Philosophy

30 Phil, Chapter 8, Plato, Touchstone 21: Ignorance is Bliss. The concept of “Ignorance is bliss” says being uninformed or unaware of certain truths can lead to greater happiness. Take, for example, germophobes—people who are excessively concerned about germs. Constant awareness and meticulous research about germs and contamination could elevate their levels of stress, affecting

30 Phil, Chapter 8, Plato, Touchstone 20: Reflective Inquiry. Reflective inquiry is the act of exploring and examining one’s own thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions to clear the illusions of life. It encourages a constant state of self-assessment, providing a foundation for intellectual growth based on a more authentic life. For example, with the Socratic Method,

30 Phil, Chapter 7, Heraclitus, Touchstone 17: Identity. Identity is the personal mosaic of attributes that set you apart as an individual. Your identity is shaped by the worldview you embrace and mold. It encompasses the world you were born into — encompassing aspects like gender, ethnicity, and nationality — and extends to your personal

30 Phil, Chapter 7, Heraclitus, Touchstone 17: Worldview. A worldview is your current knowledge, perspectives, beliefs, and values, which evolves with experience and influences your interpretation of reality and self. Your worldview is comprised of all the frameworks you’ve embraced, and a good place to start your exploration is with the three major ones: language, religion,

30 Phil, Chapter 7, Heraclitus, Touchstone 17: Impermanence and Flux. Impermanence as Flux is the idea of an ever-changing nature of life and the interconnectedness of all things. It is summed up as: “Everything is in flux.” Like the idea a “river,” everything flows. The only constant is change, and to resist it is to resist

30 Phil, Chapter 6, Buddhism, Touchstone 16: Nondualism-Dualism. Nondualism and dualism help to explore the many variations and nuances within the overarching discussion of our nature, whether we have a soul, what happens to it, etc. Dualism says the mind and the body are distinct entities from each other and from the universe. How they interact

30 Phil, Chapter 6, Buddhism, Touchstone 15: Illusion: Self and Non-self. The Buddhist terms of Atman and Anatman relate to the idea of “Self,” or “Atman,” your eternal soul and the Buddhist doctrine of “Non-Self,” or “Anātman.” To understand non-self, you have to understand the concept of “emptiness,” which refers to the idea that nothing lasts

30 Phil, Chapter 5, Confucius, Touchstone 14: Schemas. A schema is a mental structure we employ to organize and interpret information. We classify things into schemas, which we can then modify by adding or removing elements. Schemas help us simplify life. Once things are categorized as normal or abnormal, we utilize our cognitive processes, such as

30 Phil, Chapter 4, Laozi, Touchstone 12: Unknowable Dao. The “unknowable Dao” is the skeptical belief that the true nature of reality is unknowable. The Unknowable Dao is a mysterious universal reality that transcends both language and thought; it encapsulates the ultimate reality and its inherent natural order. It’s the idea that the Dao cannot

30 Phil, Chapter 4, Laozi, Touchstone 10: Authenticity. Ziran is often translates to “of its own.” Living in accordance with Ziran means you embrace naturalness. You welcome the spontaneous aspects of existence. With Ziran, you flow with nature while embracing your true self and innate tendencies, your authentic self. Living in accordance with Ziran is you