#30 | Critical Thinking, Martial Arts & Philosophy: Timeless Lenses to See Oneself + How to Live One’s Best Life + Structure vs. Flexibility: The Sweet Spot + Existentialism | Dr. Brian Barnes

My guest today is Dr. Brian Barnes, a creative and disciplined thinking professional with broad & deep experience in higher education, project management & sustainability-oriented leadership. Just to name a few of his many credentials & involvements: Scholar at the Foundation for Critical Thinking, conducting professional workshops in critical thinking methods; philosophy professor at the University of Louisville and lecturer at several other institutions. Dr. Barnes is also head instructor in Hontai Yoshin Ryu jujutsu & co-owner of Louisville Compost, where he provides sustainability services.

This episode is really about 'how to live one’s best life' & see oneself through timeless lenses such as martial arts, philosophy & critical thinking! Especially 'Critical thinking' is essential if we are to get to the root of our problems and develop reasonable solutions. As the quality of everything we do is determined by the quality of our thinking!

Brian takes us on a wild ride through a multitude of topics, ideas, & great thinkers such as Buddha, Socrates, Heidegger, Kant & Sartre - discussing timeless questions in philosophy, psychology & ethics:
- Exploring what's possible as a human being
- Why projects are supposed to be feeding you (not just financially)
- Why human experience is more than capitalism
- Existentialism & authenticity
- Life is finite: What makes it the best you can live?
- How our assumptions distort our perception
- ‘Weird’ topics such as sustainability, Japanese martial arts & Zen meditation
- Teaching through ‘care’
- Fundamental concepts & where does your thinking come from?
- Intersubjectivity is real
- How to find logic through self reflection
- The importance of flexibility & how to practice it
- Structure vs. Chaos
- Determinants of how systems improve your life or not
- Leadership, responsibilities & human skills
- Relevance of processes, standards & values
- Creativity: The sweet spot of (some) structure
- The art of falling: How to bounce back & build resilience
- Principles of martial arts
- Living life without a net
- How society pulls us away from our authentic self
- Why each one of us is always an example of humanity
- Intellectual standards: How to be intellectually courageous
- Why no one got successful alone: Importance of giving back
- Why autonomous thinking clashes with institutions
- Power perpetuation of systems
- Socratic questioning & sophistry
- Empathy or reconciling self & society
- Why thinking & social processes are deeply connected
- Why the first work is never the best
- Upgrading ideas & why its inauthentic to copy others

► About Dr. Brian Barnes:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbrianbarnes/
Podcast: https://www.forwardradio.org/criticalthinkingforeveryone

Further Resources:
https://www.criticalthinking.org/
https://www.hyrusa.com/

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