Critical Thinking & the Spiritual Importance of Discernment with Jules Evans and Dr. Dan Wilson
- bayu bhuana
- Oct 23, 2021
- 1 min read
Recorded October 24, 2021, a live interactive online webinar with the ASI and hosts Jules Evans (philosophyforlife.org) and Dr. Dan Wilson (Debunk the Funk with Dr. Wilson on YouTube).
The title “Paramahansa”, as in “Paramahansa Yogananda”, refers to a legendary swan that was said to have been able to separate milk from water. This symbolizes the yogi’s refined discriminative faculties, which enable him or her to discern the Real from the unreal – Truth from falsehood. Many spiritual traditions and teachers emphasize that developing these faculties is essential on the spiritual path, and caution that failing to do so can throw us off course.
Today, the importance of developing discernment, or critical thinking skills, is playing out on the world stage. As documentaries such as “The Social Dilemma” have portrayed, social media connect and inform us but can also distract and divide us.
One might think that spiritual leaders and aspirants would be somewhat immune to such manipulative agendas, but in fact, many of us may be susceptible. Has spirituality eroded our critical thinking skills or failed to encourage their development? Does knowing that spirituality can reveal deep, hidden truths incline some of us to believe dubious assertions, simply because they have allegedly been concealed? How can we tell if our critical thinking skills are deficient, and what can we do to strengthen them?
This webinar will address these points.