Is it possible to change the WAY in which one thinks?
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Peace Wakas,
peace all,
We all know that we can add information to what we already know but what I am more interested in is the way we learn/think.
For example
can we increase our IQ?
Improve our logic/analytical skills/problem solving ability/reason?I am confident it can be done but I was wondering if anyone had read up on this topic? Tried something aimed to do this? What did they do etc.
Does anyone think one could come up with a "Quranic How To Guide..." for this?
Just thought I'd throw this out there.
As a start, the ONE THING I can always suggest for trying to get a person to Rationalize is to ask them what is called Open Ended Questions. These are questions that Cannot be answered with a yes or no. An open ended question, worthy of the name, is a question that requires a person to Think/Ponder on the question asked of him or her and requires an explanation from the person in order to supply his or her answer.
I will try my best to find it, but I remember a couple of years ago I came across a website where a person who was promoting/defending the Quran Alone Position asked a series of questions that eventually lead to only one conclusion. And at the end of this excerise he asked the reader where does it say in the quran to break one's fast (during Ramadhan) before Al-Layl. Then he pointed out what is said in 2187. One thing I must say though is that the questions where actually yes or no questions (i.e. do you believe the quran is the word of GOD, yes or no? Do you believe that it is complete and fully detailed, yes or no? Are there any mistakes in it, yes or no?). This sort of thing.
If anyone else here knows what I am talking about, can you please post the website in question?
Peace,
Damon. -
I don't think we can change much of the way we think or use logic.. our knowledge can improve though there is a limit of what one can take.
Have you heard of sensitive period and critical period? maybe it doesn't quite explain exactly what you want.. though basically sensitive period is a time when you can take in alot and learn from it where as critical period it's harder to induce.
You can cause doubt through constructive criticism/questioning.. though that doesn't always work. Sometimes the idea seems way out of what someone knows.. so it just seems to extreme or to "illogical" for their mind to take in..
I think small changes can be made, I think if a better perspective has been put across and they agree that people may change, experiences make people think of things differently also. Though I believe there's limits and it really depends on the person...
BTW Daman if you could find the link that would be an interesting read
Salam
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peace
I think we can change the way we think. But isn't that different from improving or adding knowledge? I can know more facts, but I could still think the same way about them, reach the same interpretation. But I think that we can change our thinking so that we look at the same thing, or experience the same thing, and see something different or reach a different understanding. I don't know about the how. -
Salaam Wakas , all
Thank you for starting this Topic. I am of the opinion that One can definitely change the way One thinks . As a matter of Fact, I wouldn't sit down with anyone from years back if they have not changed the way they think . As you know that there is nothing in this Universe that Remains Static, everything is constantly changing, interpenetrating and transforming each other. ( matter in Motions ),
Of Course those of us who have changed over to God alone / Quran alone Islam as a way of Life have made a Revolutionary Change in Our Way of Thinking . However , for a Person to change his/her way of thinking , there has to be external factor(s) triggering these changes , such as Our personal circumstance, such as Financial, health, the environment we live in and various Needs that compel us to seek Solutions to Our Problems . Unless one is satisfied fully with his/ her current situations than One will not seek to change hie/her way of thinking. For people who wish to change Others ( the World ) of course, changing the way One thinks is an Imperative.
To change the Way one Thinks necescitate for One to understand One's self-Concept ( how you see yourself ) , and this of course will lead to quest for Ne Knowledge . My own personal Experience in Changing the way I think, Perceive Others and the World began with attending Philosophy Classes ( beginners), then I read Psychology and Human Experience and Finally attended Dialectics and Dialectical Materialialism ( Historical ) in Summer camps . Ever since then I was a Changed person , I no longer Wonder Why Things happen instead I watch things happen. And occasionally I make things .
I am not the same person as at the beginning of writing this Post but I am a changed Person and a few Minutes Older , a few mins Closer to the Grave and Hopefuly a better and a Wiser human being by the time I click Post on the Mouse Button .
Of Course The Quran is The Major influence in my Quest to better My way of thinking , but acquiring other Knoledge such as philosophy, History, Politics and Economics certainly Help.
Cheers and God Bless
almarh0m
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peace,
Thanks for the responses so far.
honor, going from 148 to 142 in terms of IQ may not necessarily mean you lost knowledge. I'm sure there is some sort of variability to be expected in such tests, e.g. +/- 8.
Damon, I definitely agree that the type of question can influence the response.
Sarah, the reason I asked this question was that I was recently reading a book on changing the way we think/learn and it did mention sensitive/critical periods. I also agree there are limits, for example I'm not suggesting you can turn someone into a genius but you can certainly improve upon what they already have. Galileo once said "You can't teach anyone anything. You can only help them find it within themselves". I like that.
pheonix, the book I read said a similar thing in that you can add more knowledge but the way in which you think about them may be the same. A significant flaw one might say. Thus, one could suggest make sure your thought process is the best it can be before you even attempt to add more knowledge. Ideally, do both. This is one aspect of AQ I have grown to appreciate more.
almarh0m, I think internal factors can be agents of change as well, e.g. self-questioning, quest for spiritual betterment etc, but I can see how they are linked to externals. "Unless one is satisfied fully with his/ her current situations than One will not seek to change his/her way of thinking." - I agree. Why would anyone want to go down a path that makes them question themselves, their way of life etc. it is MUCH easier choosing the path of least resistance, but it is this that makes men as well as rivers crooked (B.J Palmer).
An excelent link (which I have listed before) showing there are courses in this very subject
http//web.archive.org/web/20040415023848/http//www.santarosa.edu/~dpeterso/permanenthtml/lessonFRAME.html
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bump
Another website I refer to often
http//www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/I also came across this one today, seems decent
http//www.logicalfallacies.info/THanks Wakas,
We're on the same page here...One of the root cause is on the 'though process'.
By following their own 'thought process' / 'logical fallacy' and put it in another context can really shows the fallacy on their way of thinking thus consequently the proposed 'factual conclusion' as a result from it.Example
Known Fact Jesus is the son of God.
Conclusion Jesus is God the son.Known Fact Jesus is God's messiah
Known Fact God put His word into Jesus and act to fulfill His promises to the children of Israel through Jesus
Conclusion Jesus is God Himself.Known Fact Jesus doesn't have biological human father.
Conclusion God must be his father.
Conclusion Due to the (derived) fact that God 'fathered' him; Jesus must also be a God.
Conclusion Since Mary is his mother and Mary give birth to a God, then Mary is also a God.Abraham once does this magnificently as told in the Quran. (the biggest idol / statue is the one who destroyed them!)
But of course as told in the same story, showing the people of their own 'logical fallacy', doesn't necessarily guarantee that they will change their mind. Their 'ego' will came into play and 'anger' burst out as the results. One of the key lesson that i learned by 'practicing' the above to many people, including in this forum, is we cannot change other people's mind; we can only open the door for them, and they themselves have to think/ponder and finally change their own mind.Salam / Peace
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peace Jafar,
I agree. One can only be shown the door, but it is them who has to walk through it.
The Quran has many logical arguments, some are cited and analysed in this book for example.
As as example, as I have said on the forum before, I personally do not see what I do (i.e. the way I approach/study) as anything special, and it can be done by anyone. It is simply a matter of training the mind how to think.
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Wakas and the way you study might be different than the way someone else studies.
Of course.
but the way you think is different than the way you acquire knowledge.
Aren't we saying the same thing? If not, please clarify.
I am differentiating between how one thinks, and simply acquiring/increasing one's information. It's like if we had a magical machine that had a filter inside it, which differentiated between good info and bad info, if this filter (i.e. thought process) is defective, it doesn't matter what info you put/feed into the machine.
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peace all,
We all know that we can add information to what we already know but what I am more interested in is the way we learn/think.
For example
can we increase our IQ?
Improve our logic/analytical skills/problem solving ability/reason?
I am confident it can be done but I was wondering if anyone had read up on this topic? Tried something aimed to do this? What did they do etc.
Does anyone think one could come up with a "Quranic How To Guide..." for this?
Just thought I'd throw this out there.Peace,
respectfully.I have tried this and it works, Thank God.
Try doing two or more things at the same time, try reading a book and watching a movie, try reading paper while tlaking to your friends and having a meal. Brains will be "forced" to do more work and more synapses will grow inbetween the neurons, God willing.Also, be more active, whatever activity you're doing, do it more then 100%. be involved in more things then usual.
Right now, i'm writing on this forum, listening to music and trying to find another job. Hopefully, God willing, this will "burden" my neurons, not too much though and as a result mor synapses will grow inbetween them, God willing.Therefore, I.Q., will grow, due to extra information that will arive. Brains accept ALL info that comes along, ALL INFO food income, beverage, new friends, more friends, talking, breathing, walking, watching, looking, reading, thinking, listening, feeling, sensing, touching, recording all this info, storing the info, planning, ..... and more, God willing.
This is why i moved from SuperMegaExtraReallyBoRiNg Leicester to Extremly FUN London - but we must not forget that some people here are suffering and need our help - London is the best and i love it. Join me. We got this pool in the Marble Arch. I go over there every day, dip my legs in it and think .....well, there are no thoughts, just joy. yay rotfl bravo group yes yes yes yes )
Peace.
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I think thinking and knowledge are different but they intertwine with each other. Let me think of an example.
It?s difficult to explain?. People ?think? differently and I don?t think it necessarily all links with knowledge but it does link with it. We?re all born with different temperaments and our personalities are shaped by it along with our environment and by knowledge gained. Our thinking affects our personalities don?t you think? Why are some people positive and some negative? Why do people get angry easier than others?
I think that our instinct has thoughts.. maybe that?s the wrong word but like we innately have passions which drive our thoughts by knowledge it changes them. If we choose to follow the knowledge.
Maybe I?m not making much sense but basically knowledge shapes our thoughts. And it can be defective it depends on the ?knowledge? you gain. You see I can?t know everything in the world but from what I do know I can judge from good and bad, and maybe later I gain more knowledge and learn that what I thought was good wasn?t really good or it might be good but something else is better.
I think our brains automatically process good from bad until we know otherwise. Maybe I will think stealing is good because I get a lot of material things and it makes me happy but then through knowledge I will realize, I?m violating someone?s right, I?m taking someone else?s assets and causing them grief, I?m making them bankrupt or whatever. I will conclude based on knowledge that stealing is bad but maybe I might still think it?s good because I get things? Maybe my intention is evil or I?m just self centered so that it wouldn?t matter what others felt. I think that goes back to thoughts/conscious?
Before I said I don?t think you can change the way we use our logic, but I take that back. I think we can to a certain degree. We can increase IQ and our reasoning but a lot of it has to do with experience, knowledge and willingness. Thing is I really believe that we?re influenced from ?knowledge? gained as a child or even through growing up even as adults. It?s like we have been conditioned for such a long time, how does one break away from it and say it is wrong, maybe it?s right but basically you?re in a position where you question everything.
?Quran how to guide?? what do you mean exactly? How to approach the Quran, how to understand it? I think you can have your own version of Quran how to guide, and I think another person will have theirs. Maybe then you can share information and see if they all work, maybe they do maybe they don?t. Then maybe you?d need to reform your guide..
so actually our thought processes are not defective but rather transform based on our current knowledge. it's only defective when we let our actions follow the wrong? our 'evil' desires?
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AQ=Al Quran
I agree that thinking and knowledge are connected. I did not mean to imply they are completely separate. Gaining/increasing knowledge can provide a feedback loop, of sorts, which can affect/shape our thinking.
I am not saying anything radical. I could argue AQ says the same thing, e.g. when it figuratively says "they are deaf, blind etc". We all know they have ears and eyes, yet they cannot hear or see etc. They have a defective filtering mechanism.
By a 'Quran How To Guide' I simply meant by using the extensive examples in AQ of reasoning, logic, deduction, logical arguments, how to react to information, fallacies, common pitfalls, barriers, bias, how to research/verify, data set, standards of evidence etc etc. There is tons of info on this in The Quran, in fact, I am currently reading a book which touches upon this. One could even argue, this type of content is even more important than AQ's actual "laws", because if you master this content then you can theoretically become AQ, as in its teachings become internalised so your thought process is AQ's thought process. Of course, this is perhaps the theoretical ideal, but probably impossible to acheive. I refer to this as the "hikma" component of AQ.
When I originally asked the question, I was in part wondering what info was out there regarding this, but also to plant a seed. A lot of my threads in which I ask an abstract question or float an idea are about this. Some subtle, some not so subtle. The most recent one being what came first revelation or revolution? which is semi-linked to what I said here.
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You can do this by hitting the "zone". We all experience the "zone", on those days where everything works in perfect harmony and your physical well being and even hand-eye coordination tends to be tip top for no discernable reason. The more in this zone you are, the higher the quality of insights you will have. Anything that enables one to transcend ego consciousness will bring one more into the zone.
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You can do this by hitting the "zone". We all experience the "zone", on those days where everything works in perfect harmony and your physical well being and even hand-eye coordination tends to be tip top for no discernable reason. The more in this zone you are, the higher the quality of insights you will have. Anything that enables one to transcend ego consciousness will bring one more into the zone.
Peace,
Respectfully.Oh, yes, i remember how to get into the "zone".
Try this, spend one night awake and do something slow. Don't fall asleep and then the following night, go to bed right after maghrib salah and then, wake up early, for fajr salah first, but after fajr salah, stay awake and don't go back to sleep. Wait and witness the sun coming and make yourself a cup of hot tea. I'm sure you'll experience it, God willing. The calmness, the peace, the joy, watch the sun come up, listen to the silence, if you can, if you don't live in Las vegas,....enjoy.Peace.
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Peace,
Respectfully.Oh, yes, i remember how to get into the "zone".
Try this, spend one night awake and do something slow. Don't fall asleep and then the following night, go to bed right after maghrib salah and then, wake up early, for fajr salah first, but after fajr salah, stay awake and don't go back to sleep. Wait and witness the sun coming and make yourself a cup of hot tea. I'm sure you'll experience it, God willing. The calmness, the peace, the joy, watch the sun come up, listen to the silence, if you can, if you don't live in Las vegas,....enjoy.Peace.
Thanks, I will enjoy!
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Wakas the book looks interesting i clicked onto it i'm no amazon member but it had a lil excerpt
?When God created Adam, he put human being in a unique relation to himself. He voluntarily limited his own absolute freedom to act upon his creatures in ways they could not foresee; in return they chose to acknowledge his power ? and despite their own fallibility ? accept the trust (al-amana) that the heavens and the earth had refused (3372).?
I really don?t get that. Why would the author claim God intentionally limited his freedom? Or maybe I got it wrong.. but i just found it odd.
you could have a Quran how to guide on reasoning, logic, deduction etc. do you think it would be specific enough for your purpose? but sure it's possible.
OPF i'm not sure if i've been in the "zone" but what does ego consciousness have to do with physical well being and eye hand coordination / i think the zone might be about your physical and psychological well being.
seeing the sun rise is beautiful Alen it's generally quiet that time and i wish it was as simple as don't go to sleep or go to sleep at a specific time. i can never fall asleep when i want to.
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?When God created Adam, he put human being in a unique relation to himself. He voluntarily limited his own absolute freedom to act upon his creatures in ways they could not foresee; in return they chose to acknowledge his power ? and despite their own fallibility ? accept the trust (al-amana) that the heavens and the earth had refused (3372).?
i also don't get it! peace
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Are you referring to state of 'flow'? Sounds like 'flow' but it has nothing to do with increasing IQ. You get there when you concentrate on your task at hand and don't force anything. You can get into 'flow' even with noise and crazy people around you if you hit the right conditions. It's not really a state of peace and serenity. The best description I can come up with is it feels like "meditating while doing something instead of sitting on the floor with your eyes closed". For example, I've gotten into states of 'flow' many times while doing parkour, performing, playing rugby etc.
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
I wouldn't recommend taking on too many things at one time. You're more likely to be inefficient.
http//www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-myth-of-multitasking
http//www.amazon.com/Myth-Multitasking-Doing-Gets-Nothing/dp/0470372257I used to read 4 books while feeding my brain with more random information from the Internet. Did me no good. If anything, I became an information addict though I didn't retain all the information. If you can write a story with one hand while doing high-level mathematics with another, it's possible you can juggle multi-tasks very well.
