Recognizing the world LO23419

Philip Pogson (ppogson@uts.edu.au)
Mon, 29 Nov 1999 08:31:37 +1100

Replying to LO23383 --

Dear Srikanth,

Thanks for your thoughtful email. May I make some suggestions however?

>When I become 'Buddhist' or 'Christian' only; I block that way of learning.

Why would learning be necessarily blocked by making an intelligent,
heart-felt choice of a particular set of religious belief structures? The
adoption of a particular world view need not stop us entering into other
world views, indeed I find it a creative and mid-stretching exercise to
attempt to do so. In my view, any committed attempt to profoundly
understand the beliefs of others is potentially a creative starting point
for dialogue and understanding.

>My point is that let us not make the world-views "out there" dictate how
>we should think and feel. If we do not exercise the CHOICE of free and
>independent thinking, we may endanger our learning. The following two
>statements sum up what I think is at the core of learning:

Does not your statement above in itself represent a world view, a core
assumption of which appears to be the belief that the adoption of a
particular objective, "external" religion limits our capacity to develop
our subjective, "internal" capacity to learn and grow. Further, based on
this assumption you seem to be saying that we are more "free" when we
accept that adopting one religion and using that as a starting point to
understand the world, is a lesser position than attempting to stand
outside all religions and commence our exploration from that point.

We should remember that at a certain point science becomes a defacto
religion, as does secular humanism. Many scientists use their expertise
in science as a starting point to create a meaningful view of the world
even though much of what is written (eg about the starting point of the
Universe) cannot be proven or disproven using the scientific method or
repeatable experiment! Science struggles to create meaning, as religion
struggles at times to deal with science.

I am not saying you are wrong by the way...just that you too are
expressing a coherent world view, as much as any formal religion attempts
to do.

Kind regards,

Philip
Philip Pogson
Leadership Development Strategy Consultant
Staff Development Branch
University of Technology Sydney NSW 2007
Australia

ph: +61 2 9514 2934(w)
fax: +61 2 9514 2930(w)
ph/fax: +61 2 9809 5185 (h)
mobile: +61 0412 459156

"The new heresy for the organisational renewal movement to espouse is that
when we build organisations that act upon this world we must not do so
with the intent to exploit, pollute and plunder but to renew the life of
the planet and ourselves."

-Dexter Dunphy

-- 

Philip Pogson <ppogson@uts.EDU.AU>

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