Thought
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Thought and
thinking are
mental forms and
processes, respectively ("thought" is both.) Thinking allows beings to
model the world and to deal with it effectively according to their
objectives,
plans, ends and desires.
Words referring to similar concepts and processes include
cognition,
sentience,
consciousness,
idea, and
imagination.
Thinking involves the cerebral manipulation of
information, as when we form
concepts, engage in
problem solving,
reason and make
decisions.Thinking is a higher
cognitive function and the analysis of thinking processes is part of
cognitive psychology.
Basic process
The basic mechanics of the human brain cells reflect a process of
pattern matching or rather
recognition. In a "moment of
reflection", new situations and new
experiences are judged against
recalled ones and
judgements are made. In order to make these judgements, the
intellect maintains present
experience and sorts relevant past experience. It does this while keeping present and past experience distinct and separate. The intellect can mix, match, merge, sift, and sort
concepts, perceptions, and experience. This process is called
reasoning.
Logic is the science of
reasoning. The awareness of this process of reasoning is access consciousness (see philosopher
Ned Block).
Aids to thinking
- Use of models, symbols, diagrams and pictures.
- Use of abstraction to simplify the effort of thinking.
- Use of metasyntactic variables to simplify the effort of naming.
- Use of iteration and recursion to converge on a concept.
- Limitation of attention to aid concentration and focus on a concept. Use of peace and quiet to aid concentration.
- Goal setting and goal revision. Simply letting the concept percolate in the subconscious, and waiting for the concept to re-surface.
- Talking with like-minded people. Resorting to communication with others, if this is allowed.
- Working backward from the goal.
- Desire for learning.
- Always be objective.
Pitfalls
- Self-delusions: inability to confront relevant issues (roadblocks).
- Prejudice can lead to flawed thinking
Thought in the context of meditation
Many philosophical (Freemasonry, Thelema, Theosophy, etc.), psychological (Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Krishnamurti, Samael Aun Weor, etc.) and religious (Buddhism, Hinduism, Gnostic Christianity, Judasim, Sufism, etc.) systems have indicated that the thinker itself does not exist, thought exists, and thought shapes life.Through the establishment of an artificial separation between the thinker and the thought, thinking has regressed as an impulse to act without inquiry of its supposed originator, while its real objective is simply to communicate or to compare two states (yes or no). Since thought is unconsciously connected with our prejudices, affections and aversions, this unquestionably leads to self-centered destruction and a grasp on reality that cannot be real anymore. *(1)Behind thought is said to abide the true nature (or soul) trapped in the subjectivity of the false-self (the Ego). *(2) We certainly are what we think, yet -with the exception of deep concentration- we have no control over the thought-process itself, we only "think" we have and retrospection which is an exercise to follow the chain of thoughts to its origin can easily disprove that.Thought sometimes stems from what falls within the realm of your attention span.Some say that Eastern views on thought are mis-used for "brainwashing." Western psychology is misused in the same fashion as meditative non-thinking (to sell products or to influence an election campaign, etc.), but its root principles remain true nonetheless.In fact western psychology has slowly begun to research methods like "Self-observation" which are common knowledge in eastern traditions for thousands of years. Self-observation makes you see the mechanical beginning of thought and its consequences in life and furthermore it makes you see that there is no continuity of self (awareness) which another method called "Self-remembering" helps to aid (both together are called Mindfulness).In many eastern traditions "thought" is seen as a form of sleep (the origin of the saying: "the world is asleep"). Moreover, these methods in time unlock certain phenomenas one of them known and proven by western science under the name of lucid dreaming which is a form of cognizant awakening while the body rests in deep sleep.In the same way awakening is said to be possible in the so-called "vigil-state", that unfortunately you cannot verify in just a minute for it may take a long time to break the conditioning of mind, yet many students from all over the world bear witness to that. Not to forget that every serious system of Meditation emphasizes thoughts in the very beginning for true meditation is simply inaccessible to a mind that is distracted easily.A good system calls you to observe and experience thought as being self-driven whereas a bad system calls you to suppress and fight thought which can cause severe damage.When the mind is silent and receptive the meditative states of consciousness unfold.Some devotees need to practise years trying to be mindful 24 hours a day (yes that includes sleep) using concentration practices, etc. before they can even attempt to meditate and to the great dismay of many this makes it impossible to "prove it scientifically" since scientists themselves are "thinkers by profession" and therefore will barely be able to see the objective truth in it.{{clear}}
See also
References
- Eric Baum (2004). What is Thought, Chapter Two: The Mind is a Computer Program. MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-02548-5
External links
{{wiktionarypar|Thought|Think}}
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