The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. In the great battle of life, in which so many are knocked down and carried away staggering, it is a vital necessity to know what to ignore, what to turn a blind eye to, and what to leave behind without regret.
-William James, The Principles of Psychology
Today’s Theme
Today, we're diving deep into the idea of secular wisdom, trying to pin down what it really means. Secular wisdom, whether you call it pāññā in Pali or sophia in ancient Greek, is all about living wisely in the here and now, rather than getting caught up in the mysteries of the universe beyond our senses.
This kind of wisdom encourages us to let go of rigid beliefs about the unseen and instead embrace a practical form of skepticism that keeps us questioning and exploring, much like the ancient Greek philosophers did.
When we talk about metaphysics, we're really talking about ideas that go beyond what we can directly experience. Whether it's belief in a higher power, the origins of the universe, or profound truths like impermanence or emptiness in Buddhism, these are all concepts that lie in the realm of metaphysics—things we may believe to be true, but can't prove with our senses alone.
As we journey through the wisdom of thinkers like Pyrrho and Democritus from ancient Greece, we see a common thread with the teachings of the Buddha. Pyrrho's philosophy of not knowing and suspending judgment resonates with the Buddha's emphasis on letting go of fixed views and embracing a life of inquiry and wonder.
Democritus, on the other hand, with his atomic theory of the universe, challenges us to question the limits of our perception and reason, reminding us of the inherent uncertainty in our understanding of the world.
In this beautiful interplay of Eastern and Western philosophies, we find echoes of wisdom that transcend time and cultural boundaries. The Buddha's call for inquiry and Pyrrho's humble approach to not knowing intersect in a shared quest for truth and tranquility, inviting us to embrace a spirit of open-minded exploration and discovery that leads to a profound sense of peace and insight.
Secular Wisdom
A dharma talk by Stephen Batchelor
Meditation Practice
The strength of our intention to focus our attention on a particular object or subject plays a significant role in determining how many moments of our attention will be devoted to that specific object. In other words, the more we consciously decide to direct our attention towards something, the more instances we will find ourselves zeroing in on that particular thing, thereby allowing us more opportunities to understand and engage with it.
Today, I intend to embrace the wisdom of living in the here and now, letting go of rigid beliefs about the unseen. I commit to keep questioning my understanding of the world, acknowledging the inherent uncertainty in it, and to practice inquiry and humility in the face of not knowing.
Deeper Dive: Rationality, Intelligence and Wisdom
Rationality is not merely a matter of logical intelligence or information processing. It has existential implications, shaping our identity and our interaction with the world around us. The practice of rational thinking requires an array of skills, including the ability to draw inferences and to think independently. To truly harness the power of rationality, we need more than just these skills. We need a cognitive style that encourages active open-mindedness, a constant awareness of our cognitive biases, and the proactive effort to counteract them.
This brings us to the concept of psychotechnology, which we’ll define as a socially derived method for enhancing our processing of information. When internalized, psychotechnology can become a part of our cognition, applicable across a wide range of situations and individuals. Effective psychotechnology should not only enhance cognition but do so reliably and extensively. This is what we are practicing when we meditate (and thus, create self models), or contemplate (and thus, develop world models).
For our purposes here, we want to know how rational thinking can be useful in our aspiration to cultivate wisdom. Intriguingly, many researchers are finding that wisdom begins with the identification of problems. The ability to discern problems that others have yet to discover is a hallmark of wisdom, supporting the argument made by Arlin in 1990 that problem finding is central to wisdom. Those who excel at problem finding are able to create a problem nexus - a central issue that, when resolved, has a profound impact on the resolution of other existing problems. This ability to find problems correlates with our comprehension and our ability to engage effectively with knowledge. It also aligns with the elements of curiosity and wonder.
Before concluding today's exploration, let's highlight the dual processing theory proposed by William James. According to James, we primarily process information in two ways, referred to as S1 and S2. The S1 method, which is intuitive, associative, implicit, and fast, is often used for coping and caring. On the other hand, the S2 method, which is deliberate, inferential, explicit, and slow, offers a distinct approach to information processing.
Remember, the most crucial step in directing our minds towards wisdom is to start with wonder. As initially expressed by Socrates, wonder can evolve into awe, as suggested by Plato, or transform into curiosity, leading to answers, as proposed by Aristotle. Both perspectives underscore a higher-order relevance realization.