Here are some critical questions to ask when confronted with bold claims.
Other interesting reads:
HOW TO DETECT BIAS IN NEWS MEDIA
PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE: CRITICAL THINKING – THE SOCRATIC METHOD
TUTORIALS FOR SUBJECT SPECIFIC INTERNET RESEARCH SKILLS
Technorati Tags: critical thinking,
Technorati Tags: baloney detection kit
blindfolded sculpture
Image by Gastev
Did you know that your brain profits from breaking your morning routine? Left/right exercises change the active half of the brain. E.g. The connections and brain sections normally active when brushing your teeth are resting, while the correspondent sections in the other hemisphere are suddenly dealing with the new task. New connections bring fresh associations.
So you might want to try these three easy to follow exercises:
Shower with closed eyes
Feel for the soap and shampoo for example. Your sense of touch helps your brain creating a map of your shower. Other senses come into weight when optical stimuli are missing. The smell of your soup will appear more intensive etc. Read the rest of this entry »
First of all, let me say thank you for sticking with me during the last couple of weeks, while I wasn’t writing anything (had a good reason though:-)
Now then, here are the reasons why I like to suggest this book by Julian Baggini to you:
1. If you are sometimes frustrated with the ways the media presents it’s news and would like to learn more, from a philosophical perspective, about the issues behind headlines such as ‘Scientists playing God’ etc.
2. It gives you the tools on how to approach shady arguments and think critically.
Sex the ideal “Neurobics” workout – too good to be true? But it is true: Sex demands all our senses and the inclusion of the emotional switchboard in our heads. Hearing words or only reading to oneself, reading aloud or quietly activates different parts of our switchboard.
Close your eyes and enjoy
Many “Neurobics” exercises have to do with trying to experience the world in a new sensual way. Closing your eyes sharpens the other senses. We do this automatically during sex, to enjoy it even more.
Experience senses
Cater to your senses and the senses of your partner with something new: Use aroma oils, listen to music, use massage oil. Read the rest of this entry »
Illustration by Ajda Gregorčič
We are persuaded by people we like
Spend time getting to know someone before asking a favour. The more they like you or feel you have something in common, the more likely they are to agree.
If you want a favour – do a favour
Do someone a good deed and they’ll want to return the favour.
First ask for something small
If you just made a good connection, don’t gamble it away by asking for too much too soon.
Stick to your commitment
Once we’ve made a commitment it’s important to our sense of self-esteem to stick to it.
Design by cipion
Recently I added an article about how to recognise your darker self. The next step could be to use it’s potential for creative work. You could:
Experiment with it and write a list of things you would do if you would allow yourself to live it out to it’s full potential.
Keep a dream diary, noting the content and mood of these dreams to reveal your desires or worries.
Get creative and look for symbols that represent your shadow. Transform them into a painting, drawing or sculpture etc.
Speed write every morning, fill at least two entire pages with ideas or feelings that are hiding in your darker self.
Read also:
Image by Maarten
When you doubt, rather than automatically criticising yourself for being indecisive, remember that doubt is a healthy natural process by which you can discover your true beliefs.
Doubt shows your mind is trying to tell you something. Trust it, and don’t reject it. If you’re feeling conflicted about an issue, let those feelings in.
When overwhelmed by doubt, try this meditation: Count to 20 while focusing on breathing in and out. Then stop counting. Allow your doubt to come back into your mind, to simply ‘hang’ there. Try to view it as a natural and necessary phenomenon, like rain.
If you feel paralysed and indecisive, then set a timer for three minutes and externalise your doubts by writing them down rapidly. Engaging in this physical process will help you to detach from your doubts – and move on.
Source: Psychologies Today (UK)
Read also:
One major source of happiness for me personally is to have choices and live autonomously. Easy enough – or is it really? Not if you rely solely on news presented by mainstream media to supply you with views of the world and the state of society. It actually takes quite an effort to make up your mind and to choose sources of information that are not biased and paid for by advertisers with their own agendas.
The film is full of valid comments by Chomsky on issues such as media analysis, control of public opinion and free speech. Here are a two of my favourites:
I’m helping people develop intellectual self-defense… I don’t mean go to school, because you’re not going to get it there… It means that you have to develop an independent mind, and work on it. That’s extremely hard to do alone… The beauty of our system is that it isolates everybody. Each person is sitting alone in front of the tube. It’s very hard to have ideas or thoughts under those circumstances. You can’t fight the world alone. Some people can, but it’s pretty rare. The way to do it is through organization. Read the rest of this entry »
Image by lacie babenco
There is no way you can make difficult people change and suddenly become sweet and amenable. Such change can only take place when the individuals concerned desire it and work towards it. As you can’t change them, the only thing to do is to change your own reaction to them.
Think before you react. There is a world difference between flying into a screaming rage and telling the other person (in a calm, controlled manner) ‘I feel angry about that.’ The latter is the assertive way and is far more effective as your listener is more likely to take notice. If you scream and shout, he will simply scream back and in the end neither of you will take any notice of what the other is saying.
THE CHATTERBOX
Some years ago, I bought this amazing book by Eva-Maria Altemoller, ‘Schreiben ist gold” (Writing is Gold). It’s full of exciting projects and inspiration for story writing. The book is printed in colour with pictures (including historical postcards and sketches) on every single page.
I translated one of her writing projects for you:
Imagine, there really is something like a tunnel of time. Travels through time are at least, since Einstein, not entirely unthinkable anymore. You travel with lightning speed through world history and depart at a random point on the earth at a time of your choice.
You land in Berlin, Vienna, Paris or London in the 1920’s or in Philadelphia during the world exhibition. You visit Livingstone, Humboldt, Napoleon, Goethe, Bach or Leonardo Da Vinci. You are invited into the castle of Spanish King Philip or to the wedding of Henry VIII. You take part in a middle age tournament or climb up an Egyptian Pyramid, the tower of Babel or visit Socrates’ philosophical school. Read the rest of this entry »
Kemp\'s Creative Happiness Blog 