<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > chapter 1
Cognition: Minimal? paramountcy? Truth be told! </h1>
The good results of sincerity, righteousness of heart, cultivation of the body, unity of the family, governance of the country, and peace in the world all come from one thing: the supreme "cognition."
- Hint from "University"
The knower knows the beginning, the practitioner knows the success: The sacred learning is only one kung fu, and the knowledge and action cannot be divided into two things. [1]
--Wang Yangming
One can never solve problems with the level of awareness that creates them.
— Albert Einstein
Cognitive inertia is equivalent to a computer program, and it is impossible for an old program to run a new result.
- Tips from cognitive psychology
New, Nichi-Nissin, and Nissin.
—— Tang Zhi's "Pan Ming"
The human heart is in danger, and the Tao is small, and the essence is the only one, and it is allowed to cling to it.
- "Shang Shu Da Yu Mo"
On the stone tablet in front of the UNESCO Headquarters building, a sentence is engraved in various languages: "War originates in the minds of men, so it is necessary to build in the minds of men the barriers to defend peace." (Fig. 1-1) The warning language engraved on the stone tablet in front of a worldwide organization related to education, science and technology, and culture must have been chosen by thousands of people. The phrase is about "knowing" and "doing", about the search for the source of "action"—war is an action, and action comes from thought, from cognition, from "thought", from "heart". Modern psychology has confirmed that in terms of the modifiable parts, changes in behavior and emotions often stem from changes in cognition, changes in thought, and changes in the "heart."
The scientific study of modern thinking also confirms that "a small part of the meaning we give to external things is based on what we see from the outside world, and most of it is based on mental patterns of our minds." [2] Individuals often make holistic judgments based on the perception of a small part of the external people, things, and things. Therefore, the judgment of the same thing always varies from person to person, and often varies greatly, which is mostly due to the difference between the individual's inner value framework and thinking inertia.
Optimizing the individual's inner value framework, thinking habits, mental models, and improving the cognitive ability of individuals should be revered as the primary purpose of family education, school education, and social education. Good cognitive ability is manifested as: can be more objective, clearer and more true to know themselves, know others, know the world, accept themselves, accept others, accept the world, and have better analysis, reasoning, appreciation, judgment and decision-making skills.
Figure 1-1 Stone monument in front of the UNESCO Headquarters building
Source: UNESCO Chinese Encyclopedia Professional Edition. http://zy.zwbk.org/index.php?title=UNESCO#.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the importance of cognition—the importance of "thinking" and the importance of "mind" [3].</h1>
Any breakthrough in external behavior must have a breakthrough in inner cognition in advance.
"A Brief History of Mankind" pointed out that the reason why Homo sapiens was able to defeat the Ni people was because they had a mental advantage, because they had a stronger ability to think, and because they had a stronger "heart" force. In reality, many political, economic, and scientific and technological strongmen are often not better than their physical aspects, but better than their mental strength and thoughts.
At the beginning of the knower's deeds, a person's level of behavior will never exceed his cognitive level. In the face of the same external information or external events, different individuals will produce obvious emotional reactions or behavioral reactions. Because the cognitive systems in different minds—the habits of interpreting and reacting to external information—vary enormously.
The human brain's habits of interpreting and reacting to external information are similar to the operating systems of computers. A computer with no hardware problems, if there is always a problem with the operating efficiency or running results, it must be a problem with the software system. Uninstalling the old system, installing the new system, optimizing the running program are the keys to effectively solving the problem. Similarly, if the cognitive system in the individual's mind is not optimized and upgraded, many emotional and behavioral problems will recur.
The Song Dynasty "Ercheng" (程颢和程颐) once stressed that if the reader first understood the essence of the "University" and understood the importance of "zhizhi", the learning effect would be better. The opening chapter of the "University" emphasizes: "Those who want to know the truth of the ancient world must first govern their country; those who want to govern their country must first align their homes; those who want to unite their homes must first cultivate their bodies; those who want to cultivate their bodies must first straighten out their hearts; those who want to straighten out their hearts must first be sincere; those who want to be sincere in their intentions must first know them." This is tantamount to a clear admonition that the good results of sincerity, righteousness of mind, body cultivation, family unity, national governance, and peace in the world all come from one thing - "cognition", that is, to have good actions and good results, there must be supreme "cognition". Albert Einstein also lamented: "A person can never solve these problems with the level of cognition that creates problems." ”
Modern psychological research has confirmed that people receive various information through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, and this information is linked between nerve cells through "synapses" in the mind, accompanied by an increase in the number of links (synapses) and an increase in the strength of links, generating various memories, names, logic, concepts, and generating various cognitions. More than 100 billion nerve cells, more than 100 trillion synapses, each individual's mind has unlimited potential, each individual's mental nature has unlimited potential, and each individual's cognitive ability and action ability have unlimited potential. If the infinite potential is blinded by selfish desires, by the trivialities in front of us, and by the wrong links, the great "Tao" and mindfulness will be invisible--the so-called "people's hearts are in danger, and the Tao's heart is small."
When the road is ruined, the individual's mind is easily blinded by the trivialities in front of it, the individual's cognitive potential and action potential are easily blinded by the trivialities in front of them, the mind cannot be "far", the mind cannot be "up", the cognition is not "true", the action is not "good", and the feeling is not "beautiful". There is no greater waste in the world than the waste of cognitive, action, and sensory potentials.
Case 1.1.1 Confucius emphasized "thinking" and "consistently" to the simple way
Cognition is important, the heart is important, how to improve cognition? How to "make a big heart"? This is about "learning" and "thinking", about "moving" and "static". Confucius's answer was, "To learn without thinking is to be reckless, and to think without learning is to perish." Learning is very important, "books break through thousands of volumes, the road is very important", there is not enough experience accumulation, the mind is difficult to generate wisdom.
However, "people who read a lot of books and don't do well" are abundant in every era. The key may be the lack of the process of "meditation", the lack of the process of actively "sorting out" information and "merging" information, the lack of the process of "understanding" the simple essence through chaotic phenomena, the lack of the process of "consistently" consolidating key information, and the lack of the process of "static to survive, move to grind".
"The water static pole is clear, the mind is quiet, the wisdom is born" "non-tranquility is far-reaching", these ancient wisdoms are revealing one thing: there is no independent "meditation", there is no "consistent" static grinding of the supreme concept, there is no optimization and upgrading of the inner cognitive system, it is difficult for individuals to be "far away", and more learning is also in vain. Only by accumulating information at the level of clutter, the "mind" will only become more and more messy and ineffective.
There are two references in the Analects to "consistency" (see Case 1.2.1), and if these two places are considered together, their suggestive significance will be highlighted. Confucius has always been not the five-character way - "benevolence, righteousness, wisdom and faith", but the two-word way - "loyalty and forgiveness". [4] The two-word way ensures the mutual truth between the heart and reality, and ensures the mutual examination and benign interaction between thought and action, and the two-word way has achieved the sages of the ages. To study, we not only need to meditate, but also to think sincerely and innocently, to "be loyal" to realistic thinking, and to be "loyal" to the heart of "action tempering."
"The heart of the people is in danger, but the heart of the Tao is small." If the mind is often occupied by the trivialities in front of him, he will rarely have time to feel the path of heaven and earth - "the heavens cover all things without arrogance, the earth carries all things without dwelling, and the water conservancy of all things does not dispute." If the heart is always wrapped up in the chaos of the world, the individual will rarely have time to feel the great virtue of the world- the overall victory of the "good root" of human nature over the "root of evil"...
If the human heart is filled with lust and triviality, the road will be weak and difficult to see. Only "consistent", only "quiet thinking and grinding", to the simplest road can cultivate a "big river" in the individual mind, the inner cognitive system can be optimized and upgraded, and hard learning will not become in vain.
Case 1.1.2 Descartes re-"thinking", mathematics and philosophy
Descartes (Fig. 1-2) is another typical example of heavy thinking. During his two years of contemplation in holland, he brought with him only a few books (including Aquinas's philosophical writings). He always chooses several good books to read repeatedly and read with "heart", and he spends much more time quietly "thinking" to organize information than for expanding and accumulating information.
In 1619, Descartes joined the Bavarian Army. In the Bavarian winter, he sometimes spent all day by the fire and meditating. It is because of this contemplation that he transforms knowledge into wisdom. [5] In geometry, he contributed to the Cartesian coordinate system; in philosophy, he became the progenitor of modern Western philosophy. [6] It is precisely because of the influence of Descartes's heavy "thinking" that many later Western philosophical schools attached special importance to epistemology. The longer a person "thinks", the more real his sense of self-existence becomes. Confucius emphasized the importance of "thinking" in the upgrading of individual cognitive systems with "learning without thinking", and Descartes used "I think, therefore I am" to promote the role of "thinking" to the extreme.
Figure 1-2 Descartes (1596-1650 AD)
Case 1.1.3 Wang Yangming and his "Psychology"
When it comes to re-"thinking" and talking about "heart", in addition to "University", the first thing that the Chinese people think of is "psychology" and its representative figure Wang Yangming. Some commentators have said that without Wang Yangming's mental studies, Confucianism may have become a stagnant pool in the past 500 years. There are not many big truths in the field of humanities and daily use that need to be debated, inner feelings are usually more important than the big truths of the outside world, and the river of cultivating thinking in the heart of the simple way is the right thing, and the big river of "righteous thoughts" is the key to subduing trivial chaos. "University" emphasizes the importance of "to know", and after Wang Yangminglongchang realized it, he reduced the three programs and eight items of "University" into three words - "to conscience". The importance of Wang Yangming and his psychology can be seen through the following examples and evaluations.
In 1917, at the age of 24, Mao Zedong, after reading Wang Yangming's mind study, was indignant and had the ambition of the four directions, and he wrote "The Power of the Heart" with one stroke. Teacher Yang Changji of the First Division of Hunan Marveled at the breadth of his "heart", the breadth of his "intention", the depth of his "thinking", and the greatness of his "zhi", and it was expected that this young man would have great achievements in the future, and the composition gave a full score and added 5 points, and later he also assigned his beloved daughter Yang Kaihui to this young man with lofty ideals. [7]
Mr. Tao Xingzhi, a modern educator, admired Wang Yangming's idea of "unity of knowledge and action", and successively changed his name to Tao Zhixing and Tao Xingzhi. Attaching importance to the "heart" without falling into the quagmire of idealism, and the unity of knowledge and action, is the key to making the mind strong and powerful, and the action effective.
In 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out when participating in the discussion of the national "two sessions" that Wang Yangming's psychology is the essence of traditional Chinese culture and one of the entry points for enhancing the cultural self-confidence of Chinese. [8] Wang Yangming's mind emphasizes: The way of the saints, my nature is self-sufficient. Do not ask for anything from the outside, but from the inside to the "heart." Wang Yangming said on his deathbed: "This heart is bright, and it is also what it says!" At the moment when the economy is developing rapidly and people's hearts are slightly impetuous, it is particularly necessary to study well and understand the "heart study". Some confused people once said: "China is once again prosperous, but the heart is full of anxiety." Once extroverted to seek, anti-helpless chaos. Neither the accumulation of false fame nor material wealth necessarily guarantees peace of mind, and the best way to redeem oneself is to turn the heart of external seeking into "internal seeking."
Materialists acknowledge the importance and rationality of external pursuits such as materialism, fame, and interpersonal relations, but these external pursuits must be integrated with the inner "heart" to generate a sense of meaning at the cognitive level, to generate a sense of meaning at the cognitive level, to generate "simplicity", "supremacy", and "truth"; to generate the "unity of righteousness and profit" at the behavioral level, and to generate the "supreme good" responsibility of "homeopathy"; to generate the unity of "happiness and peace" at the emotional level, and to generate stable and lasting positive perception habits.
Case 1.1.4 Xiaozhuang was educating Kangxi
The TV series "Kangxi Dynasty" has such a plot: in the spring of the twelfth year of Kangxi (1673 AD), the then 18-year-old Kangxi Emperor, shortly after his pro-government, vigorously defied the public opinion and ordered the withdrawal of the domain, resulting in the three princes of the three clans led by Wu Sangui, the prince of Pingxi, launching the "San Fan Rebellion". Many provinces across the country rebelled one after another, and the Qing soldiers were defeated and retreated due to insufficient preparations, so that half of the country and mountains were lost, and for a time the Qing Empire was in danger. The young Kangxi Emperor had the idea of moving the capital to Shengjing and abdicating the throne, and pleaded guilty before the ancestors. At this time, Yang Qilong's rebellious party had broken into the Forbidden City, and in response to the eunuchs of the Inner Palace who had already been arranged, the spearhead was directed at the supreme ruler. Outside the palace, 100,000 people were in a hurry, and Empress Xiaozhuang did not move, and scolded Kangxi: "What is unworthy of being an emperor?" You are obviously six gods and no master, fleeing in distress, abandoning the world... People have already hit the doorstep, you just abdicate again, where can you escape? Escape to the border? Is the border so secure? If he Wu Sangui really becomes a hegemon, can we still take a safe corner? ...... The greatest crisis in the Qing Dynasty is not the rebels and eunuchs outside, the greatest crisis, in your own 'heart'." [9]
Of course, the TV script inevitably has an element of deduction, but the strength of Xiaozhuang's "mental strength" is recognized by historians. There is a saying in the "Stopping Learning": "Bitterness is invisible, and it is formed in the heart." Honor and disgrace are different, and the sages are the same. Things have not worked out, ambitions have not been achieved, and there is no complaint in the heart and there is no worry about Ferga. Xiaozhuang, who has not read many books, has such a strong mental strength, according to the point of view of positive psychology, she must have cultivated the principles of "supremacy", "simplicity" and "truth" in her mind into a "big river" of thinking.
At present, after studying for many years, they have lost their "mental strength" responsibility, lost their spirituality, and lost their vitality, and there are many students who have been criticized by radical critics and even attacked these students as "giant babies" and "hollow heart disease"...
Only by piling up information at the phenomenal level, it is easy to lose some of the most precious things in life: the spirituality and vitality of life, clear cognition, strong action responsibility, the desire and effort to live in harmony with others, the awareness and reverence for many "priceless" and "impermanent" in life, the reverence for the heavenly way, the authenticity, and humanity... These should perhaps become the most important things in family education, school education, and social education at present.
The above cases are related to cognition, "learning and thinking", mental strength and responsibility, and individual mental models. "Life also has an end, and knowledge has no end", in the face of the vast universe, the long history of mankind, and the rich human heart... Each individual has a very poor life, and what he knows is very limited relative to what he does not know. Just as we claim to know the Sun, we know very little about the Sun (astronomers know relatively well). Information is unlimited, cognition is limited, but we must rely on these limited cognitions to survive.
In the face of the infinity of external information and the limitation of individual cognition, the role of the "heart" is highlighted, and in the face of the same "reality", the "heart" of different interpretations of inertia will produce different results: it can generate great righteousness, it can also generate indecency and triviality; it can generate benevolence and justice, and it can also generate selfish desires and evil; it can generate the cramped narrowness of the present, and it can also generate long-term openness; it can generate shen shen and death, and it can also generate disturbances and grievances. The importance of the "mind" emphasized by the wise men of ancient and modern times lies in their insight that the same information will produce different results under different mental patterns, different interpretation inertia, and different values. The "three views" – worldview, outlook on life, and values – are of paramount importance. The question of the "heart" is crucial, the problem of "cognition" is crucial.
This quote is taken from the early edition of Ming Longqing's early sixth edition of the Chuan Xi Lu, and other versions of the Chuan Xi Lu have different expressions of this. ↑
Jerry Winder, Colin Crook, Robert Gunther. Extraordinary Thinking: Changing Everything with Extraordinary Mental Models[M]. Zhou Xiaolin, trans. Beijing: Publishing House of Electronics Industry, 2015(1). ↑
The process of cognition lies in "thinking", and the carrier of cognition originates from the "brain" and originates from the "heart". In view of this, the importance of cognition, the importance of "thinking", and the importance of "mind" can be combined into one theme. ↑
In traditional Chinese philosophy, Taoists attach importance to the way of "law and earth, law and heaven, and law and nature", and Confucianism attaches importance to the way of humanistic daily use. Confucius said, "If you go to the Tao, you can die at night." (Analects of Li Ren IV) Confucius consistently practiced the simplest way of "loyalty and forgiveness." ↑
Good books need to be read repeatedly, important information needs to be repeatedly linked in the mind, knowledge is transformed into wisdom through contemplation, and the principles of simplicity and supremacy are integrated into their cognitive framework... A detailed interpretation of this view can be found in chapter VIII, section III. ↑
Russell. History of Western Philosophy (Volume II)[M]. Beijing:The Commercial Press,2011.] ↑
Mr. Yang Changji's emphasis on Mao Zedong was consistent: in June 1918, Mr. Yang Changji was invited by President Cai Yuanpei to become a professor of ethics at Peking University, and he recommended Mao Zedong to work in the library of Peking University. Before his death, Yang Changji wrote to his friend Zhang Shizhao (then secretary general of the Guangzhou military government, the representative of the North and South Councils) recommending Mao Zedong and Cai Hesen to him, saying in the letter: "I solemnly speak jun, the second son hainei talent, the future is great, the king does not say that to save the country is already over, to save the country must first be the second son." ” ↑
ZHANG Tao. The value of the times of YangmingXin[N]. Zhejiang Daily, 2016-12-26(011). ↑
A young man less than 20 years old can do this, indicating that his cognitive ability (mental strength) and action (responsibility) are already strong enough, but Xiaozhuang still believes that his grandson's mental strength is not strong enough, his cognition is not clear enough, and he believes that the greatest danger in the Qing Dynasty lies in her grandson's heart. ↑