In the pursuit of communication and logical thinking

The internet has opened up wonderful opportunities of talking to others like this forum.

We can share information and many people use it mainly for this, but for me the most valuable is the sharing of ideas.

I use clear ideas and reason to guide my energies that come from my emotions. We get 'fired up' when we see a goal we want to achieve, then we sort out how we are going to get there.

Sometimes we expend a lot of energy with little result because we haven't sorted our ideas and worked out where we are trying to go!

The very act act of setting an idea or concept down in words (or speech) helps us formulate what we think because we can then examine what is said. We attempt to be clear and consistant. To develop an idea by building : one idea is coupled with another and a logical outcome becomes apparent.

Often the act of setting ideas down leads to 'solutions' - this was found to be true in The Scottish branch of Samaritans,some time ago. Clients would normally go to or phone a branch of Samaritans but in the far-flung parts of Scotand phone calls could be expensive or unavailable and physical visits near impossible. People with personal problems thus took to letter writing and the Branches started to report a certain unusual type of letter - it often ended with a statement of the kind - "Thanks for 'listening'. No need to reply because I've sorted my problem out just through writing this letter"

How many letters never got sent?

Second if we can be precise in expressing our ideas, others can understand them and can offer their thoughts in return. A logic of building ideas takes place. This can help the originator to re-evaluate thinking. With a group of people all interested in pursuing ideas: all seeing the ideas differently and very exciting progression of thinking takes place.

This is the practice inherent in what we call Philosophy. It requires very precise and logical thought sequences. Some think that it is very sad that Philosophy is not valued as a discipline in schools from an early age and are introducing it with very beneficial results to children age seven up and not leaving it to an option in Sixth form at 17 years old. The benefits are that youngsters start to be able to see subjects/people/information from different points of view - they become less 'narrow thinking' more accommodating of other people's points of view - more 'mature'.

When discussions take place, we may be quite clear what we are saying but the terms we use are understood differently by others

All very basic stuff, you'll agree.

What I find frustrating is when people start using 'buzz' words that are 'in' without stopping to ask what they mean. Often all they mean is something that has been around for fifty years under another name!

It could be said that Socrates started off (continued) 'personalised learning' - A.S.Neil more recently.

How can we have it when the government lays down what is to be learnt? And the public are confused about what is to be learnt.

Social Networking - do we first need to define the desired 'society' and to what end do we network?

Carbon footprint who's carbon - Chinese goods - their carbon or ours.

All very vague and hardly worth talking about until we define terms!

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Do any of mine make sense?

Less information - more communication - about ideas in clearly defined terms!