A World Filtered Blue
I know, that sounds odd. I suppose it parallels that equally intriguing One who knows does not speak; one who speaks does not know. The problem with thought lies in the preconceptions necessary to think, and of course speak. This sets up a wall of ‘understanding’ which hinders us from seeing anything outside that wall of preconception (i.e., ‘understanding’ requires relying on the preconceptions – words and names – instilled into our awareness as infants). Continue reading ‘The less I think, the more I know’
The Tower of Babel by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1563)
Keith posted a link to this article, “Does Your Language Shape How You Think?” in reply to my post Thinking Clouds Consciousness. Surely this is a no-brainer kind of question. Put simply, language and thinking are inextricably linked; it takes one to do the other. If you can, flip off the language switch in your mind. Well? When I do that, I’m unable to think.
Continue reading ‘What Shapes How You Think?’
In recent years I’ve realized there is more to meets the eye when it comes to learning, understanding, and knowing. Perhaps, these three cannot be fathomed, and so they are confused and looked upon as one. I’ve attempted to put in plain words the differences I see, but words fall short. A few days ago I fell into another discussion with Luke (older son) and my wife when I blurted out “people don’t learn anything.” My word, in writing that down just now, I don’t even agree with myself! (I confess, I often blurt stuff out, which in the wake produces grist for my mind’s mill. ) Continue reading ‘Learning What You Know’
Of the two, students are obviously the most important consideration. After all, teachers can lead students to water, but thirst determines whether students drink. Thirst is the weak link. As chapter 41 puts it, When the best student hears about the way, he practices it assiduously; when the average student hears about the way, it seems to him one moment there and gone the next… and so on.
Never-the-less, cultures place great importance on the teacher, so what makes for a good teacher? Usually the answer centers on how capable the teacher is, and their command of the material. However, after home schooling my kids, I discovered the more important, yet under-recognized, side of teaching lay deeper. Continue reading ‘Teachers and Students’
'Dead men's words'
What is the difference between understand and know? Chapter 70 alludes to it perhaps when it states, ‘My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice, yet no one in the world can understand them or put them into practice‘. Our cleverness at understanding is not matched by a comparable ability to know. The first, understanding, is theoretical. The later, knowing, is visceral. For example: Continue reading ‘I understand, but do I know?’
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