I'm currently reading M.J. Adler's book "HOW TO READ A BOOK" (1940) and it's very good! It's the kind of thing I need and have been looking for. A lot of what Adler said in 1940 is just as true today. People, including myself don't know how to read a book let alone how to discuss it. This...
I really enjoyed the solution to this problem when I first read about it in Mr. de Bono's writings. I know I would never come up with such a creative solution. How do you suppose the young woman might have arrived at such a brilliant solution? Have you ever seen something similar in real life or...
What causes the greatest misunderstanding in physics?
LANGUAGE! Physicists talk about "Solid states" when they know there are no solids and atoms are mostly empty space. Astronomers talk about seeing the sun move across the sky when they know very well that it is not moving across the sky...
I actually saw a paper in a journal along the lines of the original post here but I can't recall what journal it was. I'm thinking it was FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICS.
I'm currently reading Adler's GREAT IDEAS OF THE WESTERN WORLD (1990's version) and I really like the idea of being able to 'listen in' on the GREAT CONVERSATION as it occurs throughout the great books. Adler's dialectic approach is one thing that would be useful for young people to experience...
I question the overall line of reasoning here. I also question the first sentence. Let me rephrase it using "parallel lines" rather than "math". When we study something, say parallel lines, we learn accepted axiomatic ideas. Aren't those very ideas what define parallel lines? This sounds strange...
From the start there is clearly a confusion based on the use of the word logical for rational. All this about 1 rock + 1 rock = 2 rocks is rock logic. There are very defined boundaries. A sheep is or is not a sheep. It can't be sort of a sheep.
How about lateral thinking and WATER LOGIC...
How far have we really come?
What is the destination? How accurate are our predictions?
The original question regarding the progress of science is interesting but I wonder if that progress can truly be measured. The destination appears to be omniscience but how does one determine...
memes
During the last decade, I've encountered more and more a cultural shift to the right where tough negative survivor statements like "that's called kicking your ass!","we will kick your alien ass!", "so and so is a buffoon", "he/she/such and such is gay", "he/she is a loser" are all quite...
what's logic?
The author of a text I used in my first year philosophy class defined logic as 'the science that evaluates arguments'. However, both of the words 'logic' and 'argument' were used with strict technical definitions. Some think the use of the word science is pompous. In common usage...
I'm sorry Dave. I can't do that.
This is an interesting thread.
I read an account by a knowledge engineer once regarding an attempt to create an expert system in crystal growing that contained some of the problems cited by Hubert Dreyfuss. I've also encountered the problem in a field of...
ART and SCIENCE
There is an equivocation involving the use of the word ART here. As well, there has been a drift in the meaning of both the words ART and SCIENCE for many centuries.
To a person of modern times SCIENCE refers to a large discipline of enquiry. To someone of the past science...
Holistic thinking
Recently I finished reading a work in GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORY by Aurthur S. Iberall published in 1972 entitled TOWARDS A GENERAL THEORY OF VIABLE SYSTEMS.
The author was trained as a physicist but proposed a general systems approach to transdisciplinary research...
enlightenment
While I'm not sure what you mean by an enlightenment experience, I think I've had one. I'm not sure if there was anything I realized specifically as a result of it. Later in life I found that this was even a standard exercise in some religions.
When I was quite young, I started...
Movies
It's interesting that the Matrix and Dune are mentioned. Both of these works contain elements common to beliefs in The Church of Scientology. The founder of Scientology wrote a few hollywood scripts in his day and had a 'Star Wars' type movie in the works before 'Star Wars' and THE...
EM, earthquakes,ghosts, spacetime transients
You may find the published professional work and books of Neuropsychologist, Dr. Michael A. Persinger at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, CANADA to be of interest.
He has been researching the temporal lobe and the effects of EM fields...
Tarot and More fee us
I would tend to agree with you. Yet, I like to keep an open mind and play with ideas. Imagine that they do. How might it be?
There are some who would argue that using Tarot to predict the future is an abuse or misunderstanding of the accumulated spiritual wisdom...