Blogging On Truth and Critical Thinking August 23, 2008
Posted by Mark T. Market in The List.Tags: blog, critical thinking, ricky maramba, truth
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I’ve teamed up with my friend and fellow blogger, Ricky M. to put together a website on critical thinking. Here we aim to discuss topics from the mundane to the controversial–and attempt to discern the truth behind the fiction.
Check out our new blog at:
http://thecriticalthinker.wordpress.com
It’s obviously still at the infancy stages, but we hope it will garner steam and interest.
We are also opening the blog to contributors who want to share their thoughts and insights on truth regarding everyday matters big and small.
If you want to join the blog, email me at dligot@yahoo.com, or drop a message or comment at the blog itself.
Critical thinkers unite!
Blogs You Should Visit For Your Sanity’s Sake August 1, 2008
Posted by Mark T. Market in The List.Tags: blog, chinese, controversy, intsiksiomai, NPD, planetjan, religion, ricky maramba, thoughts
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Haven’t been writing much lately, but I have been doing a lot of reading. Yes the blogosphere is full of rich content about many things. Here is a sampling of the fantastic blogs I’ve been visiting lately. Check them out for your sanity.
1. Ricky M.
I wrote about my encounters with the profound and profuse Ricky M in the past and his thoughts on religion, spirituality, and social commentary can blow your mind away. True to form, Ricky has not one but THREE blogs to contain his ideas. Check them all out below:
- Ricky’s First Blog: (full of random thoughts) http://rickym.blogspot.com
- Ricky’s Second Blog: (this one full of religious, spritutal anecdotes and experiences) http://rickym2.blogspot.com
- Ricky’s Third Blog: (about his great book “The Force”) http://rickym3.blogspot.com
2. Planetjan
alwaysjan, who I first encountered discussing about narcissism, has a great blog on NPD and more at http://planetjan.wordpress.com
3. Intsik-Siomai
Guaranteed future hit on the web. Just recently minted commentary on Chinese-Filipino relationships, love in general, and why women will continue to be flaunted as possessions at best, servants and sex-slaves at worst. Check this blog for more info: http://intsiksiomai.blogspot.com
Keep your sanity and read more.
Cognitive Dissonance – Part 1: Beliefs Again May 3, 2008
Posted by Mark T. Market in Cognitive Dissonance.Tags: atheism, beliefs, da vinci code, religion, ricky maramba, the secret
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A couple of months ago, I had an interesting chat with Ricky Maramba, who is a common friend of my girlfriend and (who would have guessed) my mother. He authored a book entitled The Force which dealt with universal forces and how to harness them for your own benefit–not too far away from The Secret. The book is already out of print (it never really took off), but a few copies remain scattered around book sales.
It’s nice to talk to Ricky, because he has a very open and insightful view of religion and how they affect us. It’s really a touchy topic to most people, because for many, religion is a basic block of their beliefs, and to have them challenged or examined, is to shake the very foundations of how they think.
One reason why movies and books like the Da Vinci Code become sensational and popular, is because it provides another glimpse at commonly held assumptions.
One think Ricky mentioned stuck to me when we started talking about atheism. Does atheism mean:
“I don’t believe in God.” or;
“I don’t believe in a god.” or;
“I don’t have beliefs.”
It’s important to distinguish, because to reject “theism” and to simply not believe in it can be very different things. Ironically, atheists disagree amongst themselves a lot about what it means to be an atheist–as if atheism could be considered a religion in itself.
Interestingly, religion is my no means the only basically held tenet for many people. And my conversation with Ricky made me think about those other things that people consider “basic” to them–that if we knocked out those pillars, would it change people? For the better?
Ricky warned me before we engaged in our talk: “don’t take our banter too seriously, or you might get confused.” He knew my mother was a very religious person.
“Try me.” I said.
