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A web of contradiction I don't know all the answers, but I know a few. I have often found that this is enough to keep me going. I have some maturity on my side. But I read this week that maturity is when there is nothing left to learn the hard way. If that's true, I have some way to go before I can be counted as mature. This started me thinking, 'Am I mature or am I immature? Am I not mature?' (which might be something different). I love words. I love playing around with words and ideas, which is probably why I am such a fan of philosophy. In my view, philosophy is one of those subjects that has a great deal to offer the world, but somehow fails to make any impact in most lives just because of the way it is communicated.One of the great things about philosophy is the exploration of the way in which we use words. Take for example the idea of contradiction. The definition of a contradiction is: two sentences, one of which cannot be true if the other is. An example: All men are mortal All politicians are idiots But this is probably not a great example this week. It is easy to laugh at the level of ignorance that is shown by a contradiction; 'You're contradicting yourself' we say. Someone who believed – at the same time - that all politicians are honest and no politicians are honest, would be, to say the least, a bit of a basket case. But don’t get too self righteous. The fact is that every one of us holds a number of views that are contradictory – we just don’t notice them because we are too close to our views to see them for what they are. How often are you aware of your assumptions, beliefs and prejudices? Probably not very often. It can be quite fun to increase your awareness of your own beliefs. Are all men with shaved heads and earrings dangerous? Are all bankers fat cats? I have an example of the way in which assumptions/beliefs work that may help you to raise your sensitivity to your own thinking. We all know that we cannot predict the future. But this doesn’t stop us from doing it. Can you predict the future or can’t you? Example, we register surprise that Mable (who was diagnosed with something nasty when she was 21) is still alive and annoying us at 87, despite continuing to smoke, eat pies and drinking like a fish (she has gone a strange purple colour though). Our surprise is based on our assumption – smoking, eating pies and drinking leads to early demise. So try this. Keep your notepad by your side and make an effort to note down any beliefs, assumptions or (if you are really brave) prejudices that you exhibit this week. You will find this far easier than spotting examples of common sense – which is much talked about, but rarely seen. As you become more aware of the rag bag of assumptions and beliefs that you carry around with you, you might learn something, and if you invested in a copy of Design for Life™ you might learn something that would change your life. John Cornbill |
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JC's Blog
I will be writing a regular blog on this page and I'd love your comments and feedback. You can email me at info@thirdipublications.co.uk or leave me a comment on the Guest page. Archive "Understanding your motivations is important" - 24 August 2009 "Change your Mind – Change your Life" - 17 August 2009 "Be careful of what you believe" - 10 August 2009 "How are you spending your life?" - 3 August 2009 "It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up" - 27 July 2009 'Why do I need a Life Plan?' - 13 July 2009 'Why is Design for Life™ partly in Diary format?' - 6 July 2009 'The power of Positive Thinking' - 29 June 2009 'What makes you happy' - 15 June 2009 'Pause for thought' - 8 June 2009 'A web of contradiction' - 11 May 2009 'The answer to all your problems could be in the fridge' - 4 May 2009 'I love proverbs' - 27 April 2009 'I love it when a plan comes together' - 20 April 2009 |
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last updated 6 September, 2009
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