INTERNAL TALK 5 - INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION - HUỲNH DUY THANH - Sep 6th, 2021

07/ 09/ 2021

- Philosophy of religion: Introduction and basic questions

- What is God?

- Traditional arguments for the existence of God

- The Five Ways of St. Thomas Aquinas

- Q&A.

In the first part, the speaker explained the difference between philosophy of religion and religious studies (cultural anthropology). Philosophy of religion is a part of Special Metaphysics, in which four basic questions are asked: (1) What is God?, (2) Does God exist?, (3) How do we account for evil in the universe?, and (4) What is the nature of faith?

To answer the first question, the speaker presented some possible definitions of God. The first definition is Theism which conceives God must has four properties, namely, (a) Omnipotent (toàn năng), (b) Omniscient (toàn tri), (c) Omnibenevolent (toàn thiện), and (d) Personal (ngôi vị) or a 'social being' who cares and oversees our universe. The second definition is Deism which agrees with Theism in the first two properties but asks for another property, namely, being perfect creator. As a consequence, the universe is perfectly created and therefore, no interference by God is necessary. The third definition is Pantheism which is essentially an immanent concept and identifies the universe with God. Lastly, Panentheism is the middle way between the third definition and the first two, All is in God.

In the third part, the speaker explained five kinds of traditional arguments for the existence of God. They are (1) ontological, (2) cosmological, (3) teleological, (4) religious experience, and (5) moral (by Kant). To illustrate the arguments, the speaker presented and explained The Five Ways by St. Thomas Aquinas in Summa Theologica (Tổng luận thần học) and many other arguments.

In the Q&A section, a few questions were inquired: Are religions good or bad? Is Covid-19 pandemic a retribution? Does God arrange and determine all events in the universe? With so many sound arguments on the existence of God, why do people still not believe in God? The most interesting question was put from pragmatic point of view in James-style: What are practical consequences if God exists or does not exist? This question was really too great for us to even start to tackle in a short discussion.

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  21/ 07/ 2022
  
  Ikigai is a Japanese word put together by two words: ikiru (live) and kai (see hope). Ikigai is known as a journey to find out the reason for each person. For the Japanese, finding their own Ikigai is a prerequisite for every human being, they believe that when you find an Ikigai, you would feel happy and enjoy life in every moment. Four factors create Japanese Ikigai: What are you passionate about?: find the things you love because doing what you love makes you excited to do it every day and you would have enough motivation to pursue and develop it What is a field you do best?: Find the field you like best, it helps you affirm your own worth, makes you feel more interested and when you love something your chances of doing it well are much higher. What does the world need from you?: Explore to find what the world really needs from you. What could you earn the money from? Money makes you maintain, improves quality of life and helps you follow your own passion. Ikigai is the intersection of these 4 questions. Remember that Ikigai could not be achieved in a short time and it is not meant to bring you stress, it reminds you that in a life each person always has many different needs to make a complete version. Please watch this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/em7QYyU6zq/
- EXTERNAL TALK: CROWD PSYCHOLOGY - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  21/ 07/ 2022
  
  Each individual human being always has unique moral qualities, thoughts and actions, which create values and identity characteristics in each person. Based on research, if people stand alone, they still retain those good qualities, what would happen if put them in a frenzied crowd, would they still maintain their usual calm or would they lose their reason for a moment? Crowd psychology is a psychological effects of chain nature, crowds are always influenced by the unconscious, they behave like primitive people, act instinctively, without the ability to think and reason, but only feel by images, by the association of ideas, they are unstable, erratic, and go from the most hysterical enthusiasm to the most absurdly naive. Besides, because of their condition, these crowds need a leader, who can guide them and give their instincts meaning. Any psychological effect has two sides: positive and negative: First, the positive side: when there is a good deed that is spread positively in life or on social networking sites, we can see the response of the online community is very high, it creates a temporary bond and that sometimes helps a person overcome difficulties. On the negative side: if an event is pushed too far, the crowd can be dominated by deviation, causing big consequences, possibly even killing a person, both figuratively and literally, the riots in the world are partly caused by this crowd psychology effect. Please watch this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/em6I_rVUn3/
- INTERNAL TALK 41: RISK MANAGEMENT - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  15/ 07/ 2022
  
  Everyone has known and experienced, life is not a beautiful smooth and easy road. Depending on each individual situation, there would be different opinions about it. Presently, we might feel that everything is going well but that does not mean it would last forever. Risk is something that is always lurking to happen at any time and we cannot prevent it completely. Currently, there is no unified definition of risk because each individual would give a different. These definitions are varied but the focus can be divided into two majors: the traditional and the modern. Risk consists of 3 factors: Probability, Impacts on objectives, Duration. The nature of risk is uncertainty, so if it is certain (probability is 0% or 100%), it is not called a risk. Risks can occur for a variety of reasons. However, we can group them into two causes, which are objective causes (natural disasters, epidemics, environmental problems, risks in the process of scientific and technical development) and subjective causes (usually from people). However, the reality must be acknowledged that the risk, whatever happens for any reason, causes the loss of income, life, health and property of people. Please watch this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/eeaTpSiPvz/
- INTERNAL TALK 40: EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT
  15/ 07/ 2022
  
  What are emotions? Why should we know how to control and regulate our emotions? How to makes people manage their emotions in the best? Emotions are human reaction and vibration to the impact of external factors. In other words, when something happens in your environment and your brain interprets it. If it is perceived as a threat, the brain releases stress hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. These things would lead you to feeling fear, worry or anger, but if the situation was helpful, the brain would release hormones that make you feel happiness, fun, excitement, stimulation as oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. Emotional management is a way of using the mind to control a part of feeling. Thereby changing their reactions and actions to the impact in a positive direction. People should not confuse managing emotions with suppressing emotions. Suppress is to press down, to squeeze tightly to not let it show. Thus, suppression is not management, management is how we allow our emotions to manifest to a certain extent and measure. Please watch this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/eea8S5r6AO/
- EXTERNAL TALK: FRIEDRICH HAYEK: PHILOSOPHY AND ECONOMICS - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  15/ 07/ 2022
  
  Friedrich August von Hayek (May 8, 1899 – March 23, 1992) was an Austrian-born British economist and political scientist. Hayek is known for arguing in favor of free-market capitalism against the socialist ideas that were developing in the 20th century. He is considered a profound influence on the successive generations of intellectuals and politicians. However, in many ways Hayek is an unorthodox thinker and even is the opposite of most liberal economists. He did not believe in an autonomous, formalized and self-contained economics. Philosophy is the theoretical core of a human's worldview, it will determine the economic, political, cultural, artistic, moral, etc. Therefore, scientific and correct philosophy plays a very great role in the development of society in general and the economy in particular. This is reflected in a few key points: 1. Philosophical worldview of science - theoretical basis for correct thinking about economics. 2. Philosophical worldview - methodological basis for understanding and creatively and correctly applying economic laws. 3. Philosophical worldview - theoretical basis for the correct planning of economic policies. 4. Philosophical scientific worldview - methodological basis for the formation of the right business culture; on that basis, contributing to economic development. Please watch this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/ee9LOmR465/
- INTERNAL TALK 39: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN THE USA - Dr. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  30/ 06/ 2022
  
  The US presidential election is considered the most intense and prolonged one in the world, it’s a complicated process with many voting stages from the moment you start polling to decide your candidacy. The election process consists of two stages: selecting the candidates of the parties which is called “the primary election” and electing the President from among the candidates which is called “the general election”. Primary Election: This is a process in which candidates compete within their own party to become the party's sole representative in the election. General Election: After the parties have selected their representatives as Presidential candidates for the election, the candidates will continue to run their campaign for the Presidency. Moreover, in this talk, we will have full access to knowledge of Populism. In short, Populism is a term that refers to a wide range of political positions, an ideology that presents “the people" as a force for moral good and opposes them to “the elite person", who are portrayed as corrupt and self-interested. Populists may differ in how they define but these definitions might be based on different classes or ethics or nations. Please watch the video of this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/dZ74QDil_h/
- INTERNAL TALK 38: BEHAVIORAL CHANGE - Dr. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  30/ 06/ 2022
  
  There are many different behaviors that manifest in life and it could be expressed in activeness or inactiveness, negativity or positivity, instinctive or conscious behavior… Many behaviors are accomplished throughout one's life, good and bad inclusive. Therefore, human behavior changes depend on some circumstantial factors and this takes time. Behavior is a sequence of repeated actions when action is the totality of activities (reactions, behaviors) of the body in response to external stimuli. Behavior can be conscious, subconscious, overt or covert and voluntary or involuntary. We ourselves sometimes create behaviors to satisfy our needs and to be more complete, we can summarize into the 8 parameters that create the behavior as below: Identity Desire Demand Awareness Skill Environment Social acceptance Activation factor The goal of behavior change is to eliminate negative behaviors and promote positive ones. What motivates people to change behavior? We can understand what behaviors are as well as how to change them in this talk. Please watch this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/dNkmzu9mCO/
- INTERNAL TALK 37: PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  Persuasion skills are skills that each of us uses a lot in communication, work and daily life. Making friends or getting acquainted or building relationships all of these require the ability to convince the people around you to be friends with youfor instance, in a presentation, you have to convince teachers and colleagues to agree that your point of view is correct. To sign a contract with a partner, you have to convince it to be in their favor. However, not everyone is equally good at persuasion and some are born with a gift for speech, good critical thinking skills, a talent for using body language... and they are very persuasive. But at the same time, many people do not have this innate quality, so even if they are very sincere, it is difficult for the opposite person to believe. Focus on clarifying the 7 key principles of the art of persuasion: reciprocity, scarcity, authority, commitment, contrast, affection, and social proof. These principles have more or less influence on the psychology of others, causing them to comply with a certain request of theirs. These principles should be combined to make the greatest impact on the audience. It is not only the experts of persuasion who know and apply the principles of the art of persuasion. The talk "Psychology of Persuasion" by Dr. Duong Ngoc Dung with seemingly simple but subtle psychological principles helps you decipher the secrets to easily manage your emotions and thoughts as well as understand the feelings and thoughts of the other person. Thereby improving your ability to convince yourself in work, life or in relationships. Please watch the video of this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/dJ2DaiJpH2/
- INTERNAL TALK 36: NEGOTIATING ART - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  The art of negotiation is a persuasive skill in the process of exchange on the basis of mutual benefits. This is considered as a means of helping the leader to convince the other party to agree to cooperate. Negotiation is one of the essential leadership skills, the art of negotiation helps us to see negotiation not only from the perspective of learning but also honing our experience over time. A successful negotiation would be when both parties agree to their terms, obligations and responsibilities to achieve the set goals. Negotiation is a fundamental element in businesses. Research in social psychology and behavioral economics has discovered seven key rules that can help leaders improve their negotiation skills. Rule #1: Every negotiation is negotiable Rule #2: Collect full information about negotiating partners Rule #3: Aim for Win/Win Negotiations Rule #4: Concessions should be based on the principle of exchange Rule #5: Increase the scope of negotiation step by step Rule #6: Give your partner a winning mentality Rule #7: Always ask questions Please watch the video of this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/dJ2y1tIIg7/
- INTERNAL TALK 35: NIETZSCHE PHILOSOPHY - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was 19th century German philosopher whose writings reflected ideas of morality, religion, and science. His works were based upon ideas of good and evil and the end of religion in the modern world. His philosophy is mainly referred to as “existentialism”, a famous twentieth century philosophy focusing on man’s existential situation. In his works, Nietzsche questioned the basis of good and evil. He believed that heaven was an unreal place or “the world of ideas”. His ideas of atheism were demonstrated in works such as “God is dead”. He argued that the development of science and emergence of a secular world were leading to the death of Christianity. He is famous for uncompromising criticisms of traditional European morality and religion, as well as of conventional philosophical ideas and social and political pieties associated with modernity. Many of these criticisms rely on psychological diagnoses that expose false consciousness infecting people’s received ideas; for that reason, he is often associated with a group of late modern thinkers (including Marx and Freud) who advanced a “hermeneutics of suspicion” against traditional values. Please watch the video of this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/dJ2v0VbkTL/
- INTERNAL TALK 34: HOW TO USE YOUR LANGUAGE BETTER? - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  Use the right language when communicating to achieve the highest efficiency. If you are like millions of people who often sit quietly in meetings, miss many promotion opportunities, stress in meetings, do not know what to say when facing superiors, often tell relatives things that you later regret, or never get the results you want in arguments… then this talk is the right choice for you! To achieve what you want, communication language is the first key. The effective use of language will certainly help you get what you want in the communication process in many aspects of life: family, friends, ... especially at work and in negotiations with partners. Please watch the video of this talk via: Facebook:https://fb.watch/dJ2qY96n3C/
- INTERNAL TALK 33: PRESENTATION SKILL - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG - MAY 16, 2022
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  Presentation skills are the abilities one needs in order to deliver compelling, engaging, informative, transformative, educational, enlightening, and/or instructive presentations. Central to effective presentation skills are public speaking, tone of voice, body language, creativity, and delivery. Here are a few key elements to an effective presentation: Language: If you want your audience to understand your message, your language must be simple and clear. Use short words and short sentences. Do not use jargon unless you are certain that your audience understands it. In general, talk about concrete facts rather than abstract ideas. Body Language: When you are presenting, strong, positive body language becomes an essential tool in helping you build credibility, express your emotions, and connect with your listeners. It also helps your listeners focus more intently on you and what you're saying. Some people actually shake their heads "no" when they say "yes." Voice: to ensure that you get your points across, you must speak loudly and clearly enough that your listeners hear and understand what you are saying. Even a person in the furthest corner of a room should be able to comprehend your words without straining. Projecting your voice also helps your personality show. The combination of the above elements will make a successful presentation when kindly being noted that not all of these elements are appropriate for an individual presentation. In current modern society, communicating and presenting in front of a crowd is almost inevitable so don't let your anxiety and timidity affect and prevent your career path from developing. Please watch the video of this talk via: Facebook: fb.watch/phuong-phap-thuyet-trinh
- INTERNAL TALK 32: WHY DO WE FAIL? - DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG - MAY 05, 2022
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  Everyone desires to reach success and before studying the principles of success, it is necessary to understand the reasons of failure. Failure is not achieving the goal, maybe it is to fail in love, marriage, work... The two main reasons for failure are cognitive and emotional. In “The Psychology Of Human Misjudgement” by Charlie Munger, the author analyzes 24 cognitive errors and can be summarized into four cognitive errors: A false self-perception means being overconfident in oneself, which leads to an illusion of one's own abilities and failure to communicate with others. Having the right self-awareness helps you make the right choices and decisions that are right for you Misperception of others, blindness in seeing others stemming from a false perception of self Misperception about relationships, which is a mistake about the nature of the relationship, causes unnecessary conflicts Misperception of the actual situation is the failure to focus on the present situation Emotional intelligence plays an important role in success. Emotional intelligence can be trained and enhanced through adulthood. American psychologist Daniel Goleman identifies five characteristics of emotional intelligence: Know yourself Control yourself Enthusiasm Sympathetic Communication skills Emotion management is the ability to perceive and manage your emotions and know the emotions of those around you. People who have the ability to manage emotions will clearly understand the feelings of others, thereby adjusting the appropriate impact behavior. Please watch the video of this talk: Facebook: fb.watch/tai-sao-chung-ta-that-bai
- INTERNAL TALK 31: THE SCAMPER TECHNIQUE – DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG - APRIL 25, 2022
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  The SCAMPER Technique is a team brainstorming technique used to develop or improve products or services. SCAMPER is standing for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify/Magnify, Purpose, Eliminate/Minimize and Rearrange/Reverse. Substitute: The substitute technique focuses on the parts in the product, service or solution that can be replaced with another. During this part of the discussion the meeting attendees focus on making decisions to substitute part of the process with another. Combine: The combine technique tends to analyze the possibility of merging two ideas, stages of the process or product in one single more efficient output. In some cases, combining two innovative ideas can lead to a new product or technology which leads to market strength. For example, merging phone technology with digital cameras produced a new revolutionary product in the telecommunications industry. Adapt: Adapt refers to a brainstorming discussion that aims to adjust or tweak product or service for a better output. This adjustment can range between minor changes to radical changes in the whole project. Adaption is one of the efficient techniques to solve problems through enhancing the existing system. Modify, Magnify, maximize, minimize: The modify technique refers to changing the process in a way that unleashes more innovative capabilities or solves problems. This change is more that just adjustment as it focuses on the overall process. In this sense, it can target reducing the project’s process or change our perspective of how to look at the problem. Put to another use (purpose): This technique concerns how to put the current product or process in another purpose or how to use the existing product to solve problems. For example, this technique can be used to learn how to shift an existing product to another market segment or user type. Eliminate or minimize: As the name implies, this technique aims to identify the parts of the process that can be eliminated to improve the process product or service. It also helps to explore the unnecessary parts of the project. Reverse, reengineer, or rearrange: Finally, the reverse or rearrange technique aims to explore the innovative potential when changing the order of the process in the production line. Reversing the process or part of it can help solving problems or produce more innovative output. Please watch the video of this talk: Facebook: fb.watch/phuong-phap-tu-duy-sang-tao-scamper
- INTERNAL TALK 30: NEW STRATEGIC THINKING – DR. DUONG NGOC DUNG - APRIL 18, 2022
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  Strategic Thinking is the ability to identify targets, strengths, weaknesses and important priorities in the business, providing the right action plan to ensure the achievement of benefits and help the business develop sustainably in the long term. The traditional way of thinking makes some mistakes. It is a single-line way of thinking that has only one cause or using a reflective way of thinking, assuming that speech reflects the speaker’s thoughts without consideration. Professional-focused thinking is also a mistake that would cause a loss of alignment and lacking of an overall view toghether with a system when looking at things In the book “Changing Minds”, Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, a leading expert in cognitive theory, offers a common “framework” for recognizing exactly what happens in the process of changing our minds, and showing how we can be influenced by that process. New thinking needs to be applied in life and divided into 4 types including “nonlinear thinking” that does not follow one way and must be considered for many reasons ; “complex thinking” is derived from Edward N. Lorentz’s theory of chaos, the initial conditions that determine the nature of the system ; critical thinking is the way of thinking like a judge, giving reasoning, citing both directions ; global thinking is not to use local/national thinking, but to use global thinking to identify a problem. Several methods can be applied to improve thinking: Regularly maintain the maintenance of the brain and body by reading books, watching movies, taking courses, and traveling… Interact with people who think different to you since the biggest bad habit in thinking is to like to be close to people who think the same as you. Being in contact with as many people with different ways of thinking helps to see the problem from many angles Frequently question your own thoughts with the question “Why do i think so?” Please watch the video of this talk: Facebook: fb.watch/tu-duy-chien-luoc-moi
- INTERNAL TALK 29: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE? – Dr. DUONG NGOC DUNG – APRIL 04, 2022
  24/ 06/ 2022
  
  When discussing the meaning of life, in one way or another, do people always express the dream of a meaningful life? But what is a meaningful life and how to build it? People may have different views, attitudes and opinions on this issue. Asking yourself the questions about the meaning of life is a very important activity and this seems to be one of the most philosophical questions. The meaning of life is closely related to human experiences as such, life would be a long way off in which people keep on improving themselves to become better. To come closer to answering the “meaning of life”, it is necessary to answer the question “What am I appreciating”? It could be experience, personality, material value, or spiritual value. This issue is related to society, does society accept the values you desire, how to create a society in which people's dreams and desires are accepted? As long as people are alive, they will face sorrows and sufferings, nevertheless, they are essential for each person because like saying: "only in the face of them will you become truly strong and happy." It is also a catalyst that help find the meaning of your life. Please watch the video of this talk: Facebook: fb.watch/cuoc-song-co-y-nghia-gi-khong
- INTERNAL TALK 28: INCLUSION AND EXTENSION - RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IDEAS - PH.D DUONG NGOC DUNG, Mar 30th, 2022
  23/ 06/ 2022
  
  There are two properties to a concept: inclusion and extension. To grasp a concept, its inclusion and extension must be completely understood. A concept's inclusion consists of essential attributes of an object as they are reflected such a concept. It expresses the "qualitative" side of that concept, which answers the question: "What is the object reflected in such a concept?" A concept's extension is a totality of objects which possess the same attributes as reflected in such a concept. Every single object is an element belonging in that totality, and extension is such a totality, which expresses the "quantitative" side of a concept. It answers the question: "How many objects does such a concept reflect?" Inclusion reflects a historically situated knowledge, which changes in different ages. It determines a concept's extension in that specific period. Inclusion and extension are related in an inverted proportion. If a concept's inclusion is wider, its extension smaller, and vice versa. Relations among concepts are those among their extensions, as expressed in the following: 1-Relations of identity: two concepts have identical extensions, which means all the objects belonging to one concepts also belong in another. 2-Relation of inclusion: there exists a hierarchy of concepts, which means one concept can include another, low-order concept. 3-Relation of contradiction: two concepts may have two completely separated extensions, whose sum is equivalent to another concept's extension that embraces both of them. 4-Relation of dependence: one concept's extension is included in another's
- INTERNAL TALK 27 - WHAT DOES CONCEPT MEAN? - PH.D DUONG NGOC DUNG - Mar 21st, 2022
  20/ 06/ 2022
  
  A concept is an object, a basic form of thinking (including an idea, a meaning of a common name in a logical category, or deduction) that reflects common properties, nature, processes, phenomena in psychology and the most basic relationship between objects in objective reality. The term concept comes from Latin, concipere, which means something formed in the mind, considered a cognitive unit of meaning. It is a way of thinking about something, including subjective judgments. In fact, basic concepts are often misunderstood. Most people when asked to explain the meaning of a concept do not have a correct answer. Basic concepts can easily become controversial when the intricacies of the concept are not understood. Failure to understand concepts will give risk to misunderstandings, misinterpretations relevant concepts, and the conversations would not be able to reach the end goal. When it is easy to accept ready-made ideas ideas, act reflexively, thinking is not improved and is always forced into a framework. To avoid unnecessary controversy in a conversation, it is necessary to agree on concepts before engaging in a debate
- EXTERNAL TALK - NGUYEN DU SYMBOL OF VIETNAMESE CULTURE - NGUYỄN TRƯỜNG - May 07th, 2022
  10/ 05/ 2022
  
  Nguyen Du, in full Nguyen-du Thanh-hien, pseudonym To Nhu, (born 1765, Tien Dien, Vietnam—died Aug. 10, 1820, Hue), best-loved poet of the Vietnamese and creator of the epic poem Kim van Kieu, written in chu-nom (southern characters). He is considered by some to be the father of Vietnamese literature. Nguyen Du passed the mandarin examinations at the age of 19 and succeeded to a modest military post under the Le dynasty. He served the Le rulers, as his family had done for generations, until their dynasty fell in 1787. Nguyen Du was for a period associated with efforts to restore the Le to power, but, unable to achieve this goal, he withdrew to the mountains of Hong Linh near his native village. When in 1802 the new Nguyen ruler Gia Long succeeded in uniting the country and called Nguyen Du to court, he reluctantly obeyed and subsequently held many official posts. While serving in Quang Binh in northern Vietnam in 1813, he attained the rank of Column of the Empire and was subsequently appointed head of a delegation to Peking. During this mission he translated a Chinese novel, dating from the Ming period, into Vietnamese poetry as Kim van Kieu (English translation by Huynh Sanh Thong, The Tale of Kieu: The Classic Vietnamese Verse Novel; 1973). As an exploration of the Buddhist doctrine of karmic retribution for individual sins, his poem expresses his personal suffering and deep humanism. He also wrote “Words of a Young Hat Seller,” a shorter poem in a lighter vein; Chieu hon (“Address to the Dead”); and many other poems in Chinese rather than Vietnamese. Nguyen Du was assigned to two other ambassadorial missions to Peking; before he was able to depart on the last one, however, he died of a long illness for which he stoically refused treatment. The Tale of Kiều is an epic poem in Vietnamese, considered the most famous poem and a classic in Vietnamese literature.The original title in Vietnamese is Đoạn Trường Tân Thanh (斷腸新聲, "A New Cry From a Broken Heart"), but it is better known as Truyện Kiều In 3,254 verses, written in lục bát ("six–eight") meter, the poem recounts the life, trials and tribulations of Thúy Kiều, a beautiful and talented young woman, who has to sacrifice herself to save her family. To save her father and younger sister from prison, she sells herself into marriage with a middle-aged man, not knowing that he is a pimp, and is forced into prostitution. While modern interpretations vary, some post-colonial writers have interpreted it as a critical, allegorical reflection on the rise of the Nguyễn dynasty.
- INTERNAL TALK 26 - HOW TO IMPROVE ANALYTICAL AND SYNTHETICAL THINKING? - DƯƠNG NGỌC DŨNG - Mar 14th, 2022
  13/ 04/ 2022
  
  Analytical thinking and Synthetical thinking are two different thinking activities. “Analysis” means breaking down a problem into many details, which helps us to identify the main causes of a problem, and Synthesis, on the other hand, brings together the small pieces of detail, helping solving the problem. We can grasp the big picture, see the whole without getting too caught up in the details. It can be said that analytical thinking is the first step to capture all the relevant details and synthetic thinking is the last step to seeing what is happening, it is similar to the operations of Sherlock Holmes' work in Arthur Conan Doyle's work. He always starts with capturing even the tiniest points and then deducing what story they tell of what's going on, stringing them together to see a general picture. The left hemisphere of the brain is analytic and the right one is synthetic. Assuming that everyone's intelligence is equal from birth, these two abilities do not develop equally. You must practice every day to develop these two skills. While working, these are the two necessary skills to organize work and management smartly. It is necessary to equip the following skills to improve analytical and synthesis thinking: Comparing and contrasting ideals with actual practice Examining or evaluating assumptions Making plausible inferences, predictions, or interpretation Exploring implications and consequences Please watch full video clip of this talk via: Facebook: https://fb.watch/cmh2FjftQv/ Youtube: https://youtu.be/lA7l3XGxHUM
- INTERNAL TALK 25 - PERSONALITY STRUCTURE UNDER PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY - DƯƠNG NGỌC DŨNG - Mar 07th, 2022
  01/ 04/ 2022
  
  PERSONALITY STRUCTURE UNDER PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY - DƯƠNG NGỌC DŨNG. Psychoanalysis is a research theory on personality organization and personality development motivation, exploring humans’ inside world, in order to figure out reasons for the manifestations through human behavior to the external objective world then find solutions to adjust human behavior, especially activities that affect moral and social values. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, argued that human personality is complex, composed of three different elements: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is the aspect of personality that is driven by basic needs, which is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This is usually an instinct, such as hunger, thirst or sexual desire, etc. It is entirely unconscious, acting on the pleasure principle, striving for the immediate gratification of any desire or need. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension. The ego is governed by the principle of reality, develops from the id, and its job is to ensure that instinctual urges are demonstrated in an acceptable way in the real world. The reality principle that governs the ego will weigh the pros and cons of the behavior before the subject decides to perform or ignore the it. The ego operates simultaneously in the conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious states. The final emergent component of personality is the super-ego. The super-ego is controlled by moral principles. It is our perception of the rights and wrongs in life, helping to educate and perfect our behaviors. It suppresses all the hard-to-accept urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic principles. When talking about the id, the ego, and the superego, it is important to remember that these are not three totally separate entities with clearly defined boundaries. These aspects of personality are dynamic and always interacting within a person to influence an individual’s overall personality and behavior. According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between this trio. Please watch full video clip of this talk via: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exlibrishermes/videos/341552621245027/ Youtube: https://youtu.be/WUcVkpGgpzQ
- INTERNAL TALK 24 - COMPETENCIES OF EFFECTIVE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION - DƯƠNG NGỌC DŨNG - Feb 28th, 2022
  21/ 03/ 2022
  
  COMPETENCIES OF EFFECTIVE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION - DƯƠNG NGỌC DŨNG Năng lực giao tiếp xã hội hiệu quả - TS. Dương Ngọc Dũng. Giao tiếp xã hội là một điều rất quan trọng trong cuộc sống. Hầu hết mọi người đều thừa nhận tầm quan trọng của nó nhưng lại không thực hành nhiều. Giao tiếp không nhất thiết phải có hai người trở lên mà việc nói chuyện một mình cũng được tính. Giao tiếp không chỉ đơn giản là nói mà còn là gửi email, tin nhắn,… 3 cách giao tiếp: lời nói, giọng nói và ngôn ngữ cơ thể. Theo các nhà ngôn ngữ học, trung tâm của giao tiếp nằm ở thông điệp - nội dung cần truyền tải. Khi đó phải có người gửi tin nhắn đó và người nhận tin nhắn đó . Khi tiến hành truyền thông phải có mục đích để thực hiện các chiến lược và công cụ cần thiết. Khi muốn gửi tin nhắn, bạn phải nghĩ đến mối quan hệ của mình với người đó, phương tiện gửi tin nhắn phải phù hợp với người đó. Ngoài ra, cần phát hiện tiếng ồn (ngoại sinh, nội sinh), nếu không chúng ta sẽ tiếp tục cuộc trò chuyện giữa hai người không hiểu nhau. Tiếng ồn ngoại sinh là tiếng ồn bên ngoài: tiếng còi xe, tiếng karaoke, v.v. Tiếng ồn nội sinh là những thành kiến đã có sẵn trong tâm trí chúng ta, chỉ nghe và hiểu những gì mình thích nghe và hiểu, bỏ qua những gì khác với quan điểm của mình. Để cải thiện khả năng giao tiếp, chúng ta phải lắng nghe những điều khác với thế giới quan của mình, mặc dù lắng nghe tích cực là một thói quen rất khó rèn luyện. Bạn nên lắng nghe thật kỹ, tự đặt ra công thức giao tiếp cho riêng mình, ví dụ nên nghe 2/3 thời gian, nói 1/3 thời gian. Giao tiếp là tổng thể tất cả các hoạt động dẫn đến sự kết nối với một người. Nguyên tắc cốt lõi của giao tiếp là khiến người khác thích bạn. Người ta thích nhất chính là bản thân mình. Vì vậy hãy nói về họ, họ sẽ lắng nghe. Đặc biệt, hãy cố gắng nhớ tên của họ và nhìn vào mắt họ khi giao tiếp. Một khuyết điểm dễ thấy của nhiều nhân viên bán hàng là quá tập trung vào sản phẩm mà không tập trung vào khách hàng khiến họ không đạt được kết quả kinh doanh như mong muốn.
- INTERNAL TALK 23 - WHAT CAN PHILOSOPHY DO FOR US? - DƯƠNG NGỌC DŨNG - Feb 21st, 2022
  05/ 03/ 2022
  
  "Philosophy" comes from the ancient Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophia), which means love for wisdom. The main branches of philosophy include: metaphysics (the study of the nature of the world), epistemology (the study of the nature, origin and scope of the cognitive process), logics (the study of the laws of thought or correct reasoning), and ethics (systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior). With such a wide range of research, philosophy seems to trace wisdom in every general and fundamental human problem, from the worldview and human position in the worldview to the issues of truth, existence, knowledge, value, law, and consciousness. Philosophy distinguishes itself from other scientific subjects by solving the above problem on the basis of rational criticism in a systematic approach to reasoning. Philosophy helps us to question our assumptions. No other discipline asks as many questions as philosophy. Whether it's justifying human rights, considering the meaning of existence, or finding the best form of government, philosophy has always fueled human curiosity. Philosophers' questions make us at risk of overturning conventional ideas and disturbing their lives because they worry about everything, no questions are too small or too big for philosophy. On some tender summer night, they suddenly ask, "Who am I, and if so, how many?” for example. Because of these features, philosophy is very helpful to those concerned, basically in three things. First, philosophy helps to cultivate critical thinking by seeing problems from many sides, "listening like a judge - krínō". Second, philosophy allows us to have an open mind, be less prejudiced, and listen to other views that are different from ours. Finally, tolerance - a very important characteristic, especially in politics - tolerance here is not in the sense that we agree with everyone, but in the sense that we open our heart, observing, reviewing and evaluate the problems, from which it helps people navigate their attitudes and actions properly.
- INTERNAL TALK 22 - JEAN-PAUL SARTRE'S EXISTENTIALISM - ĐINH HỒNG PHÚC - Feb 14, 2022
  22/ 02/ 2022
  
  Existentialism began in mid-to-late 19th Century and flourished in the mid-20th Century in the years after World War II. Besides philosophy, it has had a strong influence on many other areas such as theology, art, literature, and psychology. Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, and political activist, is one of the biggest names to contribute to a solid theoretical system for this distinct philosophy. Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialism is very broad because his ideological progress has many turning points. While in Berlin studying Husserl's Phenomenology in 1934 -1935, he wrote Transcendental Ego. In 1943, he completed the next 10 years of research with his famous work Being and Nothingness. He then switched from Phenomenology to Marxism. Jean-Paul Sartre was not only a Existentialist but also a Marxist. In 1945, his transition from Phenomenology to Marxism was evident in the text Existentialism is a Humanism. In 1960, he published a 2-volume text of Critique of Dialectical Reason. Then he took part in political activities and began writing articles about political economy. Basically, the central theme of Sartre's exlistentialism has always been "existential" and "human." Sartre argues that there are basically two types of existence. The first is being-in-itself (l'en-soi), which is described as fixed, complete, and there's no reason for it at all - it's just that. This is basically the same as the world of external objects. The second is being-for-itself (le pour-soi), which depends on the old for its existence. It has no absolute, fixed, eternal nature and corresponds to human consciousness. So, human existence is characterized by “nothingness” - whatever we claim to be part of human life is our own creation, often through the process of rebelling against external constraints. This is the condition of mankind: absolute freedom in the world. Sartre used the famous phrase “existence precedes essence” to explain this idea, a reversal of traditional metaphysics and an idea of the nature of reality. Sartre's existentialism appreciates the need for human freedom and characteristics. With existence, the essence of things is being while that of human is becoming (becoming). Humans never rest, never “be” but go beyond “be,” creating values rather than living in obedience to values, there is no “A fox may grow gray, but never good.” Man has always had the transcendence - a “becoming” - a projection into the future. To project ourselves into the future, we have to make a choice. As an existent, we are free to choose, contemplating ourselves in possibilities and it is the act of making that choice that presupposes that our existence itself is not something already determined, but free (the freedom in the sense of human structure, not in a political sense - not a thing someone gives us. And there's no excuse for our choices. We were not born a coward, not a sinful or sinless man, but it bases on my own actions. The more we are free, the larger responsibility we have, absolute freedom brings about absolute responsibility. Who you are depends on how you exist. It is impossible to blame the situation in the name of something to justify, because it is false, or self-deception, which is an inauthentic lifestyle, forgetting that you are the subject of the meaning of life. This is Sartre's very fundamental notion of responsibility. Although Sartre's philosophy of existentialism featured individualism, it should be emphasized that the individual is in a network, exists with others, cannot be separated from it, and that man is responsible for his actions, even if it is for no reason. Any action will have certain consequences because it will be in association with other existents when it is performed. For example, an unprovoked act such as throwing a knife through a dark window without knowing someone being outside but eventually that person dies. Therefore, it is necessary to reflect on our behavior as members of the community, and we should not just exist in our own separate world, but co-habit with others. Sartre's existentialism does not mean self-indulgence as some criticizes, but in fact it is simultaneously linked to freedom and responsibility. “Existentialism is a Humanism.”
- INTERNAL TALK 21 - HOW TO AVOID FALLACIES? - BÙI TRẦN CA DAO, Jan 24th, 2022
  30/ 01/ 2022
  
  Fallacy is an intentional violation of the logic principles of reasoning aimed at distracting listeners and readers, causing others to mistake the rights for the wrongs and the wrongs for the rights. Aristotle was the first to systematize fallacies into a catalog with the text Sophistical Refutations (De Sophisticis Elenchis) that identified thirteen fallacies. Logicists later identified dozens of other kinds. A better understanding of fallacy will help us not accidentally fall into the middle of it and avoid useless arguments. Some common types of fallacy: 1. Begging the question An argument's premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it. Speakers only repeat and repeat their conclusions. Eg: - Opium makes people sleepy because it promotes sleepiness. 2. Hasty generalization Jumping into inductive conclusions without testing a sufficient sample size. Eg: - Koreans are beautiful. You can tell just by looking at Bi Rain. 3. Slippery slope Arguments assert that something atrocious will happen from a trivial event. Eg: If you vote for him, taxes will increase. If taxes go up, your company will go bankrupt, and you lose your job. 4. Strawman When someone takes another person’s argument, distorts it in some kind of extreme way, and then attacks the extreme distortion, as if that is really the claim the first person is making. Eg: - I think young people these days should be given more space to be able to make choices for themselves. - I don't agree with you. You can't let kids do what they want. They'll be ruined soon. 5. Ad hominem The speaker attacks the person making an argument rather than the content of the argument itself. Eg: - What a terrible restaurant! - Why do you say so? Can you cook as well as they do? 6. Black-or-white The argument tries to force 2 opposite extreme possibilities, either this pole or the other and eradicating other possibilities. Eg: - If you don't support me, you're against me. So, you're looking down on me. 7. Faulty analogy The speaker replaces the original argument with a new one that is not equivalent in the course of an argument: prove the new argument right to infer that the original argument is right. Eg: - Should we clean up our office? - We did last month. It doesn't have to be that often, does it? - You lazy bastard! You just want to keep the trash in your room. 8. Appeal to the people Prove an argument right because many people consider it right. Eg: Teacher: Why did you cheat on the test? Student: Don't other friends do the same thing? 9. Appeal to the authority The opinion of an authority on a topic is used as evidence to support an argument. Eg: - I can't be wrong because Professor A recognized that I was good. Recommended reading list Asking the right question - A guide to critical thinking - M. Neil Browne & Stuart M. Keeley The Thinker's Guide to Fallacies: The Art of Mental Trickery and Manipulation - Richard Paul & Linda Elder Bad arguments - Ali Almossawi (Vietnamese translation is available at Ex Libris Hermes)
- DBA DB8 DEBATE 4 - COHABITATION BEFORE MARRIAGE: GOOD OR BAD IDEA?
  15/ 01/ 2022
  
  The last debate of our 1st DBA DB8 phase took place under the topic "Cohabitation before marriage: good or bad idea?" The affirmative team defended their point of view with the benefits of premarital cohabitation. Chance to experience and harmony with each other to decide whether to proceed to marriage. Get used to sharing responsibilities Financial burden share The negative team defended their views with some drawbacks of premarital cohabitation: Social prejudice Increase abortion rate Unprotected by the law No seperate spaces The question of whether to live a pre-marriage cohabitation has already assumed that there will be a "marriage" and whether we should do a trial before that marriage?
- DBA DB8 DEBATE 3 - WOMEN MAKES BETTER LEADERS?
  07/ 01/ 2022
  
  Our third debate took place under the topic "Women makes better leaders than men" The affirmatives justified their views by the research of Zenger Folkman which pointed out that women did make better leaders. Women manage more efficiently in 12/15 tasks (sales, marketing, customer service, operation, L&D,...) that the research considered. Furthermore, on 16 scales of leadership for evaluating managers, women outperformed men in many skills: initiative, self-development, relationship building, long-term goal setting, etc. The negatives opposed the affirmatives by the exact research of Zenger Folkman that men were higher evaluated on the skills of strategic vision development. This team held that there was no figure about the portions of each skills' importance, so there is no reason for jumping into the conclusion that the total leadership skills of women are better since it hadn't been proved that 36/49 research sections were more significant than the other 13/49 ones. The reality shows that the rankings of leaders rarely involve women. Is it true that women makes better leaders?
- DBA DB8 DEBATE 2 - SHOULD WE WORK FOR MONEY?
  30/ 12/ 2021
  
  Our second DB8 debate took place under the topic: Should we work for money? The affirmatives of working for money defend their views on the necessity of money as it is a means of solving most problems in life - we cannot live without money. The team also said that going to work for money is more stable and sustainable because goals are quantified into specific numbers, progressive over time, generating motivation for development in work, creating more lateral value. The negative team didn't hold that we should go to work just for money but for other things: joy, happiness, self-value enhancement, etc. The team said that going to work for happiness will definitely generate money while going to work for money will not necessarily make us happy. Even if you work for money, it will eventually serve your other needs to relax and enjoy your life without worrying too much about money. Perhaps as a "tool" as a "mediator" for exchanging goods as well as values, money, it's not about end of anything we do in our lives, it's just about serving an individual's own purpose. Perhaps the average eight hours of work a day is merely because of that eight hours, or that eight hours is because of the remaining 16 hours. What do we work for? And what should we work for?
- DBA DB8 DEBATE 1 - WORK SUCCESS & FAMILY HAPPINESS
  21/ 12/ 2021
  
  Following the 2021 Internal Talk path, Ex Libris Hermes started to conduct DBA DB8 debate program every Monday. The topic of the first debate is: you can't have both work success and family happiness at the same time. Success in a job is when you achieve something, a goal in your career. Happiness in family is when every member loves, sympathizes, shares and respects each other and is satisfied both physically and mentally. The opposing team argued that "successful work" and "happiness in the family" are two independent propositions, not that one thing leads to the other and vice versa. The team believes that one person may not have both, may have either, and may have both at the same time. If you try hard enough, one day you will achieve both. The agreeing team held that everything in life is interactive rather than independent, and that if you spend more time on this, you should save time on that. Even when we haven't successed yet but are still focusing on it, we've had to sacrifice a lot of our family time while the essence of family happiness is that we need to connect, we need to take care of each other. Family happiness is very when we don't have time to take care of each other. Will the family remain united to be called "happiness" until it is successful? Can you have both work success and family happiness at the same time?
- INTERNAL TALK 19 - PERSPECTIVES - HUỲNH QUỐC HIỆP - 13th Dec, 2021
  14/ 12/ 2021
  
  Definiton of perspectives Factors impact on perspectives Perspectives' influence How to improve perspectives Q&A Perspective is literally the angle of the gaze that accepts the image of the object to the eye, guaranteeing the object's best form of authenticity. In our daily lives, we often use the figurative meaning of the word in the same sense as "view" "point of view," - a specific attitude or way in which a person thinks about something. Perspective is influenced by thoughts and emotions. Different perceptions and feelings will create different perspectives. Developing a perspective will help remove thinking barriers, be prepared to accept new things, recognize new values, increase empathy, and improve life. John Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "There is nothing insignificant in the world. It all depends on the perspective." To improve the perspective that requires more experience, detach yourself from the old perspective, the old experience. We have to review, evaluate everything from other perspectives, and make a more comprehensive observation to select the most appropriate perspective. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” –Atticus, To kill the mocking bird (1960).
- INTERNAL TALK 18 - SELF LOVE OR NARCISSISM - NGUYỄN THỊ THẢO - Dec 06th, 2021
  07/ 12/ 2021
  
  - Definition of self love and narcissism - Manifestations of self love and narcissism - Some examples of self love and narcissism - Q&A At the beginning of the talk, the speaker introduced the concept of self love and narcissism because she thought that there was ambiguity in the current use of “self love” to refer to a personality disorder. Self love simply means loving yourself, taking your health, needs, and happiness seriously. Narcissism is extreme interest in and admiration for your own physical appearance and/or your own abilities. Self-love people consider themselves equal to others, they are well aware of their own worth, do not need recognition or admiration from others. They are also aware of their own shortcomings and attempt to improve them. The narcissist believes that he is always superior to others, always believing that no rules are imposed on them. They always want to receive praise and admiration from those around them. They act like they don't have any faults, everything they do is right. There are some actions considered narcissism in life. The act of showing off, exaggerateing the importance of likes, comments, etc. in social network are some typical examples of narcissism. In Gone with the Wind, Scarlett O'Hara is also considered one of the classic characters with narcissism. She likes to be the center of parties, likes to be surrounded and praised by men. She also did not follow the laws, she defied the norms of a noble woman, she was willing to rob her sister's lover to get what she wanted.
- "STOICISM IN THE COVID ERA" - THÁI BÌNH DƯƠNG UNIVERSITY "ACADEMIC CAFE" SEMINAR AT THƯ HIÊN DỊCH TRƯỜNG
  02/ 12/ 2021
  
  In early October this year, thousands of people left Ho Chi Minh City for their hometowns in the south eastern and western provinces, causing overnight congestion, as the local government eased the lockdown after more than two months of implementing Covid-19 preventation measures. How many people repatriated? Who were they and what were they doing in this city? What kind of situation had they been in that they just “went home first and dealt with the fallout later” despite the authorities' recommendation to stay? In the first part, speaker Nguyen Duc Loc gave audience a sociological description of the "vulnerable group of people,” that is, most of those who left the city temporarily to evade the pandemic on the night of early October. This group was formed quickly after the 1986 Open-door policy from a large number of people moving from rural areas to the City in search of jobs and opportunities for change. According to the researchers' calculations, the group's annual remittances amounted to $6 billion, which is no less than the annual remittances that community of expatriates sent home to relatives. Still do they have to live in narrow urban spaces, work in relatively precarious conditions, be in a state of alienation/estrangement, and without cultural life. The speaker provided relatively comprehensive data on this group in Vietnamese urban areas, putting the Vietnamese situation in the context of economic paradigm shift with the rise of neo-liberalism in the world in the 70s and 80s. Though being just scientifically descriptive, the accurate data inevitably reminded listeners of Herbert Marcuse's "one-dimensional man" critique of the eponymous work published in 1964 in the United States, as well as Marxist ways of addressing the issues of poverty, the impoverishment of the working class, of the proletariat in 19th century in European cities under the influence of industrialization and modernization. In the second part, the speaker Dinh Hong Phuc presented an overview of the ancient stoicism school. This school was prevailing more than 2,000 years ago and also witnessed a terrible pandemic at that time. Stoics considered philosophy as action, and focused their thoughts on "good way of life." They continued to develop the subjects of logic, ethics, and physics of the Greek tradition, and had various ideas when they combined them with philosophy to form a unified knowledge-practice genre. The practical teachings of Stoicism on emotional control, virtue development, and accurate judgement are practical lessons in manners in life, especially in 'emergency' and unusual social situations such as the pandemic. The most important lesson from them is: there are things outside that we can't affect, and there are things inside that we can affect. Just focus on the latter, such as our feelings, judgements, and actions. People often suffer much more in imagination than in reality. This lesson must be very helpful when people were faced with an epidemic, and in situations where there were so many uncontrollable factors. A lot of questions were asked in the Q&A section. (1) How can we tell an action is right or wrong? One question may seem like about decision making skills, but in depth, it is a question of the theory of truth, which has been asked for thousands of years of philosophy history. (2) How can philosophy not only provide abstract, formal answers to specific, urgent practices? How can we actually take a further step rather than just general theoretical advice such as "know how to think critically” and "know yourself"? Overcoming the abyss of theory and practice has always been the unified ’knowledge-practice” dream of philosophy. Philosophy, in fact, has made great strides in trying to answer this question with the Marxist theory of 'praxis' and the modern pragmatic maxim. Perhaps most people these days would agree: ideas must be tried out in reality and praxis is the criterion of truth.
- INTERNAL TALK 17 - "IMPROVEMENT" IN "SELF-IMPROVEMENT" - LÊ VĂN CƯỜNG - Nov 29th, 2021
  30/ 11/ 2021
  
  What is "Tu" (improve)? Understanding "self-improvement" and objectives Mind-Body-Heart mechanism Significance and conclusion "Tu" (improve) is to repair, in the speaker's way of understanding about Buddhist practices. That is to repair our heart and perception. Emerson once said "Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny", which is similar to Buddhist Karma. The speaker understood "self-improvement" as improving our body, wisdom and mind. In terms of "body", we eat and rest in right way. We also have to observe our mind and are mindfulness of our three evils (desire-hate-delusion) and do not commit wrong actions. Cường completed his presentation by quoting a verse in Dhammapada: "Not to do any Evil, To do all Good, To Purify one's mind, This is the teaching of the Buddha."
- INTERNAL TALK 16 - BUTTERFLY EFFECT - LÊ HÀ THỤC UYÊN - Nov 22nd, 2021
  23/ 11/ 2021
  
  For want of a nail the shoe was lost, For want of a shoe the horse was lost, For want of a horse the rider was lost, For want of a rider the battle was lost, For want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. - Benjamin Franklin Butterfly effect was first mentioned in 1972 by the meteorologist Edward Lorenz in a very famous sentence “A flap of butterfly's wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas”. Lorenz discovered the effect when he observed runs of his weather model with initial condition data that were rounded in a seemingly inconsequential manner: 0,506127 to 0,506. He noted that the weather model would fail to reproduce the results of runs with the unrounded initial condition data. A very small change in initial conditions had created a significantly different outcome. Edward Lorenz's work placed the concept of instability of the Earth's atmosphere onto a quantitative base and linked the concept of instability to the properties of large classes of dynamic systems which are undergoing nonlinear dynamics and deterministic chaos. The butterfly effect concept has since been used outside the context of weather science as a broad term for any situation where a small change is supposed to be the cause of larger consequences. It is used to mention about cause-effect or temporal paradox. Many historical events was attached to the name of this term: Hitler’s application being rejected by Academy of Fine Arts Vienna leaded to World War II is one example that some says the world would had been completely different if inversely he had passed and immersed in paintings. It is said that the contagion of pandemic is one kind of butterfly effect. In the 2004 movie The Butterfly Effect - Ashton Kutcher travels back in time, altering his troubled childhood in order to influence the present, though with dismal results. In communications, this metaphor is usually used as a meaningful message to positively motivate people that our every tiny good action matters. Reading reccommendation The part of the Other - Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt A very short introduction to Chaos - Leonard Smith Butterfly effect - Andy Andrews Nudge - Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sustein Getting Causes from Power - Stephen Mumford & Rani Lill Anjum Wholeness and the Implicate Order - David Bohm
- INTERNAL TALK 15 - THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES - HUỲNH DUY THANH - Nov 15th, 2021
  16/ 11/ 2021
  
  Theory of multiple intelligences was first outlined by Gardner his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, where he suggested that all people have different kinds of "intelligences”. Originally in this book he proposed people have seven kinds of intelligences, and then added two more: naturalistic intelligence and existential intelligence. The original seven were: (1) Visual-Spatial Intelligence, (2) Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence, (3) Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, (4) Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, (5) Musical Intelligence, (6) Interpersonal Intelligence, and (7) Intrapersonal Intelligence. While a person might be particularly strong in a specific area, such as musical intelligence, he or she most likely possesses a range of abilities. For example, an individual might be strong in verbal, musical, and naturalistic intelligence. The speaker highlighted, in primary school education, the importance of mathematics, language, and music which are correspondent to Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence, and Musical Intelligence respectively. Other kinds of intelligence are not recognized and trained adequately in Vietnam perhaps due to lacking of well trained teachers and limited view of curriculum scope. In Q&A section, this theory was criticized of its too broad view of intelligence which also includes personality traits and abilities. As a result, it was harder to estimate a person intelligence than the traditional IQ test. Another question raised the similar technical point: how to measure a person‘s each kind of multiple intelligence individually and combine them into a single result? The last question seemed to be the one every audience want to know from practical point of view: how to improve a person‘s multiple intelligence. Perhaps there is no short cut to do so but a lot of training and efforts over years required.
- INTERNAL TALK 14 - DESIGN THINKING - NGUYỄN CÔNG TÂM - Nov 8th, 2021
  09/ 11/ 2021
  
  Design thinking was presented. This thinking includes 5 steps: 1) Empathize: Research Your Users' Needs Here, you should gain an empathetic understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve, typically through user research. Empathy is crucial to a human-centered design process such as design thinking because it allows you to set aside your own assumptions about the world and gain real insight into users and their needs. 2) Define: State Your Users' Needs and Problems It’s time to accumulate the information gathered during the Empathize stage. You then analyze your observations and synthesize them to define the core problems you and your team have identified. These definitions are called problem statements. You can create personas to help keep your efforts human-centered before proceeding to ideation. 3) Ideate: Challenge Assumptions and Create Ideas Now, you’re ready to generate ideas. The solid background of knowledge from the first two phases means you can start to “think outside the box”, look for alternative ways to view the problem and identify innovative solutions to the problem statement you’ve created. Brainstorming is particularly useful here 4) Prototype: Start to Create Solutions This is an experimental phase. The aim is to identify the best possible solution for each problem found. Your team should produce some inexpensive, scaled-down versions of the product (or specific features found within the product) to investigate the ideas you’ve generated. This could involve simply paper prototyping. 5) Test: Try Your Solutions Out Evaluators rigorously test the prototypes. Although this is the final phase, design thinking is iterative: Teams often use the results to redefine one or more further problems. So, you can return to previous stages to make further iterations, alterations and refinements – to find or rule out alternative solutions. Not only limited its use in design, interestingly the speaker also proposed using this design thinking as a problem solving tool in working enviroment. A lot of questions and cases are raised to explore how plausible this proposal works.
- INTERNAL TALK 13 - BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY - TRẦN HỒNG UYÊN THI - Nov 1st, 2021
  02/ 11/ 2021
  
  This workshop used inquiry-based approach. Four questions are asked and discussed in four teams: (1) what is business?, (2) what is management?, (3) what are functions of a manager?, and lastly, (4) what is philosophy of business? To answer each question, one team member was assigned to lead their team discussion, and presented their team answer. In this first and second question, four teams came to similar definitions: a business [activity] is a commercial activity which involves providing goods or services with a primary motive of earning profits and management is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. In the third question, four teams were different in their answers except two functions of a manager: planning and controlling. Two other functions, organizing and leading, were specified by two teams. One team used the model PDCA: planning, doing, checking, and acting. Key take-aways for workshop participants on what a manager does are four functions: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. To avoid confusion of roles of manager and leader, their characteristics were described. In short, the manager is ‘to do thing right’ and leader is ‘to do right thing’. In the final topic, philosophy of business, a definition was given: philosophy of business is the set of principles and beliefs that a company is working toward to achieve success. Nike‘s slogan ‘Just do it’ was cited as an example to illustrate their mission ‘bring inspiration and innovation to every athletes in the world’. Three videos were shown and analyzed by four teams to show how Nike conveys their philosophy in their consistent marketing campaigns.
- INTERNAL TALK 12 - FEMINIST EXISTENTIALISM - NGÔ CAO NGỌC ANH - Oct 25th, 2021
  26/ 10/ 2021
  
  Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. Existentialism is a philosophical and cultural movement which holds that the starting point of philosophical thinking must be the individual and the experiences of the individual. Existentialist feminists emphasize concepts such as freedom, interpersonal relationships, and the experience of living as a human body. Simone de Beauvoir was a renowned existentialist and one of the principal founders of second-wave feminism.Beauvoir examined women's subordinate role as the 'Other', patriarchally forced into immanence in her book, The Second Sex, which some claim to be the culmination of her existential ethics. The book includes the famous line, "One is not born but becomes a woman," introducing what has come to be called the sex-gender distinction. Beauvoir's The Second Sex provided the vocabulary for analyzing the social constructions of femininity and the structure for critiquing those constructions, which was used as a liberating tool by attending to the ways in which patriarchal structures used sexual difference to deprive women of the intrinsic freedom of their "can do" bodies. Gender equality (or sexual equality) in Vietnam were discussed in the second part. 70 percent of women joins the workforce that is signiciantly higher than average of the world percentage (50%). Vietnamese women receive 15% lower salary than Vietnamese men in the same jobs. Accessibility to university education is still a challenge for Vietnamese women in rural areas. More and more women are now in leader positions in economic field, but politics and military fields are primary areas of men. The key challenge in gender equality in Vietnam is how to raise awareness of the whole society and remove the glass ceiling.
- INTERNAL TALK 11 - MIND IN BUDDHISM AND MIND IN ORDINARY LIFE - NGUYỄN MINH PHƯƠNG - Oct 18th, 2021
  20/ 10/ 2021
  
  - Reason to choose the topic - Mind in Buddhism - Mind in ordinary life - References Mind or “Tâm” in Vietnamese means literally heart (“tâm”) or mind (“tâm trí”), it also means good will in ethical sense. In Buddhism, “Tâm” is used in interchangeably with “Thức” (consciousness), for example “duy tâm” (mind only) and “duy thức” have the same meaning. In Hinayanist tradition, “tâm” is a psychological concept, but in Mahayanist tradition, this concept was developed into a metaphysical one. All dharmas (“pháp”) come from “tâm/ thức”. There are eight levels of consciouness according to “duy thức” school: eye consciousness (“nhãn thức”), ear consciousness (“nhĩ thức”), tongue consciousness (“thiệt thức”), body consciousness (“thân thức”), mental consciousness (“ý thức”), deluded awareness (“mạt na thức”), and store consciousness (“tàng thức”). “Tàng thức” is foundational functions of all cognitions. ”Tâm/ thức” plays central roles in two most popular Mahayanist Buddhist practices that we can see through their maxims “nhất tâm bất loạn” in Pure Land school and “minh tâm kiến tánh” in Zen school. The nature or meaning of “nhất tâm”, “minh tâm”, and “chân tâm” (or “Phật tánh” (Buddhahood)) are the most often asked questions in Zen Buddhism. They are incomprehensible to laymen who are not Buddhist practitioners. Though incomprehensible as a metaphysical concept, “Tâm” is widely used in Vietnamese ordinary language and daily life. “Tâm địa” is land of mind which grows and generates actions. “Nhẫn tâm” is literally bitter mind, its current usage is to mean an evil mind. Other examples are “thiện tâm” (good heart/ good will), “ác tâm/ tà tâm/ tâm ma” (evil mind), “tâm tham”, “tâm sân”, “tâm si”, which all came from Buddhist teachings. Vietnamese people have no problem to understand common expressions containing “Tâm”. But the question “what is the nature of Tâm?” is very difficult to answer.
- INTERNAL TALK 10 - MINIMALIST LIFESTYLE - ĐẶNG ÁI VY - Oct 12th, 2021
  12/ 10/ 2021
  
  - Definition of minimalist lifestyle - How does this lifestyle benefit us? - Guide to a minimalist lifestyle - Q&A The definition of a minimalist lifestyle was clarified as simply freeing ourselves from unnecessary stuffs, including tangible and intangible ones. In fact, minimalism has been mentioned throughout the course of history, for example, Buddhists have been known for their tendency to ignore material possessions for thousands of years. But it was not until the 20th century that the practice became mainstream with the motto "less is more" across various industries such as fashion, design, technology, etc. 3 main benefits that come from the lifestyle: savings, comfort and environmental pollution reduction. There are pieces of advice to build a minimalist lifestyle like: when it comes to objects, the second time we have to considerate eradicating an object is exactly when we should actually eradicate it; we should distinguish our needs and wants to declutter our living spaces and keep just what we really need and feel happy with. Recommended reading list: Live More With Less: The Gift of Minimalism by Teresa Baker, Karen Alexander (Sống tối giản để hạnh phúc hơn). Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki (Lối sống tối giản của người Nhật). Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Nghệ thuật theo đuổi sự tối giản). Một cuốn sách về chủ nghĩa tối giản by Chi Nguyễn. Q&A section involved many questions to be thought of: What are the drawbacks of minimalism? Does it threaten the economy? Does minimalism differ from simplicity? Since the word "minimalism" etymologically expresses an extreme meaning: culmination of reduction (minimal - smallest, least - "tối" giản), is it a bad idea to completely pursue such lifestyle?
- INTERNAL TALK 9 - INTRODUCTION TO EXISTENTIALISM - HUỲNH DUY THANH - Oct 4th, 2021
  05/ 10/ 2021
  
  - Vietnamese translations on existentialism - Definition of existentialism - Main themes of existentialism - Some existentialist philosophers - Q&A In the first part, the speaker gave an overview of Vietnamese translations on existentialism. Key works were translated before 1975 by Vạn Hạnh group including Bùi Giáng on Camus and Heidegger, Phạm Công Thiện, Nguyễn Hữu Hiệu, Trần Xuân Kiêm on Nietzsche and Heidegger. Sartre was also a favourite philosopher whose works were translated by Phùng Thăng and many others. The recently noteworthy translations was Sartre's Existentialism is a Humanism by Đinh Hồng Phúc. Existentialism was the major philosophical movement which was very popular in France in the 1940s and in South Vietnam in the 1960s. It focused mainly on human existence and human experience. The term ‘experience’ used by existentialists is more on subjective side which is different from empiricist and idealist tradition. In the view of the existentialist, the individual's starting point has been called "the existential angst", a sense of dread, disorientation, confusion, or anxiety in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. The main themes of existentialism are: (1) existence precedes essence or anti-essentialism; (2) the absurd: human beings must find meaning in a meaningless world; (3) human anxiety; (4) freedom/ responsibility. In the last part on existentialists, the speaker discussed key topics in Kierkegaard: the subjective truth, three domains of human existence (aesthetics, ethics, religion), and concept of individual. In Q&A section, some questions were asked: what is the concept of man according to existentialists? What are the social consequences if people act according to their own moral values?
- INTERNAL TALK 8 - INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN PHILOSOPHY CANON - HUỲNH DUY THANH - Sep 27th, 2021
  28/ 09/ 2021
  
  This talk aimed at giving an overview of Western philosophy canon. It tried to answer three basic questions: 1) What are major periods and philosophical schools in Western philosophy? 2) Who are important philosophers in each major period? 3) What works are considered philosophical classics? By going through book series such as Very Short Introduction, Routledge Philosophy Guidebooks, and Routledge Guides to the Great Books, the speaker tackled the three questions. - Ancient philosophy: the big names are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Classics: Trial of Socrates, Republic by Plato; Poetics, Politics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle. - Medieval philosophy: the big names are Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Classics: Confessions by Augustine; Summa Theologiae by Thomas Aquinas. - Early modern philosophy: Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Mill of British empiricism; Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz of Continental Rationalism; Kant and Hegel of German Idealism. The classics of the first school are: Leviathan by Hobbes, Essay Concerning Human Understanding by Locke, Principles of Human Knowledge by Berkeley, and Enquiries/ Dialogue by Hume. The classics of the second school are: Meditations by Descartes, Ethics by Spinoza, and Monadology by Leibniz. Lastly, the classics of the last group are Three Critiques by Kant, Phenomenology of Spirit and Philosophy of Rights by Hegel. - Analytic Philosophy: important figures are Frege, Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein. Their classics include Principia Ethica by Moore, Tractatus, Philosophical Investigations, On Certainty by Wittgenstein. - Continental Philosophy: important philosophers are Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty. There classic works are Cartesian Meditations by Husserl, Being and Time by Heidegger, and Phenomenology of Perceptions by Merleau-Ponty.
- INTERNAL TALK 7 - THE EIGHTFOLD PATH - TRẦN THỊ MỸ - Sep 20th, 2021
  21/ 09/ 2021
  
  - The eightfold path in Buddhist teaching context - The contents of the eightfold path - Some applications in working enviroment - Reference (in Vietnamese) - Q&A After explaining the eightfold path (bát chánh đạo) as the final truth of four noble truths (tứ diệu đế) in Buddhist teaching in the introductory part, the speaker proceeded to real contents of the path itself. This path includes eight branches: (1) right intention (resolve) (chánh tư duy), (2) right speech (chánh ngữ), (3) right conduct or action (chánh nghiệp), (4) right livelihood (chánh mạng), (5) right effort (chánh tinh tấn), (6) right mindfulness (chánh niệm), (7) right samadhi (chánh định), (8) right view (chánh kiến). On the applications of the eightfold path, the speakers suggested following practices which can be applied in working enviroment: (1) active listenting, (2) kind speech, (3) control of negative emotions, (4) right effort: continuous learning to improve knowledge and business skills. Various questions were discussed during Q&A section. Is the eightfold path coherent theory? What are the practical methods to control negative emotions such as anger? Is it possible to extinguish human desires?
- INTERNAL TALK 6 - STOIC LESSONS - HUỲNH DUY THANH - Sep 13th, 2021
  15/ 09/ 2021
  
  - Stocism: General introduction - Lessons from Epictetus - Lessons from Seneca - Lessons from Marcus Aurelius - Further Readings (in Vietnamese) - Q&A. Stoic philosophers teach us to distinguish between what are external and can not be changed, and what can be changed in our daily activities. We suffer in our imagination more than in reality. The events just happen, and we suffer due to our unnecessary subjective judgements on them. These philosophers also teach us to treat any unlucky event as an opportunity to prove our virtues (justice, self-control, courage, and integrity) and our excellence: "The true men are only revealed in difficult situations". In Q&A section, one participant asked: "Stoic teachings are similar to Buddhist teachings, what more Stoic teaching can offer us in our practice?". Another remarked "Stotic teachings are too 'professional' and 'rational' for him to adopt in his daily practice". This is a common misunderstanding of Stoic philosophy indeed which also emphasizes on "positive" emotions. Stoic philosophy are new to all of us as a theory and a practice that we are going to read and explore more its philosophy from our own library.
- INTERNAL TALK 4 - DETERMINISM - NGUYỄN NGỌC HÙNG - Aug 30th, 2021
  02/ 09/ 2021
  
  - What is fate/destity? What is determinism? - Determinism in folk culture: horoscope and fortune teller; - Determinism as a conception of religion: Buddhist and Christian perspective; - Determinism in history of philosophy; - Q&A. Some stimulating questions during Q&A section were: Are there free will and moral responsibility if determinism is true? If quantum mechanics is true, is there human freedom? Are there historical necessary laws?
- INTERNAL TALK 3 - SOUL - NGÔ THANH TÂN - Aug 23rd, 2021
  02/ 09/ 2021
  
  - What is soul/spirit? - Is human soul immortal or mortal? - Soul in Buddhist and Christian perspective; - Soul in Plato and Aristotle's philosophy; - Q&A. Some interesting questions during the Q&A section were: Is there after-life? Why did the speaker choose this topic? Can one define personal identity without soul? Perhaps due to these interesting questions, the discussion went on and lasted for 4 hours.
- INTERNAL TALK 2 - INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY II - HOÀNG VIỆT - Aug 16th, 2021
  02/ 09/ 2021
  
  In his talk, Việt continued to tackle the key question in philosophy, "What is Metaphysics?". Metaphysics is a study of reality as a whole. He also explained the difference between General Metaphysics and Special Metaphysics. The former studied being or existence is in line with Aristotle’s conception of metaphysics. The latter addressed more specific questions concerning existence, such things as immortality, freedom of the will, and the mind-body problem. One interesting question was raised during the discussion: can one define a human being, or to be more precise, a personal identity as soul? To answer this question, Descartes's dualism and Locke's treatment of personal identity were discussed at length. At the end, we came to no common agreement, as usual practice in any philosophical discussion. Another frequently asked question was raised at the end of the talk: What books are recommended for those who have no acquaintance with philosophy before? The recommended reading list was given: - Câu truyện triết học by Will Durant. Translated by Trí Hải and Bửu Đích; - Câu chuyện triết học by Bryan Magee. Translated by Huỳnh Phan Anh and Mai Sơn; - Triết học Kant by Trần Thái Đỉnh; - Triết học hiện sinh by Trần Thái Đỉnh; - Lịch sử triết học phương Tây (3 volumes) by Lê Tôn Nghiêm; - Thế giới của Sophie by Jostein Gaarder. Translated by Huỳnh Phan Anh.
- CHAT WITH BÙI VĂN NAM SƠN AT THƯ HIÊN DỊCH TRƯỜNG
  11/ 08/ 2021
  
  We were buzzing with excitement at our Thư Hiên Dịch Trường (Ex Libris Hermes) Grand Opening hosted by Dr. Bùi Văn Nam Sơn this morning. This is to offer us a habit of reading and translators a working environment. Dr. Bùi has once questioned in a 2009 post: “When could we have a translation center, 13 centuries after Xuanzang?”. And today, his question has well gotten answered with the birth of DBA Interiors' Library: Thư Hiên Dịch Trường (Ex Libris Hermes).
- DR. BÙI VĂN NAM SƠN’S SERIAL LECTURES ON “BUILDING, DWELLING, THINKING” - MARTIN HEIDEGGER
  11/ 08/ 2021
  
  The serial lectures were conducted several years ago at USSH - HCMC. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s seminal essay “Building, Dwelling, Thinking”, published in 1954, is one of the texts which has had the most influence on architectural thinking in the second half of 20th and early 21st century. What much of modern and postmodern architectural thinking extracts from Heidegger’s text and revolves around is the understanding of building and dwelling as more or less abstract forms of being without taking into account the people inhabiting space. In these traditions little has been said about what the Scandish architecture thinks about the term “being” and announces as the most important aspect of architecture: Well-being understood as human well-being. The present paper means to re-interpret Heidegger’s text critically in order to rethink dwelling and building within an architectural context, presenting as a lifelong search for the architecture of well-being.