Why are Thai people so against thinking?

[Odysseus123]

9 minutes ago, jackspade said:

 

Exactly. Don't ask questions, or you'll risk alienating yourself from the silent majority. Not a good look here.

Then again, the same can be said of certain groups back home...

Very good points..

 

However I would query the term 'silent majority' as Thai culture is not only monopolistic but extremely 'noisy' and is highly collusive in its efforts to keep everyone in line.

 

I have always thought that "you think too much" is a warning that you are stepping/have stepped out of line-and curiosity is ,in a sense,viewed as an anarchic precursor to that appalling state of affairs.

Edited October 4, 2018 by Odysseus123

[mauGR1]

1 minute ago, Odysseus123 said:

Very good points..

 

However I would query the term 'silent majority' as Thai culture is not only monopolistic but extremely 'noisy' and is highly collusive in its efforts to keep everyone in line.

 

I have always thought that "you think too much" is a warning that you are stepping/have stepped out of line-and curiosity is ,in a sense,viewed as an anarchic precursor to that appalling state of affairs.

Spot on.

Personally, when i look at Thai society, i think of Western countries 500 years ago.

Our old "feudal system" have many things in common with the Thai system.

 

I won't call it " appalling state of affairs" though.

These unwritten laws are very logical to a certain extent, as they are supposed to make things run smoothly.

The dark side of "free thinking" is that it creates conflict(s)

[jackspade]

23 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Very good points..

 

However I would query the term 'silent majority' as Thai culture is not only monopolistic but extremely 'noisy' and is highly collusive in its efforts to keep everyone in line.

 

I have always thought that "you think too much" is a warning that you are stepping/have stepped out of line-and curiosity is ,in a sense,viewed as an anarchic precursor to that appalling state of affairs.

 

Sure, the status quo can try, "noisily", to keep the silent majority silent.

 

A bit like the American left.

Edited October 4, 2018 by jackspade

[Odysseus123]

33 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Spot on.

Personally, when i look at Thai society, i think of Western countries 500 years ago.

Our old "feudal system" have many things in common with the Thai system.

 

I won't call it " appalling state of affairs" though.

These unwritten laws are very logical to a certain extent, as they are supposed to make things run smoothly.

The dark side of "free thinking" is that it creates conflict(s)

That is true but if you are an hoary old Hegelian you might contend that progressive thinking derives from contradiction/and or conflict.

Thesis

Antithesis

Synthesis

 

Without which we might all just sit around scratching our navels..what was good enough for ma and pa (30 generations) is good enough for me.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2018 by Odysseus123

[mauGR1]

3 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

That is true but if you are an hoary old Hegelian you might contend that progressive thinking derives from contradiction/and or conflict.

Thesis

Antithesis

Synthesis

 

Without which we might all just sit around scratching our navels..

 

Come to think of it, Thais when they are dealing with money, are ardent economic Hegelians ????

We might agree that it's a circle, conflict and free thinking re-generate each other.

 

On my previous comparison, if we compare Thai society to the middle age feudal system, it took Europe 600 years of wars to get close to a democracy who was theorized by great thinkers since thousands of years.

Yet it seems that we have a long way to go.

[HAKAPALITA]

I can see why they dont bother thinking to much. Just read these thinkers replies.

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, jackspade said:

 

Exactly. Don't ask questions, or you'll risk alienating yourself from the silent majority. Not a good look here.

Then again, the same can be said of certain groups back home...

In college and later in the army and later in business I always got in trouble asking questions.  If one looks at the latest FBI attempt to ask questions you will notice no mention will be made of the questions they didn't ask in the past.  You can ask questions to make the big guy look good or you can ask questions to make him look like an idiot.  The average 9 year old can win a debate with the Pope unless the Pope is allowed to use arguments that can be proved wrong by the average 9 year old.  Does that mean the Catholic church hierarchy can't think?  They can think.  They think all of us are stupid.  There is a lot of that in Thailand.  The people who can think think the others should not be allowed to vote or at least be forced to vote until they vote for the right things like staying in the EU. 

[mauGR1]

11 minutes ago, HAKAPALITA said:

I can see why they dont bother thinking to much. Just read these thinkers replies.

Yep, i think it was Socrates who said:

You can be an unhappy philosopher, or a happy pig... Your choice ????

[Brunolem]

11 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

In college and later in the army and later in business I always got in trouble asking questions.  If one looks at the latest FBI attempt to ask questions you will notice no mention will be made of the questions they didn't ask in the past.  You can ask questions to make the big guy look good or you can ask questions to make him look like an idiot.  The average 9 year old can win a debate with the Pope unless the Pope is allowed to use arguments that can be proved wrong by the average 9 year old.  Does that mean the Catholic church hierarchy can't think?  They can think.  They think all of us are stupid.  There is a lot of that in Thailand.  The people who can think think the others should not be allowed to vote or at least be forced to vote until they vote for the right things like staying in the EU. 

???

 

You have lost me with this hodgepodge...the army, the FBI, the pope, the EU...a bit too much for breakfast...

[HAKAPALITA]

Just now, mauGR1 said:

Yep, i think it was Socrates who said:

You can be an unhappy philosopher, or a happy pig... Your choice ????

I very happy Pig.......... Socrates, he happy Patron Saint of Footballers.

[marcusarelus]

27 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

???

 

You have lost me with this hodgepodge...the army, the FBI, the pope, the EU...a bit too much for breakfast...

In college the professors did not want me to ask questions.  In the Army the general I worked for did not want me to ask questions.  The FBI is currently asking a lot of questions because they failed to ask the right questions before but we will never hear about that nor will the answers be made public (People can't think well enough to handle the answers to the questions).  The Pope can't even answer simple questions without referring to gobbledygook that any 9 year old can prove false.  

 

Not only do Thais not ask questions but anyone who does not want to go to jail in the West does not ask questions.  

 

We live in an authoritarian world that does not promote free thought and speech.  More so in some places than others.  Ask google if it has to design special apps to ask questions in certain countries. 

Edited October 4, 2018 by marcusarelus

[lapd]

3 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

My personal opinion is there is no religion that is reasonable sane behavior.  However all religion causes thought - thinking be it good or bad.  I don't think religion is sane thinking or war is sane thinking but both cause thinking.  If the topic was Thai morality or ethics mental health then that would be a different subject matter. 

Buddhism is not really a religion.  It's a philosophy.  Unlike religions, I believe buddhism encourages critical thinking.

Edited October 4, 2018 by lapd

[lapd]

Most farangs do not run into smart educated Thais because they generally do not want to have anything to do with us.  They don't need our money.  We are second class citizens to them that are tolerated, as long as we don't get in their way. You will never be dating their daughter or associating with them in any other way.  If you somehow become an inconvenience to them, the last thing you will see is a helmet wearing motorcycle driver waiting outside your door in the morning.

Edited October 4, 2018 by lapd

[Brunolem]

2 minutes ago, lapd said:

Most farangs do not run into smart Thais because most of them do not want to have anything to do with us.  The smart Thais are the ones driving the Mercedes and running the country.  They don't need our money.  We are second class citizens to them who are tolerated. You will never be dating their daughter.  It's strictly forbidden.  If you push it you the last thing you will see is a helmet wearing motorcycle driving waiting outside your door in the morning.

I wouldn't qualify the behavior of the "smart Thais" as you describe it as...smart!

 

This looks more like the behavior of arrogant thugs!

[marcusarelus]

16 minutes ago, lapd said:

Buddhism is not really a religion.  It's a philosophy.  Unlike religions, I believe buddhism encourages critical thinking.

There are many kinds of Buddhism or what passes for Buddhism. 

[Odysseus123]

2 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

We might agree that it's a circle, conflict and free thinking re-generate each other.

 

On my previous comparison, if we compare Thai society to the middle age feudal system, it took Europe 600 years of wars to get close to a democracy who was theorized by great thinkers since thousands of years.

Yet it seems that we have a long way to go.

This is an interesting topic because it is about thinking-not necessarily about "democracy"

 

Not only do we have philosophers and historians of Greece and Rome discussing these and many other topics but..we know the Ptolemaic Greeks knew the circumference of the world..we had Thucydides discussing "Might versus Right" in his great history (the Melian dialogue) but we have the enormous explosion of ideas and energy (coupled with greed,of course) that led to Europe and its colonies dominating the entire world.

 

Europe was not ashamed to be pluralistic-especially after it muzzled the Catholic Church-and soaked up ideas from everywhere..and put them to good use.

 

The Thai wouldn't know pluralism if it was as big as the Grand Canyon in broad daylight.Hence their conformism,lack of originality,and their adeptness as copiers-but not as innovators.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2018 by Odysseus123

[mauGR1]

34 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

This is an interesting topic because it is about thinking-not necessarily about "democracy"

 

Not only do we have philosophers and historians of Greece and Rome discussing these and many other topics but..we know the Ptolemaic Greeks knew the circumference of the world..we had Thucydides discussing "Might versus Right" in his great history (the Melian dialogue) but we have the enormous explosion of ideas and energy (coupled with greed,of course) that led to Europe and its colonies dominating the entire world.

 

Europe was not ashamed to be pluralistic-especially after it muzzled the Catholic Church-and soaked up ideas from everywhere..and put them to good use.

 

The Thai wouldn't know pluralism if it was as big as the Grand Canyon in broad daylight.Hence their conformism,lack of originality,and their adeptness as copiers-but not as innovators.

 

 

Oh well, we had posters here discussing about basketball courts, so please forgive me for bringing democracy as an example of enlightened thought.

Pls don't forget that all the development of the so high western society has been achieved through endless internal wars, colonialism, exploitation of slaves and theft of natural resources.

 

[jackspade]

2 hours ago, lapd said:

Most farangs do not run into smart educated Thais because they generally do not want to have anything to do with us.  They don't need our money.  We are second class citizens to them that are tolerated, as long as we don't get in their way. You will never be dating their daughter or associating with them in any other way.  If you somehow become an inconvenience to them, the last thing you will see is a helmet wearing motorcycle driver waiting outside your door in the morning.

 

Actually, I think hi-so Thais who take pride in their intelligence want little to do with your run-of-the-mill farang.  And you can hardly blame them; your average expat has absolutely nothing to offer a hi-so Thai.

 

And yes, you'll certainly never be dating their daughter, unless you both go to the same school abroad, and in that case, you can bet your ass that her parents don't want her to end up with you, and already have an arranged Thai suitor from an upper-class family lined up for her at home.

Edited October 4, 2018 by jackspade

[Odysseus123]

18 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Oh well, we had posters here discussing about basketball courts, so please forgive me for bringing democracy as an example of enlightened thought.

Pls don't forget that all the development of the so high western society has been achieved through endless internal wars, colonialism, exploitation of slaves and theft of natural resources.

 

Sounds like Thailand but without any beneficial result..it is kinda bizarre still reading that Buddhism (in Thailand) is a philosophy and that Thailand is a peaceful country with a jelly baby history.Perhaps they need a Thucydides or a Tacitus to say..hold on that's a piece of buffalo excrement.. 

 

Who were the Europeans intellectually thieving from after the fall of Constantinople (1453)?Greeks,Romans.Muslims,Chinese,Indians,Jews and many others-they assimilated all of their ideas and improved on them..kinda like the Borg in a way.

 

Edited October 4, 2018 by Odysseus123

[mauGR1]

3 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Sounds like Thailand but without any beneficial result..it is kinda bizarre still reading that Buddhism (in Thailand) is a philosophy and that Thailand is a peaceful country with a jelly baby history.Perhaps they need a Thucydides or a Tacitus to say..hold on that's a piece of buffalo excrement.. 

 

Who were the Europeans intellectually thieving from after the fall of Constantinople (1453)?Greeks,Romans.Muslims,Chinese,Indians,Jews and many others-they assimilated them all and improved on them..kinda like the Borg in a way.

 

Well, i think it's a fair discussion, personally i am open minded.

If we go back to 1453, there was not anything as Europe, but small and large Kingdoms and Empires fighting for supremacy.

Italy is a country since 1848, before that it was divided into small Kingdoms.

If you ask me what Thailand needs, i cannot answer, but i'm sure that there is plenty already of what you suggest.

[KhunFred]

The same question could be asked of Americans. Look at the frothing Evangelicals that control public debate. The Conservative virus has destroyed everything it touches.  Thai people are indoctrinated from birth to subordinate themselves to all manner of people and institutions deemed "superior". Groveling before anyone and anything with a title. Meekly accepting second-class status and working for wages that are even insulting in third-world countries.

[Odysseus123]

3 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Well, i think it's a fair discussion, personally i am open minded.

If we go back to 1453, there was not anything as Europe, but small and large Kingdoms and Empires fighting for supremacy.

Italy is a country since 1848, before that it was divided into small Kingdoms.

If you ask me what Thailand needs, i cannot answer, but i'm sure that there is plenty already of what you suggest.

Actually I haven't asked you what Thailand needs...

 

And-I haven't suggested anything.

 

Thailand misses every bus..except the Filboid Studge* it  feeds its own populace.

 

Please see 'Saki'-H.H Munro-'Filboid Studge'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jackspade]

9 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

The same question could be asked of Americans. Look at the frothing Evangelicals that control public debate. The Conservative virus has destroyed everything it touches.  Thai people are indoctrinated from birth to subordinate themselves to all manner of people and institutions deemed "superior". Groveling before anyone and anything with a title. Meekly accepting second-class status and working for wages that are even insulting in third-world countries.

 

The Conservative virus, and the Liberal virus.

[mauGR1]

4 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Actually I haven't asked you what Thailand needs...

 

And-I haven't suggested anything.

 

Thailand misses every bus..except the Filboid Studge* it  feeds its own populace.

 

Please see 'Saki'-H.H Munro-'Filboid Studge'

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know you did not ask me, i was referring to your assertion :- Thailand needs etc..

I checked the title you suggested, for the moment i will give it a miss, but who knows, in the future..

I would suggest everyone to read " Gun, germs and steel" by Jared Diamonds, which i regard as a very good book about the last 13000 years development from a hunter-gatherer society to what we call "civilisation".

 

Thanks for the good posts, keep them coming.

[balo]

And the Trump virus. 

[jackspade]

20 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

 

Please see 'Saki'-H.H Munro-'Filboid Studge'

 

 

Here is the full text online to the 2-page short story Filboid Studge. I just read it myself, took all of 10 minutes. Entertaining.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Clovis/Filboid_Studge,_the_Story_of_a_Mouse_that_Helped

 

9 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

I checked the title you suggested, for the moment i will give it a miss, but who knows, in the future..

I would suggest everyone to read " Gun, germs and steel" by Jared Diamonds, which i regard as a very good book about the last 13000 years development from a hunter-gatherer society to what we call "civilisation".

 

 

I think I'll give that massive, 500-page monolith, "Guns, Germs and Steel", a miss for now, but who knows, in the future...

Edited October 4, 2018 by jackspade

[Odysseus123]

4 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

I know you did not ask me, i was referring to your assertion :- Thailand needs etc..

I checked the title you suggested, for the moment i will give it a miss, but who knows, in the future..

I would suggest everyone to read " Gun, germs and steel" by Jared Diamonds, which i regard as a very good book about the last 13000 years development from a hunter-gatherer society to what we call "civilisation".

 

Thanks for the good posts, keep them coming.

Jared Diamond?

 

'Guns,Germs and Steel' is very good--but so is his book 'The World Before Yesterday' which accounts for all the rest.

 

It is hard to believe (but appears true)that the Neolithic tribesmen inflicted more deaths per percentage of the population than their modern counterparts-WW.1 and WW.2 for example.

 

Strange but true.Anyhow,if you are reading Diamond you would harbour some peculiar reservations about Thai culture and society-would you not?

[mauGR1]

1 minute ago, Odysseus123 said:

Jared Diamond?

 

'Guns,Germs and Steel' is very good--but so is his book 'The World Before Yesterday' which accounts for all the rest.

 

It is hard to believe (but appears true)that the Neolithic tribesmen inflicted more deaths per percentage of the population than their modern counterparts-WW.1 and WW.2 for example.

 

Strange but true.Anyhow,if you are reading Diamond you would harbour some peculiar reservations about Thai culture and society-would you not?

Of course i do ( to answer the last paragraph) but i try to look at the positive side of things :))

That said, previously on this thread, i posted a link, which has gone totally ignored.

Pls, google " different kinds of intelligence " ... Food for thought, imho.

[Odysseus123]

5 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Of course i do ( to answer the last paragraph) but i try to look at the positive side of things :))

That said, previously on this thread, i posted a link, which has gone totally ignored.

Pls, google " different kinds of intelligence " ... Food for thought, imho.

Okay-I will do so because I am after learning..

 

If it is anything like Julian Jayne's groundbreaking extended essay 'The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind'-ie that there are different 'minds'  which have developed on different paths than I would find it interesting reading.

[mauGR1]

2 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Okay-I will do so because I am after learning..

 

If it is anything like Julian Jayne's groundbreaking extended essay 'The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind'-ie that there are different 'minds'  which have developed on different paths than I would find it interesting reading.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj6gL3vmuzdAhUZb30KHR8dBuwQFjACegQICRAL&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.adioma.com%2F9-types-of-intelligence-infographic%2F&usg=AOvVaw0k1JH7bdtxFQTYcZj4UJKm

 

Just a very short reading.