thinking about thought

There was an inkling to gather thoughts about thinking: so I set up the laptop in the warm kitchen.

'Metacognition’ was quick to appear and I followed it up in the MSWord ‘smart lookup’ tool which put a link to Wikipedia –

‘Metacognition is "cognition about cognition", "thinking about thinking", "knowing about knowing", becoming "aware of one's awareness" and higher-order thinking skills'.

The higher-order thinking skills are dealt with in the pre-frontal cortex where they are labelled as executive functions. They parallel the stages of the project planning cycle - situation analysis, policy formation, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating.

Khaneman recognises two types of thinking -fast and emotional and slow and rational. The fast type is useful in situations of clear and present danger - escape from predators. The slow type is useful for being creative and thinking new thoughts.

Neither type of thinking presents an abiding truth and reality. Ideas and words are memes that evolve. Languages are forever developing with some ideas passing their sell-bye date and others catching on.

Babies learn their local language with great ease. Guidance comes from family, community, school, the workplace and the media.

Most of the young ones come to embody their parochial natal language.This is good so long as it 'keeps the peasants in ignorance' and prepared to die for king and country. Absorb the propaganda and demonise the enemy.Them and Us - and we are the precious ones.

"I like tomatoes and I don't like potatoes."
"Who is the -i- who likes and dislikes and why?"

Meditators can be good TFM watchers in that they detach from the cognitive churn which has no abiding reality.

It is never too late to change your mind but it can be difficult to remember to do so. Difficult but not impossible. It is like training a lively dog.Patience.

SO - be still and know.Let the churn of TFM settle such that there is peace in every step