Fired and Disinherited

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTIONER

Title: Sophie’s World

Competencies: self-development, critical thinking skills, ethics

Who benefits: students of any age

Consultant Usage: self-development! self insight!!

What’s it about?  Today’s posting is about an introduction to philosophy thinly disguised as a mysterious novel.  My bosses, who are normally a tolerant lot, may fire me for writing about something that on the surface has nothing to do with this Blog.  (If my postings continue next Wednesday, you know I survived.)

Should she stumble across this posting, my daughter will, for sure, disinherit me for the story I am about to relate about her in-laws.

But “sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”  (I believe that this quote is from the modern philosopher Clint Eastwood.)

This posting had its genesis almost two years ago when one fine day I was walking about the campus of the University of Oregon and I noticed a lot of students carrying the same paperback.  A simple inquiry and I discovered that some of the students had the book as a requirement in an introductory course in philosophy.  Others carried the book as the “in-symbol” much as in my day we carried around Dylan (either Bob or Thomas).  My curiosity piqued, I purchased a copy and only just now have commenced reading.  

Jump forward with me to this past holiday season.  I am sitting at the end of a long table with family.  I am sandwiched by two in-laws.  Over the course of the meal they engage in a rather bizarre debate (for my benefit?).  The essence of the debate was that an anticipated future event was the cause of the current economic turmoil in the United States.  They were taking an extraordinarily complex topic which baffles many of the great minds of the world and presenting in absolute certainty.  Furthermore, they were arguing the same side of the issue, which is to say not really debating anything.  And finally, I recognized most of what they passed off as personal knowledge to be verbiage of a certain well-known radio talk show host.

Let me attempt to tie the book to the story.  This quote is from the author in describing Socrates: “A philosopher is therefore someone who recognized that there is a lot he does not understand, and is troubled by it.  In that sense, he is still wiser than all those who brag about the knowledge of things they know nothing about.  Wisest is she who knows she does not know.”  

All of the above brings me back to the purpose of this Blog (hey, I have to try and save my job).  Several areas come to mind, actually.  First is critical thinking skills, the ability to ask questions, look at multiple perspectives, hold more than one idea in the mind at one time, the ability to deal with abstract ideas and inconclusive conclusions.  My opinion is that we don’t do well in our schools teaching this skill.  We teach a bunch of facts that will be tested at some point and we move on.  The net result is we send “uneducated” children into adulthood unprepared to reason and thus adult knowledge is obtained much as in school…whatever the talk show host tells you is what you know.

Another area that comes to mind is multiple intelligence, specifically intra and inter personal skills.  Ever have a know-it-all boss?  Or family member?  Not much you can do with them.  But this book will help you understand them, and ultimately yourself a little bit better.

There is also a lot in this book of ancient philosophers offering musings on ethics that have implications in the modern business world.

So what’s my point?  This: If you break down the word “philosopher” into its original Greek meaning, it becomes “one who loves wisdom”.  This book has almost no practical value.  It is best read in small doses.  But when you get to something that jars you, stop and think – take time to inquire.  Think critically. Isn’t that what real self-development is all about?

Catch you later (I hope).

 

[tags], philosophy, critical thinking skills, multiple intelligence, inter personal skills, intra personal skills, ethics, questioning, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley[/tags]

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.