Difference between revisions of "Temp"

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==FEB 20==
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==FEB 25==
  
===Hall, Chapters 7 & 8: Compassion & Humility===
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:* leave time for meditation practicum launch
  
*Chapter 7: Compassion
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===Hall, Chapter 5: Neuroscience and Decision Making===
  
:"By compassion is meant not only the willingness to share another person's pain and suffering; in a larger sense, it refers to a transcendent ability to step outside the moat of one's own self-interest to understand the point of view of another; in a still larger sense, it may take this "feeling for" to the level of mind reading, for the theory of mind—one of the most powerfiil implements that evolution placed in the human cognitive tool kit—requires us to understand the way another person's feelings inform his or her intentions and actions." 116
+
:*Problem of Free Will comes up throughout the chapter -- not directly our concern with wisdom, is it?
 +
:*Expected value problems -- Getting $20 now or more in the future.
 +
:*81-3: Problem of Valuation -- Decision making works on pre-existing value that we access in the event.
 +
:*83: Glimcher 06-07 fMRI research on expected value decision making: Factors affecting test subjects' answers: time horizon and impulsivity.
 +
:*Reinforcement Learning -- dopamine cycle
 +
:*Rutledge's "fishing for crabs" research: dopamine shift from reward to anticipation.  always diminishing doses.
 +
::*"Success breeds habit and failure breeds learning"  -- brain is reactive to unexpected results.
 +
:*Glimcher claims predictive power in fishing for crabs game.
 +
:*Problems comparing this research to wisdom problems:  speed of decision, narrowness of the problem
 +
:*Ap Dijksterhuis - on "deliberation without attention"  - connects with discussion of training subjective states of mind for better decision making.
 +
:*"Attentional blink" and "decisional paralysis" - Davidson research on meditation effect on these phen.
 +
:*Decision paralysis -- Iyengar and Lepper gourment jelly studies 93-94 -- connection with Parkinson's
  
:*Matthieu Ricard and Richard Davidson studies.  (no overarching theory here, but note Davidson on p. 121)  Davidson believes in poss of "training" toward increased well being.
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===Daniel Gilbert, TED talk, "Why We Make Such Bad Decisions"===
  
:*Ricard makes the case, on 122, that compassion is based on an understanding of how things are connected, how happiness and suffering are connectedKnowing that there are ways to address suffering fuels compassion, which also helps us understand how things are connected.
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:*Bernouli's formula for expected value:  odds of gain x value of gain
 +
:*two kinds of mistakes: odd and value
 +
:*Availability heuristic: works when estimating likelihood of seeing dogs vs. pigs on a leash, not when estimating odds of good or bad things happening.
 +
:*Mistakes estimating value
 +
::*comparisons to the past - price cuts vs. price increases; theatre tickets (mental accounting), retailing (comparison of wine by price), potato chip / chocolate / spam study, speaker comparison.
 +
::*time frames matterWhen both expected value calculations are in the future we do better (pay offs in 12 vs. 13 months)
  
:*general point: importance in this research of thinking of compassion as having a neural substrate and a function in our psychology.  We don't have great research on exactly what we can do with it or it's actual function.
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:*Explanatory hypothesis: brain evolution not geared toward abstract caluculation of rational alternatives.
  
:*126: mirror neurons and empathy.
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:*Implications for wisdom
  
*Chapter 8: Humility
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===Sternberg, "Wisdom and Its Relations to Intelligence and Creativity"===
  
:*puzzle about humility.  How can Gandhi embody both humility and the kind of great ambition he achieved?  Is humility consistent with action in the world?
 
  
:in religion -- piety and obedience to God. 137
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:*Interested in both implicit and explicit theories that bring out the relationship of wisdom, intelligence, and creativity.  Follow his own studies and rubric.  More based on implicit research. 
 +
:*Objectivity of wisdom:  At p. 147, research finds external validation in correlation between wisdom prototype-resemblance and external measures of social intelligence and social judgement.
 +
:*Behavioral ratings experiment (similar to MDS study in Clayton and Birren)  [Interesting details on Philosophy and Business Professors!]
 +
:* 2nd and 3rd experiments confirm closer association of wisdon and intelligence vs. wisdom and creativity.
 +
:* Follow Sternberg's explicit model and conclusion.  Read p. 152.
 +
:*Explicit research:  discuss matrix at 152.  note on automatization.  mixing of characteristics of intelligence and creativity in wisdom.
 +
:*Conclusion:  read p. 157.  
  
:Hall suggests social / evolutionary function for humility: "If we consider obedience in a secular or, even more narrowly, behavioral sense, it may help explain why humility persists as a virtue. It is one of those traits that acts as a social lubricant, greasing the wheels of group interaction, minimizing interpersonal friction, enhancing the odds for cooperation." 138  (anecdote from Inv. Gorrilla - Go)
 
  
:narcissism among CEOs.  may contribute to financial instability of firms.  correlates with white collar crime.  inverse of humility.  best CEOs blend humility with strong will.
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===Stanovich, "The Rationality of Educating for Wisdom"===
  
  
===Introduction to Buddhism===
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:*Reference to a literature on teaching of wisdom (good topic for further research).
 
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:*notes that IQ tests don't typically track cognitive styles, thinking dispositions, and wisdom. 247
* The Four Noble Truths
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:*distinction between rationality of belief and rationality of action, 248dictionary def of wisdom seems to include both.  
 
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:*Elster's distinction between thin and broad theories of rationalitymere instrumental reasoning is "thin" thin theories don't evaluate emotions much, but the difficulty of broad theories is that they require us to make a normative assessment of our desires.
:1  There is suffering.
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:*Sternberg's view of rationality is broader still, since he includes balancing of perspectives of self and othersNotes other broad theories of rationality like Hargreaves Heap (!) who critiques instrumental theories as ignoring "expressive rationality" -- making sense of the self.  
 
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:*Note conclusion:  the logic of teaching for wisdomIf teaching wisdom is about more than promoting intelligence, if it's also about '''changing thinking dispositions''', then you have to justify it in terms of a broader notion of rationality than just intelligence.   Normative conceptions of rationality could play a role in such a justification.
:2  There is the origination of suffering: suffering comes into existence in dependence on causes.
 
 
 
:3  There is the cessation of suffering: all future suffering can be prevented by becoming aware of our ignorance and undoing the effects of it.
 
 
 
:4  There is a path to the cessation of suffering.
 
 
 
::8 fold path.  (see above and in Feuerstein.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="font-size:100%;">
 
<tr>
 
<td style="background:#bbbbbb; text-align:center">''Division''</td>
 
<td style="background:#bbbbbb; text-align:center">''Eightfold Path factors''</td>
 
<td style="background:#bbbbbb; text-align:center">''Acquired factors''</td>
 
<tr>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFFF" rowspan=2>Wisdom (Sanskrit: ''[[prajñā]]'', Pāli: ''paññā'')</td>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFFF" >1. Right view </td>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFFF" >9. Superior right knowledge </td>
 
<tr>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFFF" >2. Right intention </td>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFFF" >10. Superior right liberation </td>
 
<tr>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFCC" rowspan=3>Ethical conduct (Sanskrit: ''[[sila|śīla]]'', Pāli: ''sīla'')</td>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFCC" >3. Right speech </td>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFCC" ><BR></td>
 
<tr>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFCC" >4. Right action </td>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFCC" ><BR></td> <tr>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFCC" >5. Right livelihood </td>
 
<td style="background:#CCFFCC" ><BR></td> <tr>
 
<td style="background:#FFCC99" rowspan=3>Concentration (Sanskrit and Pāli: ''[[samādhi]]'') </td>
 
<td style="background:#FFCC99" >6. Right effort</td>
 
<td style="background:#FFCC99" ><BR></td> <tr>
 
<td style="background:#FFCC99" >7. Right mindfulness </td>
 
<td style="background:#FFCC99" ><BR></td> <tr>
 
<td style="background:#FFCC99" >8. Right concentration </td>
 
<td style="background:#FFCC99" ><BR></td> <tr>
 
</table>
 
 
 
===Holder, The Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving===
 
 
 
:The Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving starts with the "bad" monk, Sati, who thinks that reincarnation might involve the same consciousness (and so the survival of the self after death)The other bhikkhus rat him out to the Buddha, who calls him out over the issue (in a gentle Buddha way) and goes on to describe both the process of "devolution" by which ignorance leads us to craving (65) and the process of purification that brings about a reversal (66) of the process.  Prior to following the eightfold path, our experience (seeing, hearing, etc.) entails an unhealthy attachment. After, we presumably have the same kinds of experiences, but without unhealthy attachment.
 
 
 
:*""So, bhikkhus, dependent on ignorance, there are dispositions to action; dependent on dispositions to action, there is consciousness; dependent on consciousness, there is psycho-physicality; dependent on psycho-physicality, there are the six bases of sense; dependent on the six bases of sense, there is contact; dependent on contact, there is feeling; dependent on feeling, there is craving; dependent on craving, there is attachment; dependent on attachment, there is becoming; dependent on becoming, there is birth; dependent on birth, there is aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, despair, and distress. Thus there is the arising of this whole mass of suffering." 65  note corresponding paragraph on p. 66.
 
 
 
:*Note story of "natural" growth and attachment, p. 67, folllowed by realization and pursuit of enlightenment.
 
 
 
===Matthieu Ricard, Chs. 6&7: Alchemy of Suffering and Veils of the Ego===
 
 
 
Chapter Six: Alchemy of Suffering
 
 
 
:*Shortest history of the kingdom: "They Suffer"
 
 
 
:*Pervasive suffering -- from growth and development
 
:*Suffering of Change -- from illusion of permanence.
 
:*Multiplicity of Suffering -- suffering from awareness of the many ways things can go wrong.
 
:*Hidden Suffering -- anxiousness about hidden dangers
 
 
 
:*Sources of Suffering -- self-centeredness, our unhappiness is caused, 4 Noble Truths.
 
:*Problem: How can you have a philosophy that tells you that you shouldn't "lose it" in calamity?
 
 
 
:*Methods for responding to suffering -- meditation, use of mental imagery.
 
 
 
Chapter Seven: Veils of the Ego
 
 
 
:*Ego as a fear reaction to the world.
 
:*Observing the ego at workexample of the vase, the asymmetry of our response is a clue.
 
:*ProblemHow can I live without an ego?  R's response:  true self-confidence is egoless.
 
 
 
:*Cites Paul Ekman's studies of emotionally exceptional people. egoless and joyful
 
:*Gives brief account of the illusion of self.
 

Latest revision as of 15:53, 25 February 2014

FEB 25

  • leave time for meditation practicum launch

Hall, Chapter 5: Neuroscience and Decision Making

  • Problem of Free Will comes up throughout the chapter -- not directly our concern with wisdom, is it?
  • Expected value problems -- Getting $20 now or more in the future.
  • 81-3: Problem of Valuation -- Decision making works on pre-existing value that we access in the event.
  • 83: Glimcher 06-07 fMRI research on expected value decision making: Factors affecting test subjects' answers: time horizon and impulsivity.
  • Reinforcement Learning -- dopamine cycle
  • Rutledge's "fishing for crabs" research: dopamine shift from reward to anticipation. always diminishing doses.
  • "Success breeds habit and failure breeds learning" -- brain is reactive to unexpected results.
  • Glimcher claims predictive power in fishing for crabs game.
  • Problems comparing this research to wisdom problems: speed of decision, narrowness of the problem
  • Ap Dijksterhuis - on "deliberation without attention" - connects with discussion of training subjective states of mind for better decision making.
  • "Attentional blink" and "decisional paralysis" - Davidson research on meditation effect on these phen.
  • Decision paralysis -- Iyengar and Lepper gourment jelly studies 93-94 -- connection with Parkinson's

Daniel Gilbert, TED talk, "Why We Make Such Bad Decisions"

  • Bernouli's formula for expected value: odds of gain x value of gain
  • two kinds of mistakes: odd and value
  • Availability heuristic: works when estimating likelihood of seeing dogs vs. pigs on a leash, not when estimating odds of good or bad things happening.
  • Mistakes estimating value
  • comparisons to the past - price cuts vs. price increases; theatre tickets (mental accounting), retailing (comparison of wine by price), potato chip / chocolate / spam study, speaker comparison.
  • time frames matter. When both expected value calculations are in the future we do better (pay offs in 12 vs. 13 months)
  • Explanatory hypothesis: brain evolution not geared toward abstract caluculation of rational alternatives.
  • Implications for wisdom

Sternberg, "Wisdom and Its Relations to Intelligence and Creativity"

  • Interested in both implicit and explicit theories that bring out the relationship of wisdom, intelligence, and creativity. Follow his own studies and rubric. More based on implicit research.
  • Objectivity of wisdom: At p. 147, research finds external validation in correlation between wisdom prototype-resemblance and external measures of social intelligence and social judgement.
  • Behavioral ratings experiment (similar to MDS study in Clayton and Birren) [Interesting details on Philosophy and Business Professors!]
  • 2nd and 3rd experiments confirm closer association of wisdon and intelligence vs. wisdom and creativity.
  • Follow Sternberg's explicit model and conclusion. Read p. 152.
  • Explicit research: discuss matrix at 152. note on automatization. mixing of characteristics of intelligence and creativity in wisdom.
  • Conclusion: read p. 157.


Stanovich, "The Rationality of Educating for Wisdom"

  • Reference to a literature on teaching of wisdom (good topic for further research).
  • notes that IQ tests don't typically track cognitive styles, thinking dispositions, and wisdom. 247
  • distinction between rationality of belief and rationality of action, 248. dictionary def of wisdom seems to include both.
  • Elster's distinction between thin and broad theories of rationality. mere instrumental reasoning is "thin" thin theories don't evaluate emotions much, but the difficulty of broad theories is that they require us to make a normative assessment of our desires.
  • Sternberg's view of rationality is broader still, since he includes balancing of perspectives of self and others. Notes other broad theories of rationality like Hargreaves Heap (!) who critiques instrumental theories as ignoring "expressive rationality" -- making sense of the self.
  • Note conclusion: the logic of teaching for wisdom: If teaching wisdom is about more than promoting intelligence, if it's also about changing thinking dispositions, then you have to justify it in terms of a broader notion of rationality than just intelligence. Normative conceptions of rationality could play a role in such a justification.