FEATURE ARTICLES. DONALD TRUMP- THE REPUBLICANS SECRET WEAPON? PT 4.

WHAT HAPPENED?   THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FAILED TO REALIZE THE NUMBER OF FAR RIGHT EXTREMISTS THAT INHABIT THEIR PARTY.  ( AT LEAST THOSE WHO VOTE IN THE PRIMARIES, AND SEEM TO DOMINATE REPUBLICAN FOCUS GROUPS.)

THE REALIZATION THAT A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COULD INSULT:

-  AN ETHIC GROUP.

-  WOMEN.

-  VETERANS.

-  AN ENTIRE RELIGION.

ETC....

AND GAIN POPULARITY AT THE POLLS, SHOULD TELL YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO A LARGE PART OF THOSE WHO MAKE UP THE BODY OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

However, What can you do if your Opponents take these COMMENTS AND ASSERTIONS, AND
ACCUSE YOU OF PREJUDICE, FEAR MONGERING, AND AN ENEMY TO FREEDOM
GUARANTEED BY THE U.S. CONSTITUTION?

DO YOU...

-  USE LOGIC AND CRITICAL THINKING TO LAY OUT YOUR ARGUMENTS

PROPERLY?

-  PRESENT EVIDENCE THAT CAN BE STUDIED AND EVALUATED?

-  BRING IN RESPECTED AND COMPETENT EXPERTS TO LEND CREDENCE

TO YOUR ACCUSATIONS?

...PRODUCE ANYTHING THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED INTELLECTUALLY SOUND AND VALUABLE, IN FINDING THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE SAID?

No. You come up with the following Justification:

THAT THIS COUNTRY IS BEING RUINED BY "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS", AND YOUR NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK YOUR MIND.

SELF- CENTERED AMORALISTS USUALLY AREN'T.

Date- 12/16/2015.

FEATURE ARTICLES. DONALD TRUMP- THE REPUBLICANS SECRET WEAPON? PT 3.

As DONALD TRUMPS Latest Attacks Have Shown Us, he sees no problem with 

Violating the CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS LAW, OR EVEN BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS.

Several Months ago I Wrote a Two Piece Article about Him being the REPUBLICAN PARTIES SECRET WEAPON.  HIS COMMENTS THEN, AND THOSE MADE MORE RECENTLY, SEEMED TO POINT TO A CANDIDATE TRYING TO RUIN HIS CHANCES AT BECOMING NOMINATED.

HOW COULD THIS HELP THE REPUBLICAN PARTY?

It Turned Attention Away from the more TRADITIONAL HOPEFULS, WHO WERE, AND STILL ARE, PUSHING A FAILED NATIONAL AGENDA THAT WANTS TO TURN BACK ALL THAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, AND RETURN US TO G.W. BUSH ERA POLITICS.

( TO BE FAIR, I DO NOT THINK THAT OUR PREVIOUS PRESIDENT WOULD EVER SUPPORT OR APPROVE THE PLATFORM THAT HAS BECOME DONALD TRUMPS VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE U.S.)

SO HOW DID IT WORK OUT?

Date- 12/8/2015.

FEATURE ARTICLES. CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING- FIGHTING THE WRONG BATTLES. PT 5.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

When you are Faced with TWO DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSING VIEWS IN A DEBATE CONCERNING THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE, WHICH BY DEFINITION MUST INCLUDE NATURAL LAW AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD, HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO JUDGE THE QUALITY OF THE ARGUMENTS PRESENTED:

-  MAKE SURE THEY ARE VALIDLY CONSTRUCTED. IF NOT, POINT IT OUT, AND ASK WHY?

-  ARE ALL PREMISES FACTUAL IN CONTENT, OR ARE THEY ASSUMPTIONS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PROVEN TO BE TRUE?

-  ALL STATISTICS MUST BE SOURCED PROPERLY, WHICH INCLUDES METHODOLOGY.

If these Three Conditions cannot, or will not, be Satisfied to the agreement of each side, then you Won't have a Debate, or a Discussion that will Yield Meaningful Information. Discerning or Finding Truth is not aided by Tactics Designed to Mask Deceive, or Avoid Answering Valid and Evidentiary Questions.

APART FROM ABOVE, HERE ARE SOME OTHER TECHNIQUES THAT COULD HELP TO IDENTIFY WHICH OPINIONS ARE GROUNDED IN THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD, AND THOSE THAT ARE LITTLE MORE THAN SMOKE AND MIRRORS.

-  ASK BOTH SIDES TO PRESENT THE THREE STRONGEST POINTS THAT SUPPORT THEIR OPINIONS OR CONCLUSIONS.

THEN EVALUATE EACH POINT ON ITS OWN, TO SEE IF THEY STAND ON THEIR OWN MERITS, OR ARE DEPENDENT ON THE OTHER(S).

-  GIVEN WHAT CAN BE REASONABLY KNOWN ABOUT THE SUBJECT MATTER THAT IS NOT UNDER CONTENTION, HOW DO THE CONCLUSIONS 

THEY ARE ASSERTING FIT WITH ESTABLISHED FACTS?

-  WHAT MISTAKES THE OPPOSITION HAS MADE IN THEIR ANALYSIS, AND HOW CAN THEY BE CORRECTED?

FINALLY, THE MOMENT OF TRUTH. 

ASK EACH THE FOLLOWING:

IF IT CAN BE SHOWN THAT THE ARGUMENT(S) YOU ARE MAKING ARE INVALID, OR NOT SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE, WOULD IT MAKE YOU RECONSIDER YOUR POSITION?

IF NOT,

WHAT TYPE OF ARGUMENT, OR FORM OF EVIDENCE, WOULD YOU ACCEPT AS INDICATIVE THAT YOUR CONCLUSION OR OPINION IS UNFOUNDED, AND THAT THE OPPOSITION IS CORRECT?

TRUE SCIENTISTS WOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF THESE QUESTIONS. IF THEIR POSITION IS REASONABLE, AND PROPERLY CONSTRUCTED, SUCH INQUIRIES WOULD BE WELCOME.

Date-  12/3/2015.

FEATURE ARTICLES. CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING- FIGHTING THE WRONG BATTLES. PT 4.

Now that we have Set Standards for how EVIDENCE WILL BE ACCUMULATED AND EVALUATED, EVERYTHING IS READY FOR A REASONABLE AND VALID DEBATE, WITH THE RULES OF LOGIC AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD SHOWING THE WAY TO JUDGMENTS AND CONCLUSIONS THAT MUST BE ACCEPTED BY ALL, RIGHT?

Unfortunately, all to often, the Arguments of One, or even both sides of an Issue, are just there to DISGUISE THE TRUE PURPOSE FOR DEFENDING A CERTAIN CONCLUSION OR JUDGMENT.

If the Motives of One Side IS COMPLETELY SELF-SERVING, WITH A PRIORITY TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO, THE DESIRE TO CREATE CONFUSION, HOSTILITY, PREJUDICE etc, WILL WORK TO CHANGE THE DEBATE FROM A SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION OF A SPECIFIC PHENOMENA, TO AREAS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SUBJECT MATTER.

A Few Things to Remember:

-  BEING ELECTED, APPOINTED, OR IN ANY WAY SELECTED TO HOLD A PUBLIC OFFICE, DOES NOT GUARANTEE EXPERTISE IN ANY SUBJECT OR DISCIPLINE.

-  IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF  PhDs, MDs, JDs, AND OTHER RECOGNIZED AUTHORITIES ARE HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY, AND WILL GIVE AN UNBIASED AND WELL REASONED OPINION ON A SUBJECT RELATED TO THEIR FIELD. HOWEVER, THERE ARE A FEW WHO IGNORE HONOR AND TRUST TO FURTHER THEIR OWN INTERESTS, OR WHO FAIL TO ACKNOWLEDGE FAULTS IN THE ARGUMENTS THEY HAVE PUT FORTH, DUE TO HUBRIS AND AN UNWILLINGNESS TO EVALUATE THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS WITH THE SAME DEDICATION THAT THEY WOULD USE TO JUDGE OTHERS.

-  LOGIC AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD DO NO CHANGE ACCORDING TO EDUCATION, ABILITY, OR PREVIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS. THE DEFINITION OF AN INVALID OR IRRATIONAL ARGUMENT IS THE SAME FOR EVERYONE.

-  BEING AN ACKNOWLEDGED EXPERT IN ONE FIELD, DOES NOT MAKE SOMEONE AN EXPERT IN ALL SUBJECTS FOR WHICH THEY GIVE AN OPINION.

WHAT CAN WE DO?  LOOK FOR PART 5.

Date-  12/1/2015.