The Reality Of The Past
There are a number of "recurring themes" within my writing in this blog - no surprise there as my thoughts on particular topics are developed - and one of them is the subject of memories - an interesting topic in and of itself, but my particular area of thought is with regard to how real our memories are - both in terms of what (we think) we remember and also what we have banished or simply forgotten.
So What Really IS Important?
We are only a few days into the new year and already items in the news have shocked me - have inspired me - have worried me - have surprised me - have saddened me - have ..... What we find out about the happenings around the globe has the capacity to affect us in a huge number of ways. What about - and this is entirely in keeping with the blog theme - the things we don't know about?
Categories: News, Philosophical, Systems Thinking, Decision Making, Cognition, Worldview, ----------
Out With The Old!!
Having just checked back I discovered that since I started on this blog I have a woeful record when it comes to writing anything at the start of the year! Not a single post (until now) written in January of any year. I don't think there is any particular reason for that - but it is time I broke the pattern. The other good reason for a post this month is that it completes 12 consecutive months with at least one post.
Categories: Philosophical, Fun, Worldview, ----------
Discworld - The Next Chapter
Just yesterday I wrote about how I like to visit different "worlds" when I am reading. Last night I got to the end of the story of one of those worlds. Knowing that it was his last novel, getting to the end of Sir Terry Pratchett's "The Shepherd's Crown" was always going to be tinged with disappointment - not in the story itself, but because we will never know what happens next to the many characters that we have met through the Discworld series.
Categories: Philosophical, Fun, Cognition, Books, ----------
Just - WHY?
As we progress through life there is - at least for me - an increasing realisation that there are things that we do - that we enjoy doing - that are seemingly unproductive, unnecessary or just a "waste of time". Yet we persist in doing them. For some people these can be harmful - to themselves or others - for others they are entirely benign - and yet the question remains - WHY?
Categories: Philosophical, Systems Thinking, Complexity, Cognition, Worldview, ----------
A Matter Of Taste
A recurrent theme on the blog is the matter of "taste" in regard to the arts - especially in regard to music. It is well understood that "what you like" is determined by all sorts of factors and quite naturally varies from person to person - that song that "brings tears to your eyes" may well "bring tears" to someone else's eyes for very different reasons!
Categories: Philosophical, Music, Cognition, Worldview, ----------
Its Not Just Me
With a huge shout out to Confirmation Bias I am always ecstatic (OK maybe that is a bit too strong) when I find that others are speaking similar messages to my own. Have a look at this video - What is the Speed of Dark - and see how it mirrors many of the underlying themes of this blog site.
Categories: Philosophical, Systems Thinking, Learning, Cognition, Worldview, ----------
..and Another Quote
Our ignorance encompasses, at least, all the things we know we do not know (known unknowns); all the things we do not know we do not know (unknown unknowns); all the things we think we know but do not (error); all the things we do not know we know (tacit knowing); all taboos (forbidden knowledge); and all denial (things too painful to know, so we suppress them). Medical ignorance seems especially threatening to many of us. If, however, we are to cope with our vast ignorance of the human body, its powers and processes, we must learn to acknowledge our nescience and optimize it. To do so, we need to rethink the nature and interrelations between knowledge and ignorance. We need to expand our capacities for self-learning and refine abilities to map our complex experience.
Categories: Philosophical, Learning, Worldview, ----------
Another Quotation Of Ignorance
In order to arrive at what you do not know
You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance
from East Coker (The Four Quartets) Thomas Stearns Eliot
Still Hungry!!
The title of this blog "Feeding My Ignorance" is derived from the Terry Pratchett quote that appears at the top of the Wiki page. This allied to the Einstein quote on the Home page illustrates that my take on ignorance is not a negative one - and that the fact that my 'perceived' ignorance is increasing is actually a very positive (if paradoxical) sign of increased knowledge.
Categories: Welcome, Philosophical, Knowledge Management, Learning, Worldview, Books, ----------
