Summary:
1- Often books on Philosophy are lumped in together with those on the New Age or on Eastern Meditation.
2- Philosophy involves Critical Thinking.
3- Many teachers of Meditation say to give up Critical Thinking in order to live in the moment.
4- I argue that what they really mean is to stop anything (the inner mumble, monologue, or emoting) that separate us from immediate, non-verbal, visual perception. That level of awareness is good exercise for experiencing life afresh, and for sports, driving, martial arts, and other hand-mind-coordination activities.
5- Being able to meditate does not prevent, and should not prevent, using thought and words and Critical Thinking to question people who want to convince us of ideas, or to sell us products.
6- Critical Thinking is a tool of self-protection.
7- Critical Thinking is part of self-understanding and self-expression.
8- Critical Thinking can be entertaining.
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I was asked the other day about the role of Chritical Thinking in comparison to obtaining Zen mind, where every effort is made to lay aside the critical side of human nature in order to smell and sense the world as it really is, free of the on-going commentary of the verbal mind: living without the narrative of presumptions.
I want to explain the difference between the inner silence of meditation and the constant questioning of Philosophy. I hope to show when questioning is necessary in the world of human communication in order to understand living, and in order to protect ourselves from those persons who would deceive us.
"Quiet mind" in everyday living can be the joy of sunrise. On the other hand, it can be an excuse to "zone out."
By contrast, the delight of seeking understanding through thinking can be an on-going pleasure that can carry us into and through all phases of our life, be they difficult or calm. On the other hand, it can be distracting.
We can learn how to think, and we can learn how to meditate. Knowing when to use one or the other is necessary for the discerning meditator.
Further, rolling over and over the Eternal Questions delights the thinking mind: for example, pondering the distinctions between human and animal can take days or a lifetime. What elements make us human? Porpoises can sing; hummingbirds can dance; bees have society; ants fight wars; and my dog has a great sense of humor. Humans were humans before they had fire, before they had yeast for brewing and for baking, before they planted vegetables. Neanderthals buried their dead; elephants grieve.
Yet, we want a clean slate of mind when, for example, we approach the world "with an awareness of movement with others who are also aware of movement with others," such as dancing, playing sports, or driving an automobile. For example, we want to set aside the daily overlay of subtitles, of narrative, in order to move in a visual, visceral oneness of body, car, and the universe.
In meditation, we lay down the critical thinking and emoting of everyday life and enter into "at-one-ment" with the All. In Zen we approach Satori by being at one with the Nothingness, entering the paradox of being the no-self who is part of Nothing, in the unity of nothing with Nothing. It is described as being indescribable.
In bookstores, we confront the piercing reality that the section marked Philosophy more often than not is full of self-help, the Age of Aquarius, and variations on attaining the mind of the Buddha. Kant, Hume, Russell, Sartre, even Plato and Descartes are not to be found. Finding and reading Philosophy requires initiative and perseverance. Studying reason involves persistence.
The reward of reason is the energy that flows from the unfettered mind. Questioning opens up the mind to expression in the outer world, in thinking, in conversation, and in writing.
It is a buzz.
The study of Philosophy and Critical Thinking hones the skills of reading comprehension, recognizing the context of history and the organizing concepts of culture. It prepares us to live more deeply and with more awareness. It can release empathy. It can restore kindness and build friendship. We can seek meaning and find self-directed projects that take us there.
Philosophy does not give answers: it is a skill that develops questioning. It brings us into the here and now by exploring the timeless inner world, the "eternal now" in which our lives sparkle. The numbness of unexamined "habit" is tuned, like an orchestra to the true "A" of the oboe. Aristotle argued that developing the "habit" of living morally or of seeking the "good" life necessitates years of study.
Critical thinking that protects us from false arguments is very different from the "criticalness," rejected by teachers of Meditation, that imposes presumptions of social status, or of egoism.
Empty-mindedness of meditation is a listening to the ocean of silence. Philosophy is the conversation that seeks our best response.
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