Note: Sorry about the long hiatus, but I can't seem to maintain a schedule well. I'll try to get some posts running and the blog back on track soon. For now, I hope you enjoy this post.
Bloom's taxonomy is a simple presentation of the cognitive heirarchy in learning, and the higher processes represent a more refined and deeper understanding of an idea or subject. We begin with the base of the pyramid, which involves a rote memorization and basic memory of the subject involved, a fact collection stage. After this the understanding, application and other stages which are more or less self explanatory from their names. But the pinnacle of this pyramid is creation, which represents the deepest level and highest cognitive process that can be called upon when we are using the fundamental ideas we have gathered at the fact collection stage. This also involves a great deal of understanding the facts and also their interplay with different scenarios and facts.
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| Bloom's Taxonomy |
But even with all that, even at the highest stage of creating, there is an inherent dependence in the facts learnt at the bottom of the pyramid. And in fact collection there is a great deal of prejudices and opinions that are gathered too. And the inherent problem in this is that, unconsciously, we become conduits for ideas, and opinions of other people. What we call as identity is simply degraded into a mere confluence of ideas and emotions that have been collected over the span of a person's education or lifetime. In such a situation, where does original thought exist? How many of us present the ability to express an idea that is truly original and not born out of the many prejudices and influences that have made their impression on our mind?
Education, or learning of any kind cannot be impartial. One cannot seek to impart ideas independent of distortion, circumstantial and wanton. When an idea is presented to a person, the idea is not grasped in it's pristine entirety. This is also due to the fact that ideas and learning is materialized in words and words are but dead husks to the ideas they carry (The Words that Deceive). As a naive child, every idea we are presented with is also presented with the opinion of the tutor which may not be intentional. And these opinions take root into the mind until they become hard to distinguish from the actual idea itself. And with this also, these ideas become the fundamental basis in the learning cycle. Two beautiful quotes from Albert Einstein illustrate this idea.
In truth, this is a very hard task to identify where a person's original identity and persona lies amidst all this clutter of clashing identities and "people" within that vie to be heard. And in the end, if one doesn't weed himself, and lives his life in a spontaneity of emotions and reactions, it is very likely that he just becomes a simple conduit of impressions that inhabit him and continue to permeate through him to other people that open themselves to them.
Where and how then does one develop a sense of original thought?
There are a few elements that seem essential to developing a sense of original thinking. One essential element would be the capacity to unlearn what has been learnt. And this requires a lot of conviction and honesty to oneself, to be able to deny what one considers as his fundamental identity and persona, as the identity in itself is not what it identifies with but a constantly changing ethereal entity that is hard to discern from the masks it hides behind.
Another essential element would be the capacity to bear a silent mind. A mind, full of thoughts and pre-conceived perceptions tends to filter and colour perceptions. But this does not mean a simple acceptance of an idea as presented, it only means to perceive it in it's own light. For a mere acceptance of an idea, however honestly it is perceived, without mastering the idea and the elements that control it will only lead to blind imitation, and imitation has a limited realm and environment of success.
A third essential would be a skepticism of one's own ideas, but this is a dangerous element to handle. For one, without a healthy skepticism and doubting one's own opinions and ideas, a person tends to become a slave to thoughts that have been gathered. But too much skepticism and one becomes like a ship lost at sea in a storm, a sense of feeling lost and dissatisfaction creeps in. For this, I personally propose a two step process. One where there are fundamental ideas, the ones that affect how we tend to accept other ideas and impressions, and the ideas and impressions themselves. The ideas and impressions must be constantly scrutinized, accepted and rejected as is important, and these are usually dependant on the fundamental ideas. The fundamentals though are more emotionally linked, and it is a dangerous game to toy with them unwittingly. They cannot and should not be replaced as easily or by the same process the superficial learning and ideas can be replaced. It requires a lot of study and search in the self to identify these bases. And once identified, if one ever seeks to doubt or scrutinize them, one must always first find something else that may be a replacement for them, even if it isn't the best, but one always needs a place to stand.
There may be other elements, but these seem to be what essentially constitute a basis for being original in thought. But original thought also needs a person to be willing to consider what is even heretic at times and taboo, and consider them in their light, for everything has it's own time, space and circumstance. And one must be willing to not be swayed by something just because it is morbid or beautiful, as people tend to do. I do not mean a man must be an emotionless robot, but I suggest that one understands their emotions better so they can learn to speak and understand without words and develop a sense of right and wrong that speaks directly to the heart of their being. And one must also consider what the repercussions of his thoughts will be, for they translate into action. And action must proceed from a calm, not from an agitated mind, either hate, or passion.
This is my opinion on what encourages and breeds an original mind.
This post was inspired by Sri Aurobindo's essay On Original Thinking.
Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.
If one falls into this trap of "lazy thinking", which means more than simply keeping a rote memory of things and which can permeate even to the highest cognitive process of creation, where you end up being a poor imitation to the original. When one expresses an idea, how does one know that the idea is a genuine opinion of the person, or if it is simply his teacher, or grandparent, or aunt, or parent speaking through him?Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who read too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
In truth, this is a very hard task to identify where a person's original identity and persona lies amidst all this clutter of clashing identities and "people" within that vie to be heard. And in the end, if one doesn't weed himself, and lives his life in a spontaneity of emotions and reactions, it is very likely that he just becomes a simple conduit of impressions that inhabit him and continue to permeate through him to other people that open themselves to them.
Where and how then does one develop a sense of original thought?
There are a few elements that seem essential to developing a sense of original thinking. One essential element would be the capacity to unlearn what has been learnt. And this requires a lot of conviction and honesty to oneself, to be able to deny what one considers as his fundamental identity and persona, as the identity in itself is not what it identifies with but a constantly changing ethereal entity that is hard to discern from the masks it hides behind.
Another essential element would be the capacity to bear a silent mind. A mind, full of thoughts and pre-conceived perceptions tends to filter and colour perceptions. But this does not mean a simple acceptance of an idea as presented, it only means to perceive it in it's own light. For a mere acceptance of an idea, however honestly it is perceived, without mastering the idea and the elements that control it will only lead to blind imitation, and imitation has a limited realm and environment of success.
A third essential would be a skepticism of one's own ideas, but this is a dangerous element to handle. For one, without a healthy skepticism and doubting one's own opinions and ideas, a person tends to become a slave to thoughts that have been gathered. But too much skepticism and one becomes like a ship lost at sea in a storm, a sense of feeling lost and dissatisfaction creeps in. For this, I personally propose a two step process. One where there are fundamental ideas, the ones that affect how we tend to accept other ideas and impressions, and the ideas and impressions themselves. The ideas and impressions must be constantly scrutinized, accepted and rejected as is important, and these are usually dependant on the fundamental ideas. The fundamentals though are more emotionally linked, and it is a dangerous game to toy with them unwittingly. They cannot and should not be replaced as easily or by the same process the superficial learning and ideas can be replaced. It requires a lot of study and search in the self to identify these bases. And once identified, if one ever seeks to doubt or scrutinize them, one must always first find something else that may be a replacement for them, even if it isn't the best, but one always needs a place to stand.
There may be other elements, but these seem to be what essentially constitute a basis for being original in thought. But original thought also needs a person to be willing to consider what is even heretic at times and taboo, and consider them in their light, for everything has it's own time, space and circumstance. And one must be willing to not be swayed by something just because it is morbid or beautiful, as people tend to do. I do not mean a man must be an emotionless robot, but I suggest that one understands their emotions better so they can learn to speak and understand without words and develop a sense of right and wrong that speaks directly to the heart of their being. And one must also consider what the repercussions of his thoughts will be, for they translate into action. And action must proceed from a calm, not from an agitated mind, either hate, or passion.
This is my opinion on what encourages and breeds an original mind.
This post was inspired by Sri Aurobindo's essay On Original Thinking.
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