Several people have indicated their interest in better
understanding and helping to spread the information
in Report #TL07B: THE NATURE OF GOVERNMENT
<http://www.buildfreedom.com/tl/tl07b.shtml> and
related reports.
I think the best starting point is to compile an
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THINKING SKILLS. Several
thinking skills are specifically mentioned in the
above report.
It seems to me that most people attempting to read
"Nature-of-Government"-type information have great
difficulty processing the information because they
lack the thinking skills for doing so.
More specific thinking skills are mentioned in the
other Clear-Your-Mind Reports
<http://www.buildfreedom.com/dir_clear.htm>.
In 1986 I did something called "Postural Integration"
(similar to "Rolfing"). At one point I asked my PI
Practitioner what he thought about humans consuming
cow's milk. He said that some people thought it was a
good idea, others thought it a bad idea -- "it's all just
opinion."
I realized that he had no thinking skills for making a
"correct" conclusion on the issue. By "correct" I mean,
"the best conclusion one can make, subject to the
information currently available.")
"We live in a world of fantasy, a world of illusion. The
great task in life is to find reality." -- Iris Murdoch, Times
interview
Noam Chomsky interviewed by Continuum Magazine --
Noam Chomsky on AIDS
<http://www2.prestel.co.uk/littleton/nc_aids.htm>:
"Q: What tools does a social analyst like yourself use
to distinguish between illusion and material reality?
Noam Chomsky: If any tools are known, I'm unaware
of them. We use our intelligence, as best we can."
Chomsky may not have been particularly deficient in
thinking skills when he said the above. It could simply
be that he had never thought in terms of identifying and
describing specific thinking skills as tools he uses to
distinguish between illusion and reality.
One thinking skill has to do with "Identifying the Crux
of the Matter." In the case of so-called "AIDS," there are
several "cruxes":
1. Is there really a disease that can legitimately be called
"AIDS?" (Or is it a linguistic fantasy created by definition,
repetition, and acceptance by the credulous?)
2. Is there any evidence that "HIV causes AIDS?"
3. How reliable are the "HIV tests?" (I've seen claims that
there are more than 60 conditions or diseases that can
cause false positives. Reportedly, because of different
standards, the same test on the same person with the
same outcome will result in an HIV-positive declaration
in one country andan HIV-negative declaration in another.)
4. Is an HIV-positive declaration a kind of "psychological
death sentence" for many?
5. Overall, are "AIDS-drugs" beneficial or harmful?
6. Who benefits most from the perpetuation of the "HIV
causes AIDS" orthodoxy?
For a directory of websites that question "HIV causes AIDS,"
see <http://www.buildfreedom.com/aidsdir.htm>.
Analyzing so-called "AIDS" and forming "correct" conclusions
requires the application of a large number of specific thinking
skills that can be identified, named, and described.
Failure to apply such thinking skills can be a matter of life
and death. Libertarian author Peter McWillams
<http://www.mcwilliams.com/>
may have died primarily because of taking "AIDS drugs."
Had he mastered and applied proper thinking skills to
his situation, he might have enjoyed many more years
of healthy life.
For details of his death, see The Life and Death of Peter
McWilliams
<http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread6340.shtml>.
Each thinking skill can be identified, named, and described.
Some examples of its use can be given. Exercises can be
developed to enable anyone to master each thinking skill.
The thinking skills can be published on BuildFreedom.com
or on a separate special website.
I suggest that anyone interested in participating in the
development of the Encyclopedia Thinking Skills subscribe
to the Deep Anarchy List, which could be used to discuss
and coordinate the activities involved. You can subscribe by
sending an email to <deep_anarchy-subscribe@topica.com>
or at <http://www.buildfreedom.com/lists/deep_anarchy.html>.
Frederick Mann
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:40:01 MDT