Western Psychology and Philosophy folks:

[neijia_boxer]

anyone here into Western Psychology and Philosophy? has anyone studied logic and defense mechanisms?

two very important areas of study I believe...especially for forum debaters

Psychology: Defense Mechanisms-
http://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-d ... ms/0001251

And Critical thinking/Logic:
http://atheism.about.com/od/criticalthi ... inking.htm

[yeniseri]

When you see it in front of you and ignore it, cognitive dissonance rears its obvious head!
Like putting lipschtick on a pig and calling it beautiful To each his own, I think therefore I will never be

[Steve James]

Being mistaken about something is not a flaw in a person’s reasoning and neither is being unskilled in constructing or analyzing logical arguments. Where a flaw does occur, however, is in the fact that the worse a person is at such tasks, the less likely they are to realize it, the more likely they are to overestimate their abilities, and the less likely they are to realize that others’ efforts are superior. This seems to be especially true when it comes to logic and critical thinking: people imagine they are already good at it, but they lack both the basic skills to do it well and the skills necessary to realize that they aren't doing it well

http://atheism.about.com/od/criticalthi ... inking.htm

[neijia_boxer]

Being mistaken about something is not a flaw in a person’s reasoning and neither is being unskilled in constructing or analyzing logical arguments. Where a flaw does occur, however, is in the fact that the worse a person is at such tasks, the less likely they are to realize it, the more likely they are to overestimate their abilities, and the less likely they are to realize that others’ efforts are superior. This seems to be especially true when it comes to logic and critical thinking: people imagine they are already good at it, but they lack both the basic skills to do it well and the skills necessary to realize that they aren't doing it well

http://atheism.about.com/od/criticalthi ... inking.htm

Excellent example Steve.

I liked this Defense mechanism:

15. Assertiveness

Assertiveness is the emphasis of a person’s needs or thoughts in a manner that is respectful, direct and firm. Communication styles exist on a continuum, ranging from passive to aggressive, with assertiveness falling neatly inbetween. People who are passive and communicate in a passive manner tend to be good listeners, but rarely speak up for themselves or their own needs in a relationship. People who are aggressive and communicate in an aggressive manner tend to be good leaders, but often at the expense of being able to listen empathetically to others and their ideas and needs. People who are assertive strike a balance where they speak up for themselves, express their opinions or needs in a respectful yet firm manner, and listen when they are being spoken to. Becoming more assertive is one of the most desired communication skills and helpful defense mechanisms most people want to learn, and would benefit in doing so.

from here.http://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-d ... /0001251/3

I think to call people out on their fallacies and defense mechanism, is a kind-of-mental intelligence skill.

[TrainingDummy]

I did a fair amount of western philosophy with my meditation teacher, mostly Plato, Steiner, Sri Aurobindo, but also a bit of Bohme, Heigel, Heraclitus. The emphasis was on the experiential side of their philosophies that could be developed through contemplation exercises, rather than the systems of thinking.

I was also taught a bit of western psychology by the same man, as a type of regression was a cornerstone of the system. I really like CBT and NLP (the therapy version) as systems that can help people sort through their psychological issues very quickly, but they're a bit too shallow for my personal practice.

[neijia_boxer]

In college I def took Western Philosophy, Eastern Philosophy, Logic, Psychology 1 and 2. The information is def important for those who have a fascination with mind, mental illness, remedies, thinking patterns, and holes in someones thoughts/logic.

I did read a book on Buddhist psychology which is surrounds itself via the 3 poisons and 8 fold path:
3 poisons are: ignorance, desire, and hatred cause suffering.
8 fold path" you will have suffering when you do not have:
1. right efforts.
2. right knowledge/wisdom.
3. right understanding/mindfulness.
4. right speech.
5. right concentration.
6. right livelihood.
7. right morals.
8. right meditation.

Taoist psychology on the other hand relies on the status of the "Shen" heart-mind and the root causes of illness based on negative emotions that might dominate/harm a internal organ:
Heart- excessive joy.
Lung- Sadness.
Spleen- pensiveness/worry.
Kidney- fear.
Liver- Anger.

[Steve James]

I thought the third poison was fear, not hatred. They are symbolized as the the pig chasing the chicken chasing the snake in a vicious circle. But hatred, anger, etc also work.

[aiasthewall]

I did postgraduate work in western philosophy, mostly Contintental. My focus was on German Idealism, with some Heidegger thrown in for good measure. My thesis was on Kant's Critique of Judgment and the poetry of Wallace Stevens, and it almost drove me mad. These days if I read anything it's more contemporary Analytic philosophy, though the distinction is not so clear these days. Mostly I just read literature and poetry though, as that life did not bring me much happiness, nor fulfillment.

[Bao]

...speaking about atheism...

“The atheist staring from his attic window is often nearer to God than the believer caught up in his own false image of God.”
― Martin Buber

[neijia_boxer]

I will look around again, but I can't seem to find one of my Philosophy books where a professor mapped out Meditation traditions of the West: Plato, Socrates, and others and compared them with Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist texts. He shared some really good material. the teacher is actually a Taiji practitioner and TM instructor: Dr. Jonathan Shear. He was a classmate in the Yongnian/Yang Taiji school and he moved on to Wu Style bringing Dr. Li Li from Shanghai (Ma Yueh Liang disciple), here to USA.

http://www.infinityfoundation.com/meditationbook.htm

found this video with him:

http://vimeo.com/46695760

[Steve James]

Interesting. He has Liang Shou Yu doing a chapter. I'm a bit surprised that there doesn't seem to be a representative of Chan/Zen.
But, I wonder what the essential commonality among the different traditions will be, and whether the results are similar. I'll look for the book if/when it comes out.

[TrainingDummy]

The book looks interesting, particularly if the meditation teachers discuss discuss the depth of their systems, rather than the first few beginners techniques.

Several of these systems have some aspect of theurgy or holding expanded states of consciousness in the higher levels, I wonder if they will discuss them at all?

[Michael]

Taoist psychology on the other hand relies on the status of the "Shen" heart-mind and the root causes of illness based on negative emotions that might dominate/harm a internal organ:
Heart- excessive joy.
Lung- Sadness.
Spleen- pensiveness/worry.
Kidney- fear.
Liver- Anger.

What is the opposite for these emotions ion the Five Elements that provides healing? For example, I think for the Liver it is compassion. Is that correct? I wonder what it is for the Heart that can balance excessive joy?

[yeniseri]

Lung balances Heart from an "energetic" paradigm. When you balance emotions, there is homeostasis in the longer path for the future.

[neijia_boxer]

Organ, positive and negative Emotion:
Heart: joy and patience, excessive joy/impatience.
Lung: content, sadness/grief.
Liver: kindness, anger.
Kidney: courage, fear.
Spleen: centered, pensive/worry.