Reason

I was perhaps the only student to come close to remembering the Plato quote we were set as last week's homework. It was the "opinion of the best" quote that had me thinking hard in class.

"When anger and fear, and pleasure and pain, and jealousies and desires, tyrannise over the soul, whether they do any harm or not - I call all this injustice. But when the opinion of the best, in whatever part of human nature states or individuals may suppose that to dwell, has dominion in the soul and orders the life of every man, even if it be sometimes mistaken, yet what is done in accordance therewith, the principle in individuals which obeys this rule, and is best for the whole life of man, is to be called just."

In other words, the decisions of those most highly regarded, unclouded by emotion, are closest to what is right and true.

Last night was reason, and we began with a definition: Reason is the faculty of mind which is used to know what is right and true.

The Tao tells me that we can never know for certain what is right and true and that's a fact.

So we talked about reason - and rationalisation - and how reason and rightness can differ according to levels:
Universe
Humanity
Community or nation
Family
Individual

What's right for the individual may not be right for the family and so on. Global warming got a guernsey for the final, topmost level.

The facilitator seemed to think that there was some absolute level of rightness. Have to keep an eye on him in case he's pushing Christian doctrine.

Next week: beauty