Thinking – Page 2 – Peter Saint-Andre, Philosopher-Coach

Mental Junk Food

These days every article, video, podcast, or tweet needs to scream for your attention. Even worse, much of what you’re shown online is determined by algorithms that put a premium on popularity, which is itself driven by the all-too-human feelings of greed for sensation and fear of disaster. In this brave new world of ours,Continue reading “Mental Junk Food”

Both Sides, Now

You hear it all the time: “this is a topic that both sides can agree on” … “both sides are to blame for this mess” … “she is one of those rare people who appeals to both sides” … and so on. No! The first mistake we make is in thinking that there are onlyContinue reading “Both Sides, Now”

Opinions, Expectations, and Emotions

Following up on my series of posts about the phenomenon of opinion, I’ve been pondering the relationship between opinions, expectations, and emotions. It’s well known that emotions are based on a conception of how things are or should be (as a simple example, one person might get excited by a Fourth of July fireworks displayContinue reading “Opinions, Expectations, and Emotions”

Cultivating Curiosity

In my drive to hold fewer opinions (or at least hold them less strongly), for a while I tried to cultivate a healthy skepticism about things I believe – for instance, by attempting to question one opinion every week. This didn’t work, at least for me, because it felt too negative. Instead, now I’m workingContinue reading “Cultivating Curiosity”

Questions and Answers

Consider the following statements… “There are no answers, only questions.” “Life is all about the journey, not the destination.” “A teacher or a counselor should encourage dialogue, not provide direction.” All true as far as they go. And yet. Life is finite. There is no escaping the necessity for answers and destinations and directions, evenContinue reading “Questions and Answers”

Philosophy vs. Ideology

Today I’d like to explore some implications of my recent series of posts about the nature of opinion; specifically, the dangers of ideology. (As a reminder, so far I’ve discussed holding fewer opinions, opinions about opinions, holding multiple opinions, opinions vs. truths, and opinions weak and strong.) Ideology is insidious. When I value strict adherenceContinue reading “Philosophy vs. Ideology”

Opinions Weak and Strong

Continuing a thread that I started to explore earlier this year, I’d like to take a closer look at the intensity of opinions. Here as almost everywhere, there is a continuum: we all have opinions we hold strongly and opinions we hold weakly. Not only do the specific contents of these buckets change over time, but inContinue reading “Opinions Weak and Strong”

Opinions vs. Truths

In recent posts we’ve looked into holding opinions about fewer topics, holding multiple opinions about the same topic, and changing our opinions about the opinions that other people hold. But what exactly is an opinion? Let’s take a closer look. Pyrrho, a fascinating but shadowy figure reputed to be the founder of ancient Greek skepticism,Continue reading “Opinions vs. Truths”

Holding Multiple Opinions

Sometimes it’s difficult to hold fewer opinions in your own mind or to engage in cognitive empathy toward others; that’s when it can help to hold multiple opinions at the same time. This might sound like the mental equivalent of juggling plates, but it’s a skill worth cultivating (and one with an ancient pedigree, asContinue reading “Holding Multiple Opinions”

Opinions about Opinions

My friend Paul sent me a few thoughts about my recent post on holding fewer opinions. He’s formulated an approach that involves holding fewer opinions about other people’s opinions. This seems valuable, and related to a post I wrote four years ago entitled “Why Do You Think What You Think?” My introspective conclusion then wasContinue reading “Opinions about Opinions”