Community Discussion: The Path is Unclear

Welcome back to the #higherorderthinking community discussion

started by @rortian and @yvesoler.

For those that like a bit of history, here's chronicle of related posts:

1. To Steemstem or not to steemstem, who defines science? by @rortian
2. Want to be a part of a Community Discussion? by @yvesoler
3. Community Discussion (continued…) by @rortian
4. Community Discussion continued: A Feeling of Failure by @yvesoler
5. Community Discussion (in progress) by @rortian
6. Community Discussion (in progress): Is there space for Critical Thinking without judgement? by @yvesoler
7. Community Discussion - Chapter 6 by @rortian
8. Community Discussion (in progress): Philosophy of Judgement by @yvesoler
9. Community Discussion: Where would you like to go?? by @rortian

Want to be a part of the discussion: leave a comment, post your own related post, upvote, resteem… anything that keeps the conversation and the learning going!

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Image in Public Domain

@rortian wrote:

Btw, imo, Most of the people whom I meet don't bother to evaluate what they say, because they already know that what they say is true! As I've explained, I'm working with a different set of presumptions.

I used to think that was the case, but it turns out I was wrong in many cases. As I got to know people, I found that the ones that seemed the most judgemental judged themselves the harshest.

...as I write this, I wonder if this applies to women more than men? I have mainly found women that spoke harshly often felt terrible because they could not find a better way to give constructive criticism. That being said, maybe men weren't willing to talk to me about this because they were hiding behind their fears? You're a man, what do you think?

Do you think that self-awareness on the effects of your words is a quality most often seen in women?

If so or not, why?

@rortian wrote:

How have you been [TG edit: creating space where every person is potentially both student and teacher]?

I think this is a unique case that came about from a series of interactions between two people, which is much easier than trying to do it for the masses. You can see many people with big followings, but it is mainly of like-minded followers. The ideal would be to have a following that may or may not agree, depending on the topic; they follow you because they know it is a space where they can discuss hard topics from every angle without filters.

Maybe the question should be, "Is it possible to create a public space to discuss divergent views without judgement where every person can be both student and teacher?" And the subsequent question, if the former is affirmative, "How?"

@rortian wrote:

How do people learn to create new cognitive spaces for themselves and others?

This does not feel like the same question. It is a good question, but it is too broad in scope and, in my opinion, easier to accomplish. There are many examples of places where you can get in-depth knowledge on topics you enjoy or start to learn something new, which is a new cognitive space.

You could say that the trick in that situation is moving people from passive lurkers to active participants. Lurkers tend to be those people that have a fear of looking foolish if they ask a stupid question or do not want to be compared to the people that know the material better. So in theory, these would be the people that could benefit from discussions like ours where we broke through our fear filters, but how effective could it be to try to break through fear filters with a mass audience? Any ideas?

@rortian wrote:

Lol. That’s a good idea to you, Tigrilla, and I agree that that would be nice. On the other hand, do you think that this banner is evidencing something like anxiety (or desperation?) on your part?

Hmm... in an effort to not misinterpret your intentions, what do you mean by banner?

From the way it sounds sitting here, it is as if you took my call for others to participate as anxiety, which I interpret in two ways:

1. Slightly hurt and fearful that I came across differently than I intended, which means that either I didn't communicate well or you read something I didn't recognize in myself. I thought the whole point was to get more people to particpate. My comment was a funny way to invite more community involvement. If you interpreted it as axiety, why?
2. With confusion because if mine was a banner of anxiety, what does it mean when you write "anyone?...anyone?" Does that mean that you are axious? Please elaborate.

Image by Sacha Chua (CC BY 2.0)
@rortian wrote:

Tigrilla, you haven’t delved into philosophical questions with me yet either, have you? You’ve had other concerns that stood in the way; you’ve been working through your historical reservations, considerations, beliefs, and needs.

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Well, I opened this process, but it’s called learner-centered education! You’re actually driving me to where you want to go. I'm just navigating the path; I've got the map.

Did you mean that you have the map or did you mean to write that I have it and you are just the navigator? If it is the latter, then I think your writing exhibited a Freudian slip. :)

Saying that I have not delved into philosophical questions and that I need to ask a question leaves me perplexed and wondering if I am being heard. I have stated, to the best of my abilities, many questions and expressed that I am not sure I am asking the right questions to exercise the philosophy part of this experiment. When I see the sentences you wrote above, I wonder if we will ever get anywhere. Do you understand why?