Dec 4 2011: The primary purpose of education should be to learn how to learn.
This deserves deeper investigation. To learn how to learn is inherently dangerous and disruptive. The process spoils authority while raising the most "unworthy" into positions of power. And yet, it is our best hope.
Oct 20 2011: What's missing are the intellectual property rights of the public domain.
The Public should have the status of a corporation or individual. Like other institutions, we should be able to protect the Public from being usurped and pirated by naive, self-centered individuals or groups.
Oct 19 2011: How can we keep pirates from claiming what belongs to the public domain? They wait for millions of people to ponder ideas and experiment in a million varied settings, using pubic funds and communal context, then suddenly they leap in front as if they had formed the crowd behind. On the other hand, how can we maintain motivation to do anything at all? Should we award patents on ways of breathing? Should ones walk down the sidewalk be copyrighted? A lawyer finds a way to make it valuable, because we will all pay to breath and walk, should the choice become not to.
Oct 5 2011: Phil, These threads are really difficult to track for some reason.
The definition above seeks to include all cases of religion by demonstrating how the fundamental notion becomes institutionalized and therefore deserving a new name or meaning. The idea is for the institutions of varied names to be built upon the primary "religious experience" which is our contact with reality. The word "our" will mean two or more people. The word "reality" was not included because it's problematic, whereas the notions of known and unknown don't create as many problems.
Do not consider it to be an error to include the word "religion" among the institutions that develop from religion. It's merely a case of one word with two meanings, and not a case of a class including itself. Much like saying our house has a room in it that we call "our house."
I hope I can post again before the time runs out on this conversation. Thank you for hosting it, I know it is a lot of work. The definition allows for the spiritual meaning of the word, and the secular, institutionalized meaning. It is fitting that there would be an institution of religion that protects any belief you care to have as long as it doesn't harm known others.
Oct 4 2011: Phil,
There's more to say. Take a look at this rewrite:
Religion is an individuals' preference for how to relate to the unknown and integrate the result into individual and group norms. Preferences in religion differ and insofar as they are shared they become institutionalized. The new institutions become related in new and varied ways and renamed as their functions are changed with development of understanding.
Several import institutions relate directly to the progress of religion and are given new names that also affect the meaning of the word "religion." These important new institutions are: religion, government, communication and science. Each are systems of advanced, institutionalized preferences pertaining to the experience and relationship of the unknown and how the result is integrated into individual and group norms. The basic primal experience of individual preference has special value, in varied ways, in each of the institutions.
Oct 4 2011: Phil,
Yeah, that's a problem. The word "religion" is politically and emotionally charged, fragmented and broad. The case of the "believer" and "clergyman" is a classic literary position:the believer outpaces the clergy, resulting in a reversal of positions, or the believer becomes thankful and we all learn a moral lesson of some sort.
Oct 4 2011: Phil,
Wow, that's really funny. So, did you shake off a little dust toward him too, or are you still hopeful that he can be brought into the fold?
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A comment on Conversation: In ten words or less, what is a question no one (yet) knows the answer to?
A comment on Conversation: How can we use awkward pauses (which could be good) to generate creativity?
Can one even be present during an awkward pause?
Such ability takes guts.
A reply on Conversation: In your opinion, what should the purpose of education be?
This deserves deeper investigation. To learn how to learn is inherently dangerous and disruptive. The process spoils authority while raising the most "unworthy" into positions of power. And yet, it is our best hope.
A reply on Conversation: To whom does an idea, a poem or design really belong to?
The Public should have the status of a corporation or individual. Like other institutions, we should be able to protect the Public from being usurped and pirated by naive, self-centered individuals or groups.
A reply on Conversation: To whom does an idea, a poem or design really belong to?
A reply on Conversation: âWhat view of religion might advance humankindâs psychological maturity?â
For continued contact use charles at yescharles.com
A reply on Conversation: âWhat view of religion might advance humankindâs psychological maturity?â
The definition above seeks to include all cases of religion by demonstrating how the fundamental notion becomes institutionalized and therefore deserving a new name or meaning. The idea is for the institutions of varied names to be built upon the primary "religious experience" which is our contact with reality. The word "our" will mean two or more people. The word "reality" was not included because it's problematic, whereas the notions of known and unknown don't create as many problems.
Do not consider it to be an error to include the word "religion" among the institutions that develop from religion. It's merely a case of one word with two meanings, and not a case of a class including itself. Much like saying our house has a room in it that we call "our house."
I hope I can post again before the time runs out on this conversation. Thank you for hosting it, I know it is a lot of work. The definition allows for the spiritual meaning of the word, and the secular, institutionalized meaning. It is fitting that there would be an institution of religion that protects any belief you care to have as long as it doesn't harm known others.
A reply on Conversation: âWhat view of religion might advance humankindâs psychological maturity?â
There's more to say. Take a look at this rewrite:
Religion is an individuals' preference for how to relate to the unknown and integrate the result into individual and group norms. Preferences in religion differ and insofar as they are shared they become institutionalized. The new institutions become related in new and varied ways and renamed as their functions are changed with development of understanding.
Several import institutions relate directly to the progress of religion and are given new names that also affect the meaning of the word "religion." These important new institutions are: religion, government, communication and science. Each are systems of advanced, institutionalized preferences pertaining to the experience and relationship of the unknown and how the result is integrated into individual and group norms. The basic primal experience of individual preference has special value, in varied ways, in each of the institutions.
A reply on Conversation: âWhat view of religion might advance humankindâs psychological maturity?â
Yeah, that's a problem. The word "religion" is politically and emotionally charged, fragmented and broad. The case of the "believer" and "clergyman" is a classic literary position:the believer outpaces the clergy, resulting in a reversal of positions, or the believer becomes thankful and we all learn a moral lesson of some sort.
A reply on Conversation: âWhat view of religion might advance humankindâs psychological maturity?â
Wow, that's really funny. So, did you shake off a little dust toward him too, or are you still hopeful that he can be brought into the fold?