What do you think?

[coberst]

What do you think?

Often I get a question from a viewer who asks in somewhat of an irritated manner “Well what do you think?” The question seems to recognize that I often write about something that I have learned while reading a certain book that I quote in my OP.

I write primarily because writing helps me comprehend.

I am a retired engineer and my engineering education consisted primarily of working problems using mathematics. I was taught primarily by the process of doing “home work” that consisted of solving problems from the text book. In most of the natural sciences that I am familiar with the text book had many problems at the end of each chapter that had to be solved mathematically and the professor would assign problems to be worked for the next class. This home work was handed in and graded. No one could learn this type of material if they did not work problems.

When dealing with narrative type of material I have discovered that I cannot really fix a comprehension of the material unless I write about it. I try to create a narrative that allows me to recognize the degree of my comprehension of the material. Only in creating a narrative can I judge my degree of comprehension.

Because I also use this narrative in an OP to convince others of the legitimacy of the ideas I will quote the author so that the reader can readily see that I am not just giving my opinion but that I am giving my judgment of the material based upon the authors work.

I am convinced that the best way to learn is to study what the best minds have written. When I quote from a book I do so to let the reader know the quality of the material I am studying. The reader can then judge the quality of the ideas I express based upon not just my judgment but based upon the quality of the mind of the author of the book. In this way the reader can judge the quality of the source of this idea.

There are opinions, considered opinions, and judgments. Opinions are a dime-a-dozen; everyone has an opinion about almost everything. Exchanging opinions may be entertaining but is of little value when learning is the goal. Considered opinions are opinions that have received a good bit of analysis and thought. Judgments are formed about considered opinions that have received a good bit of study and analysis. Learning requires good judgment regarding ideas as expressed by the best minds.

[Trevor]

I like this. It got me brainstorming about the idea that we are all individual libraries (our minds) that collect information from infinite sources throughout our lifetimes.
Have you ever gone to a library where the books are on the shelf, but some are not in the right dewey decimal system's order. This can be caused by a number of things: innattention to detail by the staff, people reshelving the books (oh there's a space), little kids, etc.
When I want to respond to a post, sometimes I have to recall all that I've learned on a particular subject within a certain frame of time. I think that this is a talent that can be developed by some better than others. I think that everyone wants to give the most accurate information that they can.
Sometimes this is not always possible because of many factors: the age of the esablishment, prior recall practice, or the innability to write about feelings versus factual information.
I think that our brains are like miniature library systems and our opinions are sometimes judged by how reliable our sense of recalling the information that we have shelved is found. Even throughout a day this can change and depend on an individual person's energy levels.
Just a thought.