Beliefs govern every facet of our lives and it is well to be aware of precisely what ours are, how deeply they actuate us, then winnow out chaff not fit for purpose.

So many different beliefs; yet so few unanimously held!  Are those that are not our beliefs entirely wrong or is there something in them, root or branch, that we may glean to advantage?  There may be comfort in following a herd – ask any lemming or sheep – but as you act on your beliefs why not ‘look before you leap’ into them?  A journey of careful thought about principles and prejudices may be as important as an arrival at a provisional universal truth.

There may be matter for reflection in some of the views that are set out here but they must be only a tiny fraction of systems of belief that are held by people and they may be the a springboard to help you dive into this endlessly fascinating area.

Who knows in advance what musty nook in our thinking conceals a nugget?  Pack a torch for your voyage of reflection to light up more clearly alternative paths.

Note: It is mainly visitors to this website who curate it. Ideas featured are not claimed to be ‘the truth’ or ‘the whole truth’ nor is there a pecking order in the catalogue. Suffice that their initiators or exponents devote much thought to them.

More on this Subject

The International Political Stage

The International Political Stage

Questions below are simply a few suggested subjects for debate Truth is buoyant – it will surface at some point and become obvious to all.  Chinese proverb For Aristotle, there was a wisdom that brought people closer to divine rationality, ‘sophia’. This wisdom was for thinking about questions such as the nature of the divine, ethics or the function of the state. William Bates I think the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology... Its ...
Mysticism / the Unseen World

Mysticism / the Unseen World

The unseen world! Is it any wonder that so many people ‘see’ it in different ways? Is it not passing strange that ‘so many’ people see it? If there is nothing to be seen, how come? Is it a collective delusion?
Faiths and Religions

Faiths and Religions

A non-exhaustive tour d’horizon of some controversies about the latest ways of looking at religions generally
What’s The Institute About?

What’s The Institute About?

"Hi there Eve, fancy a tipple?  So what d'ya think the institute is all about?" "I'll try and make it simple for you Adam!  Reflection might be taken for granted as a mental process but it can be much more than a rote activity.  It can help  sharpen a perspective on our thinking and our lives.  We can be ourselves.. No need to try and cut out some of the things that make us human like faddish 'Meditation' with its roots in in ...
Sanctuary

Sanctuary

A wholesome perspective is vital, the idea in Frederick Langbridge‘s couplet: ‘Two men looked out of prison bars / One saw mud, the other stars’. One may as well use the best tools that are to hand. It can be easier to think your own thoughts and find your best perspective when in a congenial space for a retreat. A Sanctuary is any place that you think is a sanctuary. You can design it for yourself but are welcome to drop in on our virtual sanctuary. It may help you feel comfortable in exploring what is important to you.
Practical Wisdom

Practical Wisdom

ACTION STARTS WITH THOUGHT. Do you start to ‘act’ – in this sense – in the right mental space? Do you learn ‘on the job’ of life? Are there viable short cuts? Is yours an approach to take into account as many as possible useful factors? School yourself to reach your best way of taking decisions.

Law

THE ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM Much of what is below is commonly accepted; little enough substantively speaking is done about it save in some individual cases.  An overall picture of what many of us may think idly about English Law may serve to file some teeth of legal watchdogs? If the law supposes that," said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, "the law is an ass — a idiot. If that's the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish ...
Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

In the 1970s a popular card that was often perched on office manager’s desks read: ‘LOOK ALIVE!  YOU CAN BE REPLACED BY A MACHINE!’   It may have been ahead of its time.

Medicine

MEDICINE Lourdes Who in the West sits up at the name of Ms Youyou Tu? Malaria is a killer epidemic with records in traditional Chinese medical literature dating from the Zhou Dynasty. Three thousand years ago Zhou Lia published his findings.  Youyou Tu took from them what she found relevant for a cure in the twentieth century. And if ‘Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold’ was published more recently in the Tang Dynasty of 618–907 A.D., Youyou Tu was not ...

Faith and Religions

FAITHS and RELIGIONS The centrality of belief-systems and value-systems in our way of thinking prompts discussion about Faiths and Religions in almost any treatise on Reflection. Cautionary notes:  All adherents of Religions, Faiths, and Cults, be they spiritual or temporal, are hereby assured that the purpose hereunder is far from an intention to attack anyone’s faith.  People are cordially begged to take up the metaphoric telescope bequeathed by Galileo and look ...
On the place of the individual

On the place of the individual

This section considers specific experiments and theses that point up aspects of how belief-systems should be modified as a result of the recent findings in science. There is a huge reservoir of information about the latest scientific developments with more coming in all the time and it is not possible to do more than touch the surface of what is available. Introduction: The advance of science shows us that the seat of some emotions and thinking processes are circumscribed in their ...

Full Theory

The theory behind the Institute of Reflection is expounded in this essay.

Articles from The Institute of Reflection

No results found.

Videos