Thai Thinking Or Logic

[WaiWai]

Weekly Schedule PHIL213 W05 Eastern Philosophy

Introduction

1/3 Introduction: Western Logic & Eastern Logic: 3-step syllogism & 4-step dialectic

uoregon.edu/

We have different musical scales - why not different patterns of logic ?

[mart29]

in terms of different east/west logic, its so well documented its existance or non-existence is not worth discussing and not up for debate, google eastern and western philosophy and you will see people have been documenting and comparing for hundreds of years, its not some "out there" suggestion, both are worth examining. ive learnt more from eastern philosophy personally but then that may be because the western is so ingrained in me already.

One is not better than the other, in time each has served their respective geographies well.

Edited October 9, 2007 by mart29

[elkangorito]

Thai logic is easy to understand...why stress yourself with the thought of having to think about every little thing?

I'm starting to get the hang of "Thai logic" & really, it's pretty good. I find myself becoming infuriated on fewer occasions now.

What was life like in OZ? I was an overworked, hypertensive coronary candidate who was simply forced into thinking about everything & anything, by Western society. Advertisements, road rules, tax rules, what should I eat & what shouldn't I eat, work politics, work performance, government wangkers, rules, rules & more rules. Work, work & more work.

If anything, we should envy our Thai friends for their ability to "switch off" the shit that we hate so much, yet we cling to this shit. How's that for logic?

Edited October 9, 2007 by elkangorito

[ZukiSuzuki]

The West believes that it alone championed “freedom” and “tolerance.” However, the Indian emperor Ashoka, during the third century BCE covered the country with inscriptions on stone tablets about good behaviour and wise governance, including a demand for basic freedoms for all and indeed, he did not exclude women and slaves as Aristotle did.

The great divide between the East and West may be artificial, the the values of freedom and tolerance, reason and logic, are not uniquely Western.

[JonnyF]

yeah i dont really see the point of this, people think one way, fine, its their country so you have to accept the way they do things. just as if they came to england they would have to accept the way we do things. not worth fussing over in my opinion.

You may see flaws in their logic but its that same mindset that gives them that lovely laid back attitude that people (like me) really like.

Yeah, because everyone who comes to England fully accepts the culture and blends seamlessly into society!!!

[mart29]

Thai logic is easy to understand...why stress yourself with the thought of having to think about every little thing?

I'm starting to get the hang of "Thai logic" & really, it's pretty good. I find myself becoming infuriated on fewer occasions now.

What was life like in OZ? I was an overworked, hypertensive coronary candidate who was simply forced into thinking about everything & anything, by Western society. Advertisements, road rules, tax rules, what should I eat & what shouldn't I eat, work politics, work performance, government wangkers, rules, rules & more rules. Work, work & more work.

If anything, we should envy our Thai friends for their ability to "switch off" the shit that we hate so much, yet we cling to this shit. How's that for logic?

very good post, yeah it does rub off after a while and you start thinking the same, its far less stressful thinking the thai way, far less stressful.

[WaiWai]

The great divide between the East and West may be artificial, the the values of freedom and tolerance, reason and logic, are not uniquely Western.

Understand your point, but broadly speaking we might describe the cultures of what's labelled the East (and other parts of the world) as tending more to right-brain style, and what is referred to as the West as tending more to left-brain-style.

Not a "superiority" issue, just differing tendencies directed by cultural values.

Also, if you look into "individualist" vs. "collectivist" cultures, you may see that some cultures really don't value personal freedoms as much as others.

Edited October 9, 2007 by WaiWai

[lannarebirth]

The West believes that it alone championed "freedom" and "tolerance." However, the Indian emperor Ashoka, during the third century BCE covered the country with inscriptions on stone tablets about good behaviour and wise governance, including a demand for basic freedoms for all and indeed, he did not exclude women and slaves as Aristotle did.

The great divide between the East and West may be artificial, the the values of freedom and tolerance, reason and logic, are not uniquely Western.

I couldn't agree with you more, It is only in the implementation of these ideals that the west can differentiate itself from the east, but that may come as well.

edit:

Actually, as much as most people knock Thai xenophobia, the truth is, it has taken in millions of people from many cultures who were in desperate need, over the course of the past several decades. They haven't always treated them well (and ceratinly not equally), but first generation immigrants the world over seldon get the welcome mat rolled out for them.

Edited October 9, 2007 by lannarebirth

[Jingthing]

I was talking to this poor waiter Thai guy who bought a DVD PLAYER!! on some kind of outrageous long term rental contract. I mentioned the idea of saving his money and buying a basic one for 1000 baht or so (which was all he needed) and it was like his brain exploded. Plus, he was offended from the implication that I was suggesting he was a stupid fool, which I suppose I was.

Edited October 9, 2007 by Jingthing

[WaiWai]

I was talking to this poor waiter Thai guy who bought a DVD PLAYER!! on some kind of outrageous long term rental contract. I mentioned the idea of saving his money and buying a basic one for 1000 baht or so (which was all he needed) and it was like his brain exploded. Plus, he was offended from the implication that I was suggesting he was a stupid fool, which I suppose I was.

There you go ... he looks at life differently.

He can have the DVD player now, and that's good, to him. He sees no reason to delay gratification when fate may knock him into the next incarnation at any second.

I will probably never be able to sufficiently depart from my "western" programming to think this way, but I would not call it entirely foolish as a general attitude to life.

[ZukiSuzuki]

I was talking to this poor waiter Thai guy who bought a DVD PLAYER!! on some kind of outrageous long term rental contract. I mentioned the idea of saving his money and buying a basic one for 1000 baht or so (which was all he needed) and it was like his brain exploded. Plus, he was offended from the implication that I was suggesting he was a stupid fool, which I suppose I was.

Wow so you rub shoulders with low income Thai workers, do you want a medal? I was talking to a guy from the US (low income by Japanese standards), he wanted some sort of fancy European car, he could not realy afford it but he bought it on a credit agreement anyway.

Your funny, thanks.

Zuky.

Edited October 9, 2007 by ZukiSuzuki

[ZukiSuzuki]

Duplicate post

Edited October 9, 2007 by ZukiSuzuki

[ZukiSuzuki]

Indeed.

You should be in polotics This is your best response

LOL

Zuki.

[bhoydy]

I met this Scottish waitress last week. She spunked all her money on booze and partying. She had a nice phone on contract, but didn't understand the contract so she always paid over 200 pounds a month. I said to her you live in Scotland but have no western logic, why is that? She hit me in the face with her bottle of Buckfast (tonic wine)

[longway]

Another thread dedicated to generalizations and bashing of the Thai people.

Do you guys get off on this?

Bingo.

[PadThaiGuy]

okay here's the deal...my friend works as a waiter at a small restaurant here in pattaya. his salary is like B150 a day plus tips (another B30-B40 a day). so total salary is around B200 a day. now, he tells me he pays B100 return to take a moto taxi to and from work....

Your "friend"?

Friends don't tell lies. 3,000 a month for transport?

He's trying to hit up up.

[maccaroni man]

I have lost count of the number of times i have said "lets put 2 and 2 together" Daaaaa

[jaiyenyen]

My G/F and I decided to visit her family in Roi-Et, we took a taxi from Bangkok. When we arrived at our destination,I paid the driver and he then returned to Bangkok.

After a few days, we wanted to return to Bangkok, so I asked Mon to call the same taxi to see if he would pick us up and take us back to Bangkok.

"No honey, cannot do that, too expensive". I asked why, and she told me that the taxi will charge more because he has to drive all the way from Bangkok to pick us up.

I tried to explain for about 1/2 hour and then gave up and returned by bus.

Regards

Jaiyenyen

[JonnieB]

OP gets off on Superiority of the "western logic"

i think some have misinterpreted my op, it certainly wasn't meant to denigrate thais or their way of life/thinking in any way. as a long-time resident of LOS, i have much admiration for local ways and mores...however, sometimes the way SOME of them think baffles me. i am aware of all the arguments for the short-term only thinking of many "country" or poor thais (its the same for poor people anywhere). i just posted the story as a point of humour...nothing more.

just as there are many things farangs do that are not understood by thais and i am sure they post about on their thai forums

[papaya9]

Despite their lack of logic, as it seems, it breaks my heart to see people work so hard and dilligently, all with a great attitude, to make nearly nothing for income.

[Thaddeus]

My G/F and I decided to visit her family in Roi-Et, we took a taxi from Bangkok. When we arrived at our destination,I paid the driver and he then returned to Bangkok.

After a few days, we wanted to return to Bangkok, so I asked Mon to call the same taxi to see if he would pick us up and take us back to Bangkok.

"No honey, cannot do that, too expensive". I asked why, and she told me that the taxi will charge more because he has to drive all the way from Bangkok to pick us up.

I tried to explain for about 1/2 hour and then gave up and returned by bus.

Regards

Jaiyenyen

There is a fairly good chance that the driver will have picked up a fare in Roi-Et bound for Bangkok, so he will have been paid for the return journey.