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What is the American frame of mind? I would say that a culture consists of the complex of ideas that a group of people hold dear. One can speak of the culture of a small group or of a very large group. In the United States our culture is determined to a large extent by how we hold "these...

Macrocosm: from adaptation to, to creation of? Most of us are somewhat familiar with the admonitions "know thyself" and "the unexamined life is not worth living". To know the self is to know the microcosm and to examine life is to know the macrocosm. To know either of these domains it is...

Nobel Peace Prize: A world sigh of relief? Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize might represent a world wide sigh of relief. The United States, the most powerful nation on this planet, follows up eight years of President George Bush with an election in which the Republican Party chooses an aging...

In a throw-away society is longevity of little value? For a period of some two hundred years America had an every moving new frontier. One of the appeals of this ever-present frontier was the sense that there was always a place for the rugged individualist. A place existed for the individual...

Three stages to consciousness Suppose something happens that frightens me. My blood pressure goes up, my heart starts beating very fast, the release of adrenalin creates a great burst of energy, I may even jump or start to run. All of the feelings that are a result of these biological...

I think that the only way that our educational system will improve is after many adults become self-actualizing self-learners and thus become intellectually sophisticated enough to demand a better educational system for their children.

Education in America It appears to me that there are two categories of educational techniques. One focuses on creating graduates with large databases and the other focuses on the individual creativity of its graduates. The US system concentrates on large databases and ignores (I think not...

Whatdaya mean "I am always in denial"? X says to Y 'You will take "A" as an insult but it is not meant to be so.' In this case X does not want to accept (denial) the truth that to say A to Y is an insult. Typical of a denial is that X labels a phenomenon 'saying A to Y is an insult' but that...

What can one dummy tell another about self-learning? I often face the frustration of responders who find them selves confused by my words. This has led me to post my OP "Knowledge is a puzzle" (which I copy and place at the end of this OP) I constantly study books written by authors who hold...

What does philosophy do? I claim that the task of philosophy is to look inward to find the basis for the presuppositions that form the foundation for all human created theories. I claim that in our first effort to look inward primitive humans saw thier mortality; they hated what they saw and...

Why do we do the things we do? If I had the ability I would draw a cartoon character with an Arnold Schwarzenegger-like upper torso supported on two thin, spindly, and varicose veined legs. This cartoon character would represent humanity as I visualize the human species. The strong upper...

When folk theory meets scientific theory? All of us ordinary folks, even those with little or no technical expertise, have theories. These theories are the way that we try to comprehend our world. Some are explicit and some implicit. Cognitive scientists call these folk theories. In the...

Is negativity critical, cool, and courageous? ‘To be negative’ is not the same as ‘to be critical’. The dictionary has many definitions for the word "critical", but I would choose the critical (decisive) meaning, as regarding learning, to be—exercising or involving careful judgment or...

Transference: is it because we fear life? The human condition is just beyond the capacity of humans to endure without defensive illusions. William James informs us that fear is “fear of the universe”. Otto Rank informs us “The adult may have fear of death or fear of sex, the child has a...

And deliver me from all evil That which promotes life is good that which promotes death is evil. “Evil lies not in the hearts of men but in the social arrangements that men take for granted.” Wo/man lives a debased life under tyranny and self delusion because s/he does not comprehend the...

What your teacher can’t tell you, I will! Philosophy has always been an a priori domain of knowledge. In other words, philosophy is generally not considered to be a science because it shows little regard for empirical experience beyond the rationalist model. SGCS (Second Generation...

Do the sophisticated practice demagoguery? The demagogue is a “leader who makes use of popular prejudice and false claims and promises in order to gain power”--Webster. Demagoguery is often the preferred tool of politicians and plutocrats because the muddled masses are moved more easily by...

Managing mass mind: heads I win tails you lose? I say it is 5 feet and you say it is 5 feet 1 inch; do we argue or do we bring in a standard of measurement? I say it is a matter of self-interest and you say it is a matter of fairness; do we argue or do we bring in a standard of measurement...

When is a lie not a lie? The word “bachelor” is a noun for those individuals defined as being an unmarried adult male. Most people would not say that the Pope is a bachelor even though he is an unmarried adult male. Let us examine the process that is called “framing the issue”. We see an...

Why do seductive sound bites often win? Framing is a means for placing a matter into a context for discussion and contemplation. “Frames are the mental structures that allow human beings to understand reality—and sometimes to create what we take to be reality”. Thinking Points—George Lakoff...