If you want to fill the lacuna in the self-help world, investigate the core problem and need a fresh approach...one that can solve problems and achieve goals.
Have you ever wondered ....read morewhy smart people do dumb things?
If you haven't yet found the answer to why your life is the way it is...despite having tried many things..having read many "how to" books...having attended many workshops.
If you want to know the REAL answers to being more happy...more successful in work and in relationships...more peaceful.
If you want to write a better story for your life by thinking right.
We are all kept from fulfilment by something. Something that is
within us. Something that is difficult to identify. It is different for each
one of us. Yet, unless that thing changes, our life will continue to be
inexplicably the same. It becomes imperative therefore to locate that
'something'. But how are we to do so? This book attempts a road map. It
presents a spectrum of thinking and knowledge. By understanding
this range we can identify what is stopping us and what needs to be
done about it.
Life can be any number of things. But that it should be predominantly
happy seems universally accepted. And yet, many a battle-wearied
soldier of life looks on in bewilderment and asks, 'What happened?
Why didn't my life turn out like my dreams?' In dismay, people say,
'What else could I have done?' They turn bitter and hopeless. But
before we reach such a state, let us discern a 'proper' way to run our
life. Not proper in the sense of a particular thing to do, but a proper way
to think. Let us think ourselves into the great life we have always
wished for. Let us gift ourselves the life of our dreams.
If humanity could think straight, all our strife would disappear. Be it
financial or marital, social or national, religious or spiritual.
This book is about thinking, learning and knowledge. It winds its way
from the ignorance of ungrounded or unfounded beliefs to the state of
absolute knowledge. It strives to give a comprehensive, though
condensed, view of the entire range of knowledge. It endeavours to
create a well-rounded concept of thinking and knowledge.
The book attempts an explanation of the panorama of knowledge. It
does not attempt a prescription. There are many useful books telling
one 'how' to do this or that. This one mainly explains the 'what' and
'why'. It helps hone in to the lacunae within and fill those, instead of
futilely learning over and over again what one knows already. It helps
one slot one's knowledge into a giant jigsaw and perceive which
pieces are missing. Is one lacking in critical thinking? Or in synthesis?
Or suffering from cognitive biases? Or is there overloaded and
undigested information? These missing pieces prevent one from
seeing the whole picture. Once that has been identified, one can learn
that particular part. Through this understanding, one knows whether
a prescriptive book is necessary and if so, which one. We tend to pick
up only that which sounds agreeable to us rather than what we
desperately need to learn. We tend to learn further in our areas of
competence and avoid learning in the areas of incompetence.
This book consists of chapters each ending with summaries and
exercises for reflection.
Chapter 1 begins by explaining what thoughts are, how they impact
our lives and the various cognitive biases we have. How did we get to
believe the things we do so ardently? Erroneous notions play havoc
with our lives. Hence we should be able to test our beliefs to ensure
that we have a productive and satisfying life. What we learnt at school,
what friends told us, what the media said, what we learnt ourselves.
We can judge for ourselves whether these beliefs deserve a place in
our head! To judge this, we turn to Indian epistemology's four
'pramanas' or valid sources of knowledge i.e. perception, inference,
comparison and authority. Chapters 2 to 5 explain these sources and
their tests.
Chapter 2 talks of perceptions, how they are useful, how they fool us
and how we could verify them. However, even if an observation proves
justified, we may still jump to the wrong conclusions. This is why we
need to review our thinking. We think either by inference or analogy.
Chapter 3 deals with inferences. It undertakes a brief study of logic to
analyse inferences. It shows logical fallacies; deductions, inferences
to the best explanations. The vigor of logic helps protect us from the
trap of irrationality, which often comes disguised as our 'views' and
'beliefs'.
Chapter 4 deals with analogy. It considers the use of art and
mythology as a means for communicating ideas. Logic may not be
used here but that does not imply it is wrong. The ways of art are often
diametrically opposed to those of logic but they may, nonetheless, be
useful. However, they too must be tested.
Chapter 5 is about authorities. Not everything can be thought out by
oneself. So we turn to authorities, people more knowledgeable than
us. It discusses the role of faith and authorities and how these are
verified.
Chapter 6 examines whether experiences are necessary for
knowledge. Don't experiences teach us? Why the emphasis on
thinking?
Chapter 7 investigates why our knowledge 'disappears'. Why do we
make silly mistakes, why do we seem to forget what we know? It is
because of mental agitations. What is the role of virtue in thinking and
knowing? Western philosophy does not insist on moral calibre but in
Indian philosophy, the philosopher is also a sage. So does virtue play a
part in knowledge? Or do good guys finish last? Why do smart people
do dumb things?
Chapter 8 shows how our nature inevitably dominates the way we
think and gives us our current understanding. Why do debates never
get resolved? Generation after generation seems to debate the same
issues. Differences in opinions are inherent and this chapter
discusses why this is so. It takes the help of the Vedantic concept of
the three 'gunas' (qualities) of 'tamas', 'rajas', 'sattva' to elucidate this. It
explains why we simply cannot agree with some people and vice
versa.
Chapter 9 delves into how gaining knowledge changes one's nature in
some way. Our current thoughts are our current knowledge and new
thoughts are the knowledge gained. The methodology of knowledge is
listening, reflection and meditation. This is different from having
information like that on Google or having computing power. The
chapter discusses what knowledge is and how we get it. Is knowledge
different from information? What is wisdom? How come we act on
certain beliefs and not on others? This chapter forms the crux of the
book. It examines the stages and levels of knowledge. Knowledge is
multi-faceted. It is relative and absolute. It differs at different levels.
Chapter 10 focuses on what lies beyond the realm of thought. Is all
knowledge restricted to thought? If yes, how do we know the infinite?
Or can't it be known? Should we try to know it? Is there 'Ultimate
Knowledge'? If it exists, how would we know it? The ancient Indian
seers claimed they knew it and that it exists beyond thought. Can we
investigate that?
And lastly, the epilogue talks of the importance of action. What do we
do with this understanding we have gained? We apply it to our actions.
Knowledge is meant to be a driver of action, not a substitute for it.
Knowledge which is not converted into the business of living makes
one an intellectual centipede.
The book starts with showing the errors in our thinking, how they can
be corrected, why correct thinking is not identical thinking, what
knowledge is and how to gain it. It considers knowledge to be the sum
total of a person's thoughts. These thoughts determine emotions and
actions and thereby, the fulfilment that each one experiences.
The summary, at the end of each chapter, ensures that one has taken
in all the points. The ideal way would be to summarize the chapter
oneself before reading the summary. That works as a test of our
absorbing faculties. The subsequent exercises are meant for
reflection, not for perfect answers. They help take the idea forward in
our own minds: understand it and apply it. It is the reflection which is
critical for comprehension.
The book is designed for both quick and elaborate reading. To get an
idea of the main points, read the main text. To read minor or
elaborated points, read the indented text.
This work takes its sources from diverse fields like epistemology,
Vedanta and mythology from the Indian tradition and logic,
psychology and literature from the Western. Its connections and
conclusions are the original thoughts of the author. Through it, one
may take benefit of something from the vast body of Indian thought
and rich cultural heritage from down the ages. To ensure this benefit,
the book also uses examples, anecdotes and illustrations
demonstrating how it applies to daily life.Gaining knowledge results
in a change in thinking, an improvement in perception. Did you learn
anything in college means did your thinking change in any way? You
read the newspaper but did you gain knowledge?
You searched the 'net but did you gain knowledge? When you
memorize do you know? How do you know what you know? How do
you know that you have thought and decided correctly? Let us
investigate with this book.
After all, when did we last spring-clean our thoughts?
Remember, whatever one protects and nurtures will endure. Nurture
ignorance and one gets to keep it. Nurture wrong thinking and one
gets to keep that too. And with it, its recurring result! Let us look within
to answer the question:-how can my life, and my results, be better?
We design our life with our thoughts. Thoughts create success and
failure; thoughts create happiness and sadness; thoughts create
fulfilment and victimhood. Hence, it is important to investigate our
thoughts, review them and decide which are for our welfare and
which are not.
After all, our life is the story we tell ourselves.
Dr. Janki Santoke www.janki.santoke.com April 2019
Contents
Preface: Think Your Way through Life
1. Groundless Beliefs: Is Your Thinking Ruining You?
2. Perception: Is Seeing Believing?
3. Inference: Jumping to Conclusions?
4. Comparison: Using Untruth to Reveal the Truth?
5. Authority: My Head or Yours?
6. Experience: Is Older, Wiser?
7. Virtue: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things?
8. Nature Determines Judgment: Why Is One Man's Reason, Another's Absurdity?
9. Gaining Knowledge: Are We Smarter Than Google?
10. Thoughtlessness: I Think, Therefore I Am Not
Epilogue: The Final Dot
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"We spend a large chunk of our life studying topics like math, history, marketing etc but very few of us spend any
time studying the laws of the game called life.
I have been studying under Dr Santoke for many years.
Dr Santoke has a unique ability to unravel the complexities of life, and present them in a manner that is not only
easy to relate to and understand, but is also very entertaining.
Dr Santoke's book is an essential guide for the critical
thinker who wants to get ahead in life. I could not recommend it more highly."
"I have studied for many years under Jankiji and have marvelled at her ability to explain difficult concepts clearly
and concisely. This book reveals the secret to her mindset and sheds light on how we too can achieve the same clarity of thought.
It is ancient wisdom that "we become what we think" but few modern gurus teach us how to think. This book
challenges our notions of what we know and how we gain knowledge and in the process leads us on a journey
of thoughtful change and self discovery.
It brings epistemology down from its ivory tower and makes
it an everyday practical guide to transform our lives.
I highly recommend reading this book to get a fresh perspective on how to think
about the world around you and your relationship to it."
Sanjay Kothary
Vice President - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
"Dr. Janki Santoke is an inspirational teacher and guide for many of us who are grappling with the mysteries life
and its impact on our lives. She has been instrumental in helping us unravel this through the medium of Vedanta and
western philosophy, folklore, mythology and real-life observations.
Equally at home in informal and formal settings,
Jankiji's objective and practical approach has always encouraged students and seekers alike, to recognize their
inherent potential for self improvement, through the power of their own thought process.
The book 'How do you Know what you Know' by Jankiji, is clearly a reinforcement of this approach and will prove to be a valuable
handbook for one's self development and management of life."
"Self-help or self-improvement books have always been popular. But in the last few years there has been a veritable explosion in the market
(demand) for these books and talks on Youtube. Perhaps as never before there is a hunger for guidance on how to live one's life and deal with
a complex, even bewildering world. Similarly, spiritual seeking too has become a widespread activity.
Dr Janki Santoke's book deals with the most fundamental/core aspect of a person's life: thinking. Thoughts dictate every aspect of
one's life and I liked the fact that she looks at the cognitive aspect and how it affects behaviour. So, there is no attempt to list 'positive'
or 'negative' behaviours as much as to point out that ground zero is your mind.
So, even as she dwells on Vedanta and its characteristics she also does so widely on examples from science, scientists' work
and the world of literature. It gives the writing a complete sense and not a narrow perspective.
There is also a dry and quiet sense of humour which is all the better for being understated.
She is also subtle in the examples she gives like when she distinguishes between not letting one's ego dominate action/thinking
but also cautions against being a door mat. Or the difference between worrying and thinking etc.
The tone is conversational which is good and bad. Good because readers find it easy to assimilate
but a more formal tone might have lend more gravitas to what is being said.
All in all , there are many aspects that are worth expanding perhaps in a future work."
"Dr. Janki Santoke is an inspirational teacher and guide for many of us who are grappling with the mysteries life
and its impact on our lives. She has been instrumental in helping us unravel this through the medium of Vedanta and
western philosophy, folklore, mythology and real-life observations.
