By Love Alone
Blog
Daniel Hickman
Lenses of Moral Reasoning: A Spiral Dynamics Approach
Why should one thing should be done (or seen as moral/good) over another?
Through the Spiral Dynamics framework, we discover a psycho-social progression of how morality is understood — through 8 different lenses: Self-Preservation, Familiar-Convention, Desire-Happiness, Absolute-Law, Nuanced-Context, Subjective-Relation, Yes-And, and Lived-Participation.
The Spiral Dynamics of Human Needs
Humans are complex creatures with many layers of needs, and these needs can be understood through the Spiral!
Each section has questions to help us consider which of our needs are being met?
Sola Scriptura, Tradition, and Knitting
What is the right way to live? Who or what do I trust to tell me how?
In the Christian tradition, many sources have been "listened to," including scripture, tradition, reason, and experience.
In this article I propose that Tradition both births and interprets Scripture, and present a knitting analogy for how the 4 Wesleyan sources of authority relate.
Spiral Dynamics: A Framework for Everything
Spiral Dynamics is a development model which provides a language for understanding human (individual) and societal (collective) development, across many domains such as education, conflict resolution, political systems, value-systems, human needs, and much more!
Faith or Belief?
“Belief” lives in the top-level of knowing (propositional knowing), by which one can assent to propositions and creeds.
"Faith" lives in the deepest level of knowing (participatory knowing) — our knowing of who we are (our identity) and our participation with God and others. It is a quality of our character and or our relationships, both of which reciprocally define who we are.
Reflections on Dialectical Thinking
“Dialectical thinking” is a way of thinking in which 2 opposing perspectives/ideas are in “dialogue” with each other and truth emerges from the interaction between the two. It’s a paradoxical way of thinking, with sees truth in both extremes. Rather than striving for an “either/or,” it generously accepts a “both/and.”
…Dialectical thinking requires the ability to accept and trust the mystery… all the cosmos is made out of diversity in unity — out of the paradox of Love which makes life, and emergence, possible!
What are the 4 Kinds of Knowing?
I'm writing to introduce a framework for understanding knowledge which I have found quite illuminating.
The “4 kinds of knowing” is developed by cognitive scientist John Vervaeke through extensive analysis and research. It groups "knowing" into 4 categories which are distinct, yet connected. These 4 kinds of knowing are: Propositional knowing (facts), Procedural knowing (skills), Perspectival knowing (awareness), and Participatory knowing (identity). Let's consider each one…
What is Non-Attachment?
Non-attachment is neither clinging… nor rejecting… but holding loosely with love.
When we desire something, we are prone to becoming too attached, meaning that we grasp for it, cling to it, try to control it, and make our happiness dependent upon it. This is the essence of attachment. It is an unhealthy dependency and neediness.
Spirituality x Religion
What is the difference between spirituality and religion?
Are they basically the same?
Is one better than the other?
Is one or both obsolete? Indispensable?
In this blog post, I will examine these terms in an effort to better understand what spirituality and religion are, their pitfalls, and their essentiality.
Beginning a Blog
Hello! Daniel here. I’m starting a blog!! ✨
💡What’s it about? This blog (and website) is called “By Love Alone,” a name I will surely discuss more later. I chose this name because love is really what this is all about! I want to write about love, in loving ways, participating in the spread of love, for the sake of love!