         oh and that youtube vid was a rooster crowing!

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                            china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                            Ah - not thinking for short periods of time as in meditation, well that is different and I agree absolutely.
                            
                            This started because someone else quoted what I expect is sound advice on the battlefield, about how thinking there can get you killed and instinctive following orders can keep you alive. But not a way of living that is helpful in daily life when the guy giving out the orders is selling you something if only his own re-election.

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                               mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                               ah yes - and as for WHY we think?  I think we think in order to reason and make choices - and also thinking, from every part of ourselves, communicates our presence in the world - so we don't get stepped on by accident.  The teachers tell me that evolved thought brings calm mind which enables me to learn, create, and act as a knowledgeable person.  Also thought is necessary in order to actually store memories which help me survive.

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       mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       WHY do you think that?

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          marinealways24posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Thinking is stressful.

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    awareposted 14 years ago

    i like this ?.  sometimes i think its a curse. thinking so much , about so many things not worth mattering . the brain never sleeps. we know so little about our own train of thoughts. i compare it to the question why do humans seem to have a need for a god.  its unanswerable i think.

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    awareposted 14 years ago

    debating  things that neither party can be sure of is more like masterbateing

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       mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       If you want to think that way, how can we really be sure of anything?

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       china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       LMAO   but actually thinking when you don't know is called philosophy - and it is good fun if you follow the rules. What makes half the fun is that forums can't have rules for it.

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          awareposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          uhh masturbation is fun

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    Rod Marsdenposted 14 years ago

    Some French guy came up with I think therefore I am.

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    easybusinesslinksposted 14 years ago

    Because the chemicals in our brains allow us to...?!

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    prettydarkhorseposted 14 years ago

    it is what we do as humans and what differentiate us from animals  we think first and then we act on it then - we factor in values and cultural beliefs, then we begin to take action
    
    sometimes we act instinctively for survival
    
    sometimes we follow our instinct

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       AdsenseStrategiesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Animals think too -- you should know, you're a horse...

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          prettydarkhorseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I should say what differentiates us from animals is they think for survival

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             AdsenseStrategiesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             I don't think I agree. But it doesn't matter. I'm happy to concede, for an easy life......

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                prettydarkhorseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                hehehe, you should tell me gorillas and chimpanzees take care of their babies emotionally and they do care about other chimpanzees, and they talk with each other as well, maybe science has not yet discovered how they talked to each other or how do they process their actions through thinking first??,

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    Jeramiposted 14 years ago

    Beeenn a llooong day ..  First post for the night.  so ....
        haven't read all the post on this thread... other ones made me dizzy.
    
      Thinkin...  Gotta do it to live up to whatever level that we want to stay at.  That is all there is to it.

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    rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

    do we really think or do we think we think.. 
    
    Jean Piaget (child psychologist) says the brain constructs realty  rather than passively receiving knowledge. maybe why everyone has such a different construct of what realty is?

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    cosetteposted 14 years ago

    why do we think? i think it is because we can't not think. there's always something in our minds...they are not blank slates. i have heard that monks try to clear their minds comepletely for even a few moments, and that it is a process that takes years of meditation to achieve. guess that's just how we are wired.

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    Mikel G Robertsposted 14 years ago

    Why do we think....
    
    
    The easy answer is as Cossette said because that is the way we are wired.
    
    The tougher answer is in order to survive. Thinking is a physically weaker species coping method to overcome the stronger and physically more lethal competitors in our environment. The ability to think is something that develops over time much like the ability to climb trees or run really fast. It is an Evolutionary process, one that Humans have developed better and more completely than any other species on the planet.
    Thinking is our best natural ability.
    
    Proving that we think is another topic, one much more complex and difficult to put into words. As is what is thinking, what are thoughts...

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       Rishy Richposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       well said.. i would take it as a complete answer...
       
       "Proving that we think is another topic, one much more complex and difficult to put into words. As is what is thinking, what are thoughts..."
       
       -This is where no one is thinking at all

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    tantrumposted 14 years ago

    Why do we think ?
    Well, thinking it's the only thing we can do non stop ,without thinking about it.

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    B.C. BOUTIQUEposted 14 years ago

    ...because it is a natural response of the brain  in an alive being....

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    zampanoposted 14 years ago

    What about "feeling confusely" ?
    Is it assimilable to thinking ?

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