Philosoraptor

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Philosodude

Finally got around to adding local gadfly tvd's new blog Philosodude to the blogroll. Although tvd (The 'Dude? P-Doody?) and I disagree about lots of conclusions, that's not how I tend to identify my intellectual allies. I consider anybody who shares a commitment to reason, open-mindedness and dispassionate inquiry an ally. Method is of primary importance, specific conclusions not. I used, for example. I consider John McCain a kindred political spirit, though I disagree with lots of his positions. Richard Rorty and I agree on most specific policy conclusions, I think, but I consider him a non-ally.

Anyway, give him some traffic--and some trouble--if you please. He deserves props for expending so much energy trying to keep me honest--a full-time job if there ever was one.

Rock on, 'Dude.

Winston Smith

¶ 11:30 AM

Comments:

The history of the inquisition is rather interesting. On the one hand, it was the beginning of the whole notion of modern "innocent until proven guilty", inquisitive behavior. ON the other hand, it was a force of brutal suppression and inhuman torture.

In any event, I think this worship of reason as the sole arbiter of your allies is rather short sighted. While reasonable, tvd doesn't seem to hold the same values that actually founded this country. His reasoning is apparently unable to penetrate these truths. His method still leads to conclusions that are contrary to fundamental principles of our constitution.

Quite frankly, I'd rather have someone with a good heart than a great mind and a lousy heart. The sleep of reason may beget monsters, but reason alone has also begotten many a horror equally nasty in the end results.

I mean, Mussolini's reasoning was based on Nietzsche, Blanqui and Sorel. Mein Kampf was originally entitled "four years of struggle against lies, stupidity and cowardice".

Reason doesn't seem to be a necessary nor sufficient condition to coming to a good conclusion. And then there's the whole French revolution thang. It's advocates committed themselves to "reason" and "liberty".

And look how radical that turned out.

Just sayin....

I'm sure John Yoo is quite a reasonable man. So is Alberto Gonzoles. I hear Rumsfeld is incredibly intelligent.

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:22 PM

FROM wmr:

I'm surprised that you consider the Philosodud someone "who shares a commitment to reason, open-mindedness and dispassionate inquiry". I have seen scant evidence of this in my exchanges with him.

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:50 PM

I have some inclination to agree with you, wmr, about a good heart or the right sentiments being even more important than a committment to reason.

# posted by

Winston Smith : 7:33 AM

Thanks for the props, WS, I guess. I think I just got called a Nazi again.

# posted by

Tom Van Dyke : 8:13 AM

Hmmm...I was just getting around to coming back to saying that I think that wmr was too tough on tvd. I know you guys disagree, and I think you got crossways with each other early on. Too bad...

I agree with you, wmr, FAR more often than I do with tvd, but I disagree with your assessment of tvd's intellectual character.

Don't get me wrong--I think tvd's wrong a whole bunch of the time, and sometimes I think he's not budging when he should budge. That's cheating. But I think I do that sometimes, too. I think it's bad and we shouldn't do it, but I think everybody does it sometimes, and I think that to err is human.

Anyway, given the nature of political debate, I think we've got to have wide tolerances. Sometimes I want to bonk tvd on the head with a 2x4, but, in case I've left any doubt about the matter, I admire his intellectual character...

...misguided though innumerable of his conclusions might be...

# posted by

Winston Smith : 9:16 AM

Oops...that wasn't wmr's comment I was thinking of. It was an Anonymous.

# posted by

Winston Smith : 9:18 AM

Certainly not calling you a Nazi, tvd. Not even a fascist. Just saying that there's a long line of oh so reasonable people who have come to disasterously wrong conclusions.

Reason is a rather late arrival in the whole evolutionary scheme - even amongst humans. The scant millenia or two that we've had it available in any serious form is nothing compared to the 3 billion years of evolution that stretch out before reason came onto the scene.

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:31 AM

FROM wmr:

Winston, perhaps you will be so good as to show what is admirable about this comment, which in my experience is all too typical of tvd's intellectual character.

After saying in an earlier comment that Richard Rorty admits the incoherence of "freeloading atheists" and then complaining of the rudeness of Protagoras in asking for a source, tvd finally admits, without apology, that "incoherence" is his word, nor Rorty's.

I see nothing admirable about this performance.

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:58 PM

Seems like an honest misunderstanding to me. tvd's just wrong about the relationship between God and ethics...though he's right about the moral impotence of cultural norms. Anyway, seems like an honest mistake to me.

# posted by

Winston Smith : 6:39 AM

FROM wmr:

Winston, you don't know how sorry I am to hear you say that.

Ave atque vale.

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:20 PM

Oooops. I seem to have cost you a friend, WS. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be barbequed by their own.

I was mostly MIA for my and wmr's favorite topic, me, but self-justification is boring anyway. I do explain my absence over at the homestead.

Cheers, mate. U OK. Profiles in Courage.

# posted by

Tom Van Dyke : 11:41 PM

Damn.

# posted by

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# posted by

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# posted by

Dan : 6:36 PM

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:01 PM

# posted by

archangel : 11:43 AM

Winston Smith

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