Intellectual Acuity

[coberst]

Intellectual Acuity

I think that reality is multilayered like an onion. We live our life on the surface rarely penetrating the surface of reality. To seek a comprehension beyond the surface requires some kind of intellectual acuity.

Most people are familiar with the arts as a form of intellectual acuity but far fewer have any recognition of self-learning through books as a means of developing an intellectual acuity that can penetrate the surface reality.

What do you think of this opinion?

[Thomas II]

Intellectual Acuity

I think that reality is multilayered like an onion. We live our life on the surface rarely penetrating the surface of reality. To seek a comprehension beyond the surface requires some kind of intellectual acuity.

Most people are familiar with the arts as a form of intellectual acuity but far fewer have any recognition of self-learning through books as a means of developing an intellectual acuity that can penetrate the surface reality.

What do you think of this opinion?

What do you understand by "self-learning"?
What would be "surface of reality" and what would be "depth of reality"?
Books are valid as a research tool, but the map is not the territory.
There is an aspect or research with books, but then there is lab work, with our experimentation, and then there is the general application of the findings of our research. So books I would consider more surface than depth, but still the second step in the path to knowledge and understanding, the first step being curiosity...

[coberst]

What do you understand by "self-learning"?
What would be "surface of reality" and what would be "depth of reality"?
Books are valid as a research tool, but the map is not the territory.
There is an aspect or research with books, but then there is lab work, with our experimentation, and then there is the general application of the findings of our research. So books I would consider more surface than depth, but still the second step in the path to knowledge and understanding, the first step being curiosity...

Self-learning results from curiosity and caring. If we have a sufficient degree of these motivating factors then we will do the work required to comprehend the answers to the questions that we create.

The surface of reality is the reality we live day-in and day-out. It takes curiosity and caring to go beyond that which kickes us in the face every day.

The books depend upon the interests of the individual. I prefer non fiction but others may well prefer quality literature and poetry. It is important that the individual is motivated by a search for understanding that which s/he desires to comprehend.

I might use movie as my analogy. I think that our day-to-day lives are like watching a movie. We can go a step beyond that reality by examining backstage to see how a movie is made. Then we can seek understanding of a deeper level by searching out how the director and producer put together a movie with the writers. Then we might find a deeper reality by examining the reality of the movie studios or the independent makers of movies.

In the world of physics we might study Newton and his laws. Or we might go further and try to comprehend Relativity. Then we might go further and seek to understand QM.

We might study one million other things in our quest for understanding our world beyond its appearance.

[Thomas II]

Self-learning results from curiosity and caring. If we have a sufficient degree of these motivating factors then we will do the work required to comprehend the answers to the questions that we create.

The surface of reality is the reality we live day-in and day-out. It takes curiosity and caring to go beyond that which kickes us in the face every day.

The books depend upon the interests of the individual. I prefer non fiction but others may well prefer quality literature and poetry. It is important that the individual is motivated by a search for understanding that which s/he desires to comprehend.

I might use movie as my analogy. I think that our day-to-day lives are like watching a movie. We can go a step beyond that reality by examining backstage to see how a movie is made. Then we can seek understanding of a deeper level by searching out how the director and producer put together a movie with the writers. Then we might find a deeper reality by examining the reality of the movie studios or the independent makers of movies.

In the world of physics we might study Newton and his laws. Or we might go further and try to comprehend Relativity. Then we might go further and seek to understand QM.

We might study one million other things in our quest for understanding our world beyond its appearance.

Yes, but what is the SELF?

How deep do you want to go in learning about it?

[coberst]

Thomas


I cannot say what the self is but I can say that the self has strong egocentric and sociocentric forces pulling us in an irrational direction. Also we need to work on character making habits that will help us to become fair-minded thinkers.

The following is an excerpt I have copied from the Internet.


"S-2 Developing Insight Into Egocentricity or Sociocentricity
Principle: Egocentricity means confusing what we see and think with reality. When under the influence of egocentricity, we think that the way we see things is exactly the way things are. Egocentricity manifests* itself as an inability or unwillingness to consider others' points of view, a refusal to accept ideas or facts that would prevent us from getting what we want (or think we want)

As people are socialized, egocentricity partly evolves into sociocentricity. Egocentric tendencies extend to their groups. The individual goes from "I am right!" to "We are right!" To put this another way, people find that they can often best satisfy their egocentric desires through a group. "Group think" results when people egocentrically attach themselves to a group.

If egocentricity and sociocentricity are the disease, self-awareness is the cure. We need to become aware of our own tendency to confuse our view with "The Truth". People can often recognize when someone else is egocentric. Most of us can identify the sociocentricity of members of opposing groups. Yet when we ourselves are thinking egocentrically or sociocentrically, it seems right to us (at least at the time).

The solution, then, is to reflect* on our reasoning and behavior; to make our beliefs explicit*, critique* them, and, when they are false, stop making them; to apply the same concepts in the same ways to ourselves and others; to consider every relevant* fact, and to make our conclusions consistent with the evidence; and to listen carefully and open mindedly to others. We can change egocentric tendencies when we see them for what they are: irrational* and unjust. The development of children's awareness of their egocentric and sociocentric patterns of thought is a crucial* part of education in critical thinking. This development will be modest at first but can grow considerably over time."

[Garrett]

coberst
I think that reality is multilayered like an onion. We live our life on the surface rarely penetrating the surface of reality.
Maybe we're not on the surface, but are on one of the embedded layers. :)

[Thomas II]

Thomas


I cannot say what the self is but I can say that the self has strong egocentric and sociocentric forces pulling us in an irrational direction. Also we need to work on character making habits that will help us to become fair-minded thinkers.

The following is an excerpt I have copied from the Internet.


"S-2 Developing Insight Into Egocentricity or Sociocentricity
Principle: Egocentricity means confusing what we see and think with reality. When under the influence of egocentricity, we think that the way we see things is exactly the way things are. Egocentricity manifests* itself as an inability or unwillingness to consider others' points of view, a refusal to accept ideas or facts that would prevent us from getting what we want (or think we want)

As people are socialized, egocentricity partly evolves into sociocentricity. Egocentric tendencies extend to their groups. The individual goes from "I am right!" to "We are right!" To put this another way, people find that they can often best satisfy their egocentric desires through a group. "Group think" results when people egocentrically attach themselves to a group.

If egocentricity and sociocentricity are the disease, self-awareness is the cure. We need to become aware of our own tendency to confuse our view with "The Truth". People can often recognize when someone else is egocentric. Most of us can identify the sociocentricity of members of opposing groups. Yet when we ourselves are thinking egocentrically or sociocentrically, it seems right to us (at least at the time).

The solution, then, is to reflect* on our reasoning and behavior; to make our beliefs explicit*, critique* them, and, when they are false, stop making them; to apply the same concepts in the same ways to ourselves and others; to consider every relevant* fact, and to make our conclusions consistent with the evidence; and to listen carefully and open mindedly to others. We can change egocentric tendencies when we see them for what they are: irrational* and unjust. The development of children's awareness of their egocentric and sociocentric patterns of thought is a crucial* part of education in critical thinking. This development will be modest at first but can grow considerably over time."

...There's wisdom between your ears...:grin: