Chitalka

[Hamitovich]

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[Hamitovich]

Lecture on Confucius and Self-Knowledge click here (http://falcon.jmu.edu/%7Eomearawm/confucius.html)

The central idea of Confucius is that every normal human being cherishes the aspiration to become a superior human being--superior to one's fellows, if possible, but surely superior to one's own past and present self. This goal does not mean attaining a perfect state of the self but rather a state of always striving to go beyond my present state. The ideal state is primarily something to be accomplished, not something that can be realized once and for all. Confucius rarely spoke of perfect virtue and even said "those who know virtue are few." Further, he said:

The practice of right living is deemed the highest, the practice of any other art lower. Complete virtue takes first place; the doing of anything else whatsoever is subordinate.

From the highest person to the lowest person, self-development must be deemed the root of all, by every person. [If this root is neglected, what grows from it cannot be well-ordered. If the heart is evil, what goodness can come in external actions?]

The ancients when they wished to exemplify illustrious virtue throughout the empire, first ordered well their states. Desiring to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated themselves. Wishing to cultivate themselves, they first rectified their purposes. Wishing to rectify their purposes, they first sought to think sincerely. Wishing to think sincerely, they first extended their knowledge as widely as possible. This they did by investigation of things.

By the investigation of things, Confucius meant what we call in the West the commitment of Socrates to the examined way of life. Just as Socrates admitted some ignorance at the heart of all that he knew, so also Confucius acknowledged that investigation of things requires that one admit one's ignorance when it is reasonable to do so. Confucius said, "When you know a thing, to hold that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to acknowledge that you do not know it--this is knowledge." Self-knowledge is difficult. Those who act against the ideal self may not be able to recognize that they are acting against their ideal self. Consequently, Confucius held, "When you hear words that are distasteful to your mind, you must inquire whether they be not right; when you hear words that accord with your own views, you must inquire whether they be not contrary to right." For the superior human being is universal, able to hear all sides of an issue, whereas the ordinary person is partisan, unable to see matters from the other point of view [Frost, p. 104, Lu Yu 2:14]. "The purpose of the superior person is truth." See also Lun Yu 6:18 and 17,8,1-3 on pages 105 and 107 of Frost.

[Hamitovich]

In Logic we are s (http://falcon.jmu.edu/%7Eomearawm/deduction.html)tudying the ways of distinguishing correct from incorrect reasoning. We will be examining and focusing upon whether or not the premises justify the attempted conclusion of an argument. There are two basic kinds of argument: deductive and inductive.

Deductive argument asserts that the conclusion follows necessarily from the truth of the premises. For example:

All men are mortal. Joe is a man. Therefore Joe is mortal. If the first two statements are true, then the conclusion must be true.

Inductive argument asserts that the conclusion follows, not necessarily, but only probably from the truth of the premises. For example:

This cat is black. That cat is black A third cat is black. Therefore all cats are are black.

This marble from the bag is black. . That marble from the bag is black. A third marble from the bag is black. Therefore all the marbles in the bag black. .

Neither of the above examples has a conclusion that follows with necessity from the truth of the premisses. The conclusion can be false in each case, and the premises will still remain true. All we need is one exception to the general statement "All cats are black", all we need is one white cat, to show that the conclusion does not follow with necessity from the premises. However, inductive arguments are different than deductive arguments. Deductive arguments attempt to conclude with necessity, but inductive arguments do not attempt to do so. Inductive argument arguments only attempt to conclude with probability.

[Hamitovich]

Alone

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then - in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life - was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.
Edgar Allan Poe.

[Hamitovich]

Description

Stereotypes (http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/stereotypes.htm) are generalizations about a group of people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group. These classifications can be positive or negative, such as when various nationalities are stereotyped as friendly or unfriendly.

It is easier to create stereotypes when there is a clearly visible and consistent attribute that can easily be recognized. This is why people of color, police and women are so easily stereotyped.

People from stereotyped groups can find this very disturbing as they experience an apprehension (stereotype threat) of being treated unfairly.

We change our stereotypes infrequently. Even in the face of disconfirming evidence, we often cling to our obviously-wrong beliefs. When we do change the stereotypes, we do so in one of three ways:

* Bookkeeping model: As we learn new contradictory information, we incrementally adjust the stereotype to adapt to the new information. We usually need quite a lot of repeated information for each incremental change. Individual evidence is taken as the exception that proves the rule.
* Conversion model: We throw away the old stereotype and start again. This is often used when there is significant disconfirming evidence.
* Subtyping model: We create a new stereotype that is a sub-classification of the existing stereotype, particularly when we can draw a boundary around the sub-class. Thus if we have a stereotype for Americans, a visit to New York may result in us having a ‘New Yorkers are different’ sub-type.

We often store stereotypes in two parts. First there is the generalized descriptions and attributes. To this we may add exemplars to prove the case, such as 'the policeman next door'. We may also store them hierarchically, such as 'black people', 'Africans', 'Ugandans', 'Ugandan military', etc., with each lower order inheriting the characteristics of the higher order, with additional characteristics added.

Stereotyping can go around in circles. Men stereotype women and women stereotype men. In certain societies this is intensified as the stereotyping of women pushes them together more and they create men as more of an out-group.

Stereotyping can be subconscious, where it subtly biases our decisions and actions, even in people who consciously do not want to be biased.

Stereotyping often happens not so much because of aggressive or unkind thoughts. It is more often a simplification to speed conversation on what is not considered to be an important topic.
Example

Stereotyping goes way beyond race and gender. Consider conversations you have had about people from the next town, another department in your company, supporters of other football teams, and so on.
So what?
Using it

Find how others stereotype you (if possible, getting them to stereotype you positively). They will have a blind spot to non-stereotyped behaviors, so you can do these and they will often ignore it. Thus if you are stereotyped as a ‘kind old man’, you can do moderately unkind things which may be ignored.
Defending

To change a person’s view of your stereotype, be consistently different from it. Beware of your own stereotyping blinding you to the true nature of other individuals.

Stereotyping can be reduced by bringing people together. When they discover the other people are not as the stereotype, the immediate evidence creates dissonance that leads to improved thoughts about the other group.

[Hamitovich]

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
Thou dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remember'd not.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Shakespeare.

[Hamitovich]

Belief Bias (click here) (http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/belief_bias.htm)
Description

People will tend to accept any and all conclusions that fit in with their systems of belief, without challenge or any deep consideration of what they are actually agreeing with.

The reverse is also true, and people will tend to reject assertions that do not fit in with their belief systems, even though these statements may be perfectly logical and arguably possible.

This is particularly true when people ignore the premises and focus solely on the conclusions being drawn.

It is even more true of people who are not educated in logic and argumentation, as such people reason by experience and not at all by logic.
Research

Luria (1976) asked illiterate farmers in Central Asia to reason deductively, giving them statements like: "In the far north, where there is snow, all bears are white. Novaga Zamlya is in the far north. What color are the bears there?"

The responses were such as, "I don't know...I've seen a black bear, but not others. Each area has it's own type of animals, you know..."
Example

I will accept that some good ice skaters are not professional hockey players, but will reject an assertion that some professional hockey players are not good ice skaters (which, although it seems unlikely, is possible).
So What?
Using it

Do not try to persuade people with pure logic when you are talking about things that are outside their beliefs.

The converse is also true: If you argue within their belief system then you can persuade them of things that are not strictly true.
Defending

When you are listening to arguments of others, think not only whether something 'makes sense' - think also with a cold logic as to whether it is possible or true.

[Hamitovich]

Don't flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become. Oliver Wendell Holmes

[Hamitovich]

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. Alexander Graham Bell

I got it like forget about your Homeland if you want to succed in your new place.