Friday, March 14, 2014
New Open Thread
It's been awhile since our last open thread. So have at it. Ukraine, the Malaysia Airlines 777, Jolly's win over Sink, ObamaCare, whatever suits your fancy!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Open Thread
Have at it with whatever strikes your fancy. Elections, MLB playoffs, great recipes, whatever strikes your fancy!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Continuing the Constitution
1.30. The fundamental orientation of a human's internal being consists of three aspects, faith, wonder and fear. When faith serves as the mediating force between wonder and fear, the human is in a divine state. When wonder serves as the mediating force between faith and fear, the human is in a philosophical state. When fear serves as the mediating force between wonder and faith, the human is in a despairing state. Humans oscillate among these states.
1.31. The state in which a human's internal being is primarily oriented cannot necessarily be discerned by a human's activities while alive on earth. A professor of evolutionary biology who may confidently claim to have thrown off all superstition may well live in an internal state primarily oriented by fear. The evolutionary biologist may secretly despair that his or her scientific studies, while feeding in some manner his or her wonder at creation, has starved his or her essential human need of faith. Fear becomes the reconciling force, leading to despair. On the other hand, a devout nun's wonder at the cosmos in which she is a part may mediate between her fear of what lies beyond her current existence and faith in an eternal soul. Thus, the nun may be more of a philosopher than the evolutionary biologist.
1.31. The state in which a human's internal being is primarily oriented cannot necessarily be discerned by a human's activities while alive on earth. A professor of evolutionary biology who may confidently claim to have thrown off all superstition may well live in an internal state primarily oriented by fear. The evolutionary biologist may secretly despair that his or her scientific studies, while feeding in some manner his or her wonder at creation, has starved his or her essential human need of faith. Fear becomes the reconciling force, leading to despair. On the other hand, a devout nun's wonder at the cosmos in which she is a part may mediate between her fear of what lies beyond her current existence and faith in an eternal soul. Thus, the nun may be more of a philosopher than the evolutionary biologist.
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Constitution of All Constitutions
Help me out, friends, enemies and indifferents. The task I have set for myself is to draft a model constitution for a human being's internal regime. I will post a clause (or clauses), and consider each comment thereon (whether the tone of the comment is somber, lighthearted, snarky, incredulous or indifferent). I may leave the text as posted, excise it from the model constitution, or modify it. Let the game begin!
1.10. The fundamental longing of the internal regime of a human being is to interact with its surroundings.
1.11 Especially the objects of the longing for interaction are other human beings.
1.12. Albeit the objects of secondary longing, human interaction with non-human phenomena (for example, the sun, the air, the dirt, the water, the fire, the gods) are essential to the development of a fine internal regime.
1.20. In interactions with other humans, a human possessing a fine internal regime will recognize that each human is on the same level of creation, which being on the same level of creation is the fundamental law of equality of all humans.
1.0. Beseeching the active intellect for guidance, I set upon the task of drafting a model constitution for the internal regime of a fine human being, and begin with a statement of fundamental principles.
1.10. The fundamental longing of the internal regime of a human being is to interact with its surroundings.
1.11 Especially the objects of the longing for interaction are other human beings.
1.12. Albeit the objects of secondary longing, human interaction with non-human phenomena (for example, the sun, the air, the dirt, the water, the fire, the gods) are essential to the development of a fine internal regime.
1.20. In interactions with other humans, a human possessing a fine internal regime will recognize that each human is on the same level of creation, which being on the same level of creation is the fundamental law of equality of all humans.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Law of All Laws
What better way to recharge a quiescent blog than to reflect upon the law of all laws? To begin, let's turn to Richard Hooker's Of the Lawes of Ecclesiasticall Politie, a work of the English Renaissance. The text will be from Volume One of The Folger Library Edition of the Works of Richard Hooker (Georges Edelen, Editor) (1977) (hereinadter cited as "Works Vol. One"). In The Fyrst Booke (I love the English Renaissance spelling and refuse to modernize it) Hooker states the following:
"All things that are have some operation not violent or casuall. Neither doth any thing ever begin to exercise the same without some foreconceaved ende for which it worketh. And the ende which it worketh for is not obteined, unlesse the worke be also fit to obteine it by. For unto every ende every operation will not serve. That which doth assigne unto each thing the kinde, that which doth moderate the force and power, that which doth appoint the forme and measure of working, the same we tearme a Lawe. So that no certaine end could ever be obteined, unlesse the actions whereby it is attained were regular, that is to say, made suteable fit and correspondent unto their end, by some canon, rule or lawe. Which thing doth first take place in the workes of God himselfe. All things therefore do worke after a sort according to lawe: all other things according to a lawe, whereof some superiours, unto whome they are subject, is author: only the workes and operations of God have him both for their worker, and for the lawe whereby they are wrought."
Works Vol. One, at 58-59.
It would appear that the fundamental law as described by Hooker is the essence of governing oneself. To be truly self governing, one must operate according to one's self generated principles. I say principles instead of principle because only "God is one, or rather verie Onenesse, and meere unitie, having nothing but it selfe in it selfe, and not consisting (as all things do besides God) of many things." Works Vol. One, at 59. In other words, we humans are multiplicities, so that our operations could not be the subject of a unified law each human gives to himself or herself. I would suggest, however, that the quest to be operating in accordance with a principle derived from true self is the essence of the human spirit. I would also suggest that what humans describe as reason and revelation is a single object seemingly in two different places because humans in their quest to operate according to an autonomously generated governing principle look at the object from two different vantage points.
OK, ladies and gentlemen, have at me! May those smitten with neuroscience chastise me for not taking into account whatever processes in the brain they would like to posit as constituting the explanation for what I am mindlessly (so to speak) describing as the quest to govern oneself. Let those of a religious nature bring wrath upon me for speaking about reason and revelation as the same object (for that matter, I suspect, the neuroscientists may also bring some wrath (or perhaps some mind altering chemical) upon me for that assertion). And may partisans of Hillary or Barack or John or Mike state their case that only under the watchful eye of their candidate will self government at any level in any form thrive.
"All things that are have some operation not violent or casuall. Neither doth any thing ever begin to exercise the same without some foreconceaved ende for which it worketh. And the ende which it worketh for is not obteined, unlesse the worke be also fit to obteine it by. For unto every ende every operation will not serve. That which doth assigne unto each thing the kinde, that which doth moderate the force and power, that which doth appoint the forme and measure of working, the same we tearme a Lawe. So that no certaine end could ever be obteined, unlesse the actions whereby it is attained were regular, that is to say, made suteable fit and correspondent unto their end, by some canon, rule or lawe. Which thing doth first take place in the workes of God himselfe. All things therefore do worke after a sort according to lawe: all other things according to a lawe, whereof some superiours, unto whome they are subject, is author: only the workes and operations of God have him both for their worker, and for the lawe whereby they are wrought."
Works Vol. One, at 58-59.
It would appear that the fundamental law as described by Hooker is the essence of governing oneself. To be truly self governing, one must operate according to one's self generated principles. I say principles instead of principle because only "God is one, or rather verie Onenesse, and meere unitie, having nothing but it selfe in it selfe, and not consisting (as all things do besides God) of many things." Works Vol. One, at 59. In other words, we humans are multiplicities, so that our operations could not be the subject of a unified law each human gives to himself or herself. I would suggest, however, that the quest to be operating in accordance with a principle derived from true self is the essence of the human spirit. I would also suggest that what humans describe as reason and revelation is a single object seemingly in two different places because humans in their quest to operate according to an autonomously generated governing principle look at the object from two different vantage points.
OK, ladies and gentlemen, have at me! May those smitten with neuroscience chastise me for not taking into account whatever processes in the brain they would like to posit as constituting the explanation for what I am mindlessly (so to speak) describing as the quest to govern oneself. Let those of a religious nature bring wrath upon me for speaking about reason and revelation as the same object (for that matter, I suspect, the neuroscientists may also bring some wrath (or perhaps some mind altering chemical) upon me for that assertion). And may partisans of Hillary or Barack or John or Mike state their case that only under the watchful eye of their candidate will self government at any level in any form thrive.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Picking Up the Presidential Race Pace
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/us/politics/01hoops.html?ei=5065&en=4249d627aad4dae2&ex=1181275200&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
Obama scores SPPs (Socratic Presidential Points) by the fact that he is a pick-up basketball aficionado. Pick-up basketball is like international relations: there is a general framework of rules on which the players purport to agree, but energy, daring, guile and rhetorical skill in justifying one's application of the rules are essential. In addtion, alliances often change (A, B and C may play D, E and F in a game of three on three, but the next game may be B, D and E against A, C and F). Keep an eye on the candidate's behavior in aspects of their lives in which the rules are fluid: it is one way to try to discern how they will act in the international arena (confession: for me, a US President's ability to negotiate the international relations thicket is THE most important qualification to lead the country; without the preservation of the United States as a big mixed ("mixed" in the sense of having aristocratic, oligarchic and democratic elements) republic in the world system, our differences about tax policy, business regulations, homosexual marriage and abortion will be irrelevant, it is better that we fight among ourselves about these issues under our system than have the decisions imposed on us by a tyrannical regime of whatever ideological stripe).
Obama scores SPPs (Socratic Presidential Points) by the fact that he is a pick-up basketball aficionado. Pick-up basketball is like international relations: there is a general framework of rules on which the players purport to agree, but energy, daring, guile and rhetorical skill in justifying one's application of the rules are essential. In addtion, alliances often change (A, B and C may play D, E and F in a game of three on three, but the next game may be B, D and E against A, C and F). Keep an eye on the candidate's behavior in aspects of their lives in which the rules are fluid: it is one way to try to discern how they will act in the international arena (confession: for me, a US President's ability to negotiate the international relations thicket is THE most important qualification to lead the country; without the preservation of the United States as a big mixed ("mixed" in the sense of having aristocratic, oligarchic and democratic elements) republic in the world system, our differences about tax policy, business regulations, homosexual marriage and abortion will be irrelevant, it is better that we fight among ourselves about these issues under our system than have the decisions imposed on us by a tyrannical regime of whatever ideological stripe).
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Rest in Peace, Mr. Hall
http://opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110010121
We would enrich our lives if we would master an activity removed from our regular roles in life. Whether it is becoming THE expert on the Lincoln assassination (as with Mr. Hall), raising guppies, tending a garden, becoming an expert marksman or mastering chess, we all have the time. We may or may not have the will. If we can develop that will, we will have built ourselves our own internal vacation home, a home that will refresh us when we become weary of being the butcher, baker, candlestick maker, student, family member, pillar of the community, or whatever roles we regularly play in our lives. And when we return to those regular roles, refreshed from our journey (which journey might be simply to our study or to our yard), we most likely will be a better butcher, baker or candlestick maker, more studious student, more loving family member, and stronger community pillar.
We would enrich our lives if we would master an activity removed from our regular roles in life. Whether it is becoming THE expert on the Lincoln assassination (as with Mr. Hall), raising guppies, tending a garden, becoming an expert marksman or mastering chess, we all have the time. We may or may not have the will. If we can develop that will, we will have built ourselves our own internal vacation home, a home that will refresh us when we become weary of being the butcher, baker, candlestick maker, student, family member, pillar of the community, or whatever roles we regularly play in our lives. And when we return to those regular roles, refreshed from our journey (which journey might be simply to our study or to our yard), we most likely will be a better butcher, baker or candlestick maker, more studious student, more loving family member, and stronger community pillar.
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