Re: Online Study/Training Program by IHCMD

At 08:47 24/08/99 -0400, Axel Dorscht sent:
> ...
>Feel free to ... repost it on other mailing lists.
>
>IHCMD Online Study/Training Program
>
>Sustaining Human Existence in Changing Conditions
>and Human Conceptual and Mental Development
>
>Beyond Religion, Philosophy and Science:
>Setting the Conceptual and Mental Conditions
>
>(October 1999 to April 2000)
>
>A. Program
> ...
>The Program is an exercise in individual conceptual and mental development.
>Developing individual understanding and mental skills and practices to
>comprehend and manage human existence ...
>
>B. Focus and Background
>
>    ... The objective is ... and of comprehending and managing, 
>primarily human mental existence, ... The approach is establishing 
>clarity and coherence of mind and 
>detailed and in-depth understanding of the known reflected in human 
>experience, not pushing the frontiers of the unknown.
>
>The Online Program will take participants through a discussion of; (a) the
>fundamental and common nature, conditions, demands and challenges,
>especially of human mental existence; (b) the historical path of human
>conceptual and mental development, of human beings trying to comprehend and
>manage their existence that has brought humanity to where we find ourselves
>today; (c) where today we are in conceptual and mental development, the
>understanding and the mental skills and practices we develop and on which
>we rely in comprehending and managing human existence, their limits,
>shortcomings and problematic human, social and ecological consequences; and
>(d) the direction we need to take individually and as a species in
>conceptual and mental development to address the conditions and problems we
>face, change the historical path of human development and sustain human
>existence in equitable ways in changing conditions and narrowing natural
>parameters within the boundaries set by nature.
>
>The Program presents an approach to understanding beyond religion,
>philosophy and science ... It presents a different view of the
>fundamentals and principles of the nature and conditions and comprehending
>and managing human existence and human development and the nature and
>causes, answers and solutions to the conditions and problems we face. The
>Program provides a conceptual framework to understand, and differentiate
>and distinguish between natural and socio-cultural conditions and
>developments and between individual and social-collective reality and
>conditions, needs and challenges, and contradictions and conflicts between
>them. A conceptual framework to differentiate and distinguish between
>natural conditions and change that lie beyond human control to which we
>must respond and adjust, and socio-cultural conditions and developments,
>which are the product of human choices, decisions and actions for which we
>must take responsibility ...
>

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**  A worthy effort, by Dr Axel Dorscht.

**  Many people would get something useful from the course (I enrolled in
the Summer School version), provided they don't confuse such a Training
Course (generally one-way flow of information) with a discussion group or
philosophy circle, and are willing to accept the way the course is run.
Note in the above: "an approach to understanding beyond religion,
philosophy and science ... It presents a different view of the fundamentals
..." That is, what people have learned from school and text-book is to be
put aside while they consider what Dr Dorscht presents as the right way of
seeing human mental and conceptual development - their world.
**  And there is a _very_ large amount of reading to be done. In my view,
the discussion papers need serious editing, but he doesn't agree that any
such considerations are a part of the course. This is the secondary reason
why I quit after attempting to keep my end up for the first two of the nine
papers. (This is the only comment I shall make _on_the_DE_list_.)

**  The welcome message I received after enrolling in early April this year
contained:

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>> ...
>>Participants are not expected to agree with what will be presented.
Participants are expected to understand, to be clear in their mind about
the issues, view and understanding that are presented.
>> ...
>>It is for participants to ... understand the view and explanations
offered, and “see” or reconstruct in their own mind the larger picture that
is being presented.
>>
>>It is for participants to compare and contrast what is being presented
with their own views, assumptions and perceptions, identify common ground
and differences, and consider the nature and causes of differences.
>>
>>... Raising points of difference requires more than voicing disagreement.
It requires identifying preceding common ground and the point where
differences arise. Differences and the reasons for them need to be
explained in some detail.
>>
>
 ---
>>Active engagement and participation, reading the discussion papers,
raising questions of clarification and points of difference are a
prerequisite of joining the Online Summer Program. 
>>Silently lurking in the background is not acceptable.

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David.
David MacClement, PhD (Physics),retired, NZ d1v9d@bigfoot.com
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3142/Pg1-AD11.html#top
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