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Feringer Notes - CIRCULATION OF THOUGHT - 1954 2 of 65
logic is an inadequate method for social analysis. The truth is just the opposite, if we are to
understand our experience more clearly and find a direction that will ameliorate destructive
divisions between peoples,wemust dominate logic, rise above it.THE TOPIC OF THIS COURSE
IS TO EXPLAIN WHY AND HOW WE ARE TO MASTER "MERE" LOGIC.
2.At different periods of our lives there is a different intensity of thought; the variations in life
reflect cycles ofintensity. For instance, in the timespan between the ages of 16-25 years one
exaggerates the importance of philosophy, of logic, of language stud, etc. If we do not do it
during this time, we will probably do very little during the rest of our lives.
3.The point is 1) thought is both our own doing, and2) it comes to us at certain times with greater
demand. Thus, 3) when, why, what for?(1 & 2) are contradictory,of course,just as life is filled
with contradictions (i.e. we are masters of our homes, but with guests, we wait on them and
provide what they want).
4.In order to really stay alive, vital and aware that is, we must bow to certain rules for the
development of our thinking. Most people are seldom aware of different types of experience and
what it means day-to-day.ONLY THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS TO SAY
CIRCULATION OF THOUGHT DO, WE COME FULLY ALIVE."...thought is only our
temporary guest, ...every one of us at times must sleep, and God has obviously ordained sleep to
warn us that we are not thinking machines." (p.4/1)
5.We can go through life without being "spiritually" or "thoughtfully" alive. Thought at times
meets no resistance, and at other times considerable resistance. What blocks and opens
circulation will be addressed. Narrow, unchanging attitudes would be an example of a blocked
"canal" of thought, i.e. people who, for the best reasons, claim to stand for "morals," but seem to
have a narrow interpretation of some concept. What is moral, for instance, is a subtle notion; in
one instance some act, say punishment, may be moral, and in another context a punishment may
be inhumane. Killing is recognized as acceptable in self-defense, for instance.
6.Thought is frail and easily breaks down, as for instance the ease in which misunderstanding
occurs. Propaganda, false advertising, political rhetoric are examples of where gross mistrust
occurs, and thus channels of communication are cut off.Connecting an abstraction like trust and
love and honesty with specific situations can be difficult, often vague, and perhaps only very
indirectly conveying meaning.
...thought is so much alive that it comes and goes as life does. (p.9/1)
7.The library is a graveyard of past events, of abstractions (principles), of stories that must be
related to our present and future actions (i.e. these ideas have no meaning until brought to life by
our actions).
8.Thought untempered by our own evaluation means the thought of others is the real governor of
our thinking. Thought proscribed by the F.B.I., or a religious group, or any profession, is the