All life problems are rooted in cognition so we begin by recognizing the 7-fold cognitive being of willing, feeling, thinking, perception, conception, ideation, and cognition. Resolution begins by identifying the domain of cognition involved in the life challenge which will lead you to the relevant freedom card principles to apply. Here’s a structured set of questions and brief examples for each of the 14 cognitive domains to help a person identify the domain where their life challenge is rooted and where it can be resolved using the steps to freedom in The Philosophy of Freedom.
Question 1. Is the challenge one of knowledge or action?
- If the challenge involves understanding, insight, or perception, it belongs to the realm of knowledge.
- If the challenge involves decision-making, ethical dilemmas, or personal initiative, it belongs to the realm of action.
If the challenge is one of KNOWLEDGE (Chapters 1-7).
If the challenge is one of ACTION (Chapters 8-14).
KNOWLEDGE (Understanding Reality)
1. KNOWN ACTION (Willing) – Conscious Human Action
- Question: Are you struggling with whether you are truly in control of your actions?
- Example: “I feel like I’m acting on impulse or out of habit, rather than consciously choosing my actions.”
2. GUIDED CURIOSITY (Feeling) – The Fundamental Desire for Knowledge
- Question: Do you have an inner longing to understand something deeper about life, existence, or yourself?
- Example: “I feel an unshakable need to know ‘why’—why I exist, why things happen, why life is the way it is.”
3. FOCUSED THINKING (Thinking) – Thinking as the Instrument of Knowledge
- Question: Are you questioning how to improve your thinking, logic, or clarity?
- Example: “I struggle with overthinking, analyzing too much, or feeling unsure if my thoughts are valid.”
4. CORRECTED PERCEPTION (Perception) – The World as Percept
- Question: Is your challenge related to how you perceive reality or whether your senses can be trusted?
- Example: “I see the world one way, but others seem to see it differently. What is real?”
5. ACCURATE CONCEPTION (Conception) – Our Knowledge of the World
- Question: Do you struggle with how to organize or structure your knowledge and understanding?
- Example: “I have all these ideas but don’t know how they fit together. What is the bigger picture?”
6. AUTHENTIC IDEATION (Ideation) – Human Individuality
- Question: Is your challenge about understanding your uniqueness and how you differ from others?
- Example: “I feel different from others and wonder what makes me truly ‘me.’”
7. UNIFYING COGNITION (Cognition) – Are There Any Limits to Cognition?
- Question: Are you frustrated by the limits of what can be known or whether some things are unknowable?
Example: “I keep hitting a wall when trying to understand life’s deepest mysteries. Can everything be known?”
ACTION (Shaping Life & Destiny)
8. SELF-KNOWLEDGE (Cognition) – The Factors of Life
- Question: Are you struggling with how external life forces (circumstances, fate, biology, society) influence your actions?
- Example: “I feel trapped by my life situation and wonder if I truly have control over my destiny.”
9. SELF-DETERMINED (Ideation) – The Idea of Freedom
- Question: Are you trying to understand what true freedom means and whether you can achieve it?
- Example: “I feel torn between wanting to be free and feeling bound by responsibilities, rules, or expectations.”
10. SELF-PRINCIPLED (Conception) – Freedom Philosophy and Monism
- Question: Do you have a conflict between the authority of different worldviews or beliefs about reality?
- Example: “I don’t know whether to see life in a spiritual way or a purely materialistic way.”
11. SELF-PURPOSED (Perception) – World Purpose and Life Purpose (Human Destiny)
- Question: Are you searching for meaning or purpose in your life or in the world?
- Example: “I feel lost, like I don’t know what my purpose is or why life matters.”
12. SELF-CREATED (Thinking) – Moral Imagination (Darwinism and Ethics)
- Question: Are you struggling with how to act ethically, creatively, or morally?
- Example: “I want to make the right choice, but I don’t know what the right thing to do is.”
13. SELF-MOTIVATED (Feeling) – The Value of Life (Optimism and Pessimism)
- Question: Are you questioning whether life is fundamentally good, bad, meaningful, or meaningless?
- Example: “Sometimes I wonder if life is worth it—whether optimism or pessimism is more realistic.”
14. SELF-EMANCIPATED (Willing) – Individuality and Type
- Question: Are you struggling to express your true individuality while balancing social roles or expectations?
- Example: “I want to be myself, but I also feel pressure to conform to what others expect of me.”
