Cognitive Progression

I’m gonna recommend the same book I keep recommending to everyone: Hardcore Zen by Brad Warner.

1. How does critical thinking affect you as a reader and writer?
2. How can thinking critically improve your writing?

1. If you think critically as you read, you’ll get more out of your reading. You’ll make your own judgments & not just accept eveything the author says. As a writer you’ll write better ideas because you’ve thought clearly about your ideas.
2. If you think critically you won’t just accept everything you see in your research but you’ll put it together in intelligent ways, to write more persuasive & intelligent papers.

I think so.

BQ1: What era do you consider the Childhood of Western Philosophy?
BQ2: What era do you consider the Adolescence of Western Philosophy?
BQ3: How do you regard Philosophy today – are we Adults yet haha?
"as history goes on" in the sense of: as time goes on, but keeping in mind the importance of history to philosophical influence.

Philosophy appears to develop in at least two settings: first, in the open with loud, contentious pronouncements by "philosophers." Second, as undercurrents of thought which surface well after creation by authors who often remain anonymous. By these processes philosophy can change over time. I cannot, however, conceive of criteria to determine if philosophy is "improving." That, I believe, is unknowable. Your whole question is moot. Sorry.

Is Zen meditation and Taoist meditation the same thing? If not, can someone post a link to taoist meditation?

Zen meditation and Taoist meditation are different both in intent and technique.

The intent of Zen meditation is to put an end to self-centered thinking so that one can focus on genuinely helping others. Another name for this is "enlightenment."

The intent of Taoist meditations can vary, but generally has to do with personal qualities of longevity, harmony, or stillness.

There are 5 types of mind training used in Zen meditation. This link gives you a description of each type of training: http://kwanumzen.org/practice/sitting.html#techniques

There are many types of mind and body training used in Taoist meditation, including both sitting and moving meditations.

Taoist sitting meditation often includes a combination of special breathing techniques and visualizations that produce certain energetic results.

Taoist moving meditation includes tai chi and qi gong practices to heal the bodies energy pathways and cultivate certain healthful energy states.

This link describes many of the types of meditation techniques used in Taoist practice: http://taoism.about.com/od/meditation/Meditation.htm

We are seeking to evolve our consciousness or enlighten ourselves….and yet the physical body will inevitably die.

We don’t evolve towards death….so it seems that there must be more to this human life.

Thoughts??

Well, they do say that life is a cycle.

Maybe we are in a system where our individual lessons and paths merge into the grander experiment – given a particular set of circumstances how far can we, as a race, come. Is this our first go round or have we looped through the whole thing before? Perhaps we as energy beings are trying to understand our own history and evolution, and the concepts of interpersonal relationships. Maybe this is really university for our spirits – maybe even 1st grade since we are the only life form.

Some one recently suggested that more than being parts of God, maybe God is just us – our collective creative energy, creating this existence just for our own purposes. Is it possible that we as a group have collectively created this existence, simply because we wish it – we want something to do that is tactile and interesting?

Could that be why the world revolves – so there are some people awake at all times and therefore able to maintain the illusion, holding all those atoms in place with certain knowledge? Is that what good and evil is – a steering mechanism? And religions a way to give large pieces of the population the same story so they can intention and create the set out plan? So it’s not so much good and evil, but more my way or some other way – and not so much the words God has written, but the perpetuated intentions of church leaders (everyday people like you and me).

I find it fascinating – but I also want to say, that Tom Robbins once again suggested to me recently that we seek enlightenment, but perhaps what we really should be trying to do is lightening up, keeping weight off our hearts.

Thanks for a good question!

Peace!

I need a good example for a presentation about Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory. I have to connect something to my audience.

Perhaps hooking into a major that you don’t have your heart in….and the more you rack up credits, the more you justify your choice of that major.

As in, from a Buddhist perspective (i.e., not the Enlightnment of the French Revolution). Thanks.

illumination
pleine conscience

It is easy to see how critical thinking applies to sociology, political science, literature, etc, because these fields allow for diversity of opinion. Math on the other hand is not really based on opinion.

Does critical thinking apply to mathematics, and if so how?

This is an open ended question, so feel free to elaborate.

Of course critical thinking applies to mathematics.

F’rinstance…
I’ll disagree with your premise that math is not really based on opinion. Certainly there is not too too much opinion and critical thinking involved in the solution of simple arithmetic problems. For a research mathematician, however, what problems to pursue, what’s important, what’s interesting, what’s "sexy", what can I get funding for… critical thinking and opinion may play some small role. I mean nonparametric Bayesian inference is sooooo yesterday!

What kind of jobs can you get?

I’m not looking for general answers like: "well you can do just about anything with a philosophy degree". I’m trying to figure out what type of employer specifically looks for philosophy majors ie a philosophy teacher.

Law. Philosophy majors score highest on the LSATs because of their critical reasoning skills. Philosophy is alllllll about logic.

hm? is it more intensive at higher consciousness level? I mean, how would Jesus feel sex compared to a porn actor(lower consciousness)?

I think you’re right. I think the degree of
intensity is higher. Jesus has been dead for a long
time. I doubt that he’s feeling much of anything
now. On a personal note, I think the degree of
intensity frightens most people. Its sort of like
the high we experience on heroin. It feels very
good but carries with it the fear of total loss
of control. This sort of activity requires the
learning of the technique and the understanding
of our individual limitations.