About Me

My photo
SEEKONK, MASSACHUSETTS, United States

Friday, May 11, 2018

LOGIC. HOW CAN YOU SPOT A WELL REASONED ARGUMENT, OR AN IRRATIONAL ONE? PT 1.


Exchange Of Ideas, Debate, Discussion

It may be a Local Politician, Co-Worker, Friend, or even a Family Member. Yet, it is Inevitable that occasionally someone you know will Voice an Opinion about an Issue that will be in Direct Conflict with your own.  What should you do? What is at Stake if you Decide to Open up and be Honest?  Before you Decide, try to go through the Following Process, and see what Answer it leads you to. 


1.  Is the Subject Matter of Such Importance that it must be Addressed Immediately?-  What is Important to You, Friends and Family, may not really matter to others.  Pick your Battles.  If You have an Opinion on a Subject, but it lies in conflict with Others, is the Disagreement so Vast that you are willing to make a Stand Then and There?  Can it wait for a Different Time and Place?  What Do You Gain, or Lose, by Postponing such a Discussion?

2.  Many Times it is Better to say NOTHING AT ALL, LET THE SPEAKER MAKE THE CASE FOR YOUR SIDE OF AN ISSUE.-  Are you Familiar with the Saying:   

                 "BETTER TO BE THOUGHT A FOOL, THAN TO OPEN YOUR 
                  MOUTH AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT."   

How Many Times have you been present at a Gathering or Event, where Someone Attending is making a Fool of Themselves, Blurting out Meaningless Drivel that has everyone Rolling Their Eyes and Walking Away.  If it is within a group of Fairly Well- Informed People, They will see the Individual for what He Is;  Ill-Informed, Ignorant, and Lacking the Basic Skills for Intellectual Discourse.  No Opinion They Offer will be Taken Seriously, and Hopefully, it is on the Opposite Side of an Issue that you land on.


3.  The Most Important Disagreements to Confront Immediately are Deliberate Falsehoods and Bad Information-  Before you can point out an IRRATIONAL AND INVALID ARGUMENT, MAKE SURE THE SPEAKER CAN BACK UP ANY FACTS AND FIGURES THEY ARE STATING AS FACT.  Don't point out the Flaws in the REASONING AND STRUCTURE OF THEIR ARGUMENT, AND IGNORE ANY MISINFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE PREMISES.  THEY CAN JUST REFORMULATE THE ARGUMENT TO MAKE IT VALID, BUT IT MAY STILL CONTAIN THE SAME FACTUAL FLAWS.


HERE IS A BASIC EXAMPLE;

ALL ROTTWEILERS ARE VICIOUS DOGS.

SPOT IS A  VICIOUS DOG.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

THEREFORE, SPOT IS A ROTTWEILER.


This is an INVALID ARGUMENT.  SPOT MAY 
BE A VICIOUS DOG, BUT ANY BREED OF DOG 
CAN BECOME VICIOUS, IT IS NOT A BEHAVIOR 
EXCLUSIVE TO THE ROTTWEILER.


TO MAKE IT A VALID ARGUMENT, IT IS CHANGED
TO THIS;


ALL ROTTWEILERS ARE VICIOUS DOGS.

SPOT IS A ROTTWEILER.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

THEREFORE, SPOT IS A VICIOUS DOG.

NOW THE ARGUMENT IS LOGICALLY VALID.
HOWEVER, THE BASIS OF TRUTH FOR THE CONCLUSION
THAT SPOT IS VICIOUS, LIES IN THE PREMISE THAT 
ALL ROTTWEILERS ARE VICIOUS. THAT IS A FACTUAL
CLAIM THAT MUST BE BACKED UP WITH PROPER
DATA.

Whenever someone Draws a Conclusion about a Specific 
Subject, make sure the Supporting Information backs it up.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. PORTRAITS OF EVIL- WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE EVIL? PT 1.


Spooky, Halloween, Scary, Mystery, Dark

Quite a Question, isn't it?  I can imagine asking a Dozen different people, and getting Twelve separate answers. 

However, let's try and come up with a Satisfactory Definition that could satisfy Social, Cultural and Ethical Guidelines, while at the same time Satisfying the Rules of Logic and Critical Thinking. 

You may have noticed that I Didn't include "Religion'', as a Term that needed to be included in a Universal Definition of Evil. 

WHY?

RELIGION, BY ITS VERY NATURE, IS A SYSTEM THAT REQUIRES FAITH AND ADHERENCE TO SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS THAT EXIST OUTSIDE THE REALM OF THE NATURAL WORLD. 
THEREFORE, ANY SYSTEM OF PROPER MORAL BEHAVIOR THAT IS FOUNDED ON HUMAN REASON AND RATIONAL THOUGHT, CANNOT BE DERIVED FROM RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE. SO ANY DEFINITION OF "EVIL", BEING APPLIED TO HUMAN BEHAVIOR, MUST COME FROM ELSEWHERE.

This is not a Judgment on whether or not Religion is the proper source for finding the Truth about Evil, either the Definition or the Source.  However, Since Ethical and Criminal Behavior, in Practical Terms, must be Judged by Legal Systems grounded in the Physical World, THE "SPIRITUAL  WORLD" is not a VIABLE ALTERNATIVE.

You have to remember Religious Faith, and any Teachings that stem from such Beliefs, which include Any and All Doctrines about Moral Behavior, are not Revelations to be Denied as Untrue, or even Questioned outside the Realm of a Churches Hierarchy.

The Hierarchy is the Established Authority, within the Particular, Recognizable, and Unique Body of Faith Itself, that Interprets Doctrine from Sources considered to be Divinely Inspired. Decisions are then made, and become Part of Established and Recognized Church Law.
LOOK FOR PART 2.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Steve Bannon’s plan for the midterms. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE JENNIFER WEXTON


Republicans have a plan for the midterm elections, David. Far-right figurehead and ousted political advisor Steve Bannon has called for putting Trump on the ticket in every district. “You have to put Donald Trump on the ticket. You’re not voting for Congress. You’re voting for Donald Trump.”


Coming from Steve Bannon, we know that this is a dog whistle for more extreme, anti-women, xenophobic rhetoric and policies. We can’t suffer through another 2 years of constant scandal and dangerous legislation that harms our citizens and our values.

Thank you for helping us flip the House, 

Meaghan Johnson
Finance Director

We had 20 women on the ballot on Tuesday. THEY ALL WON. EMILY'S LIST.

David,

GREAT news — all 20 of our candidates won their primary elections on Tuesday night!
  • All three of our U.S. House candidates won their primaries — Kathy Manning (NC-13), Betsy Rader (OH-14), and Liz Watson (IN-09).
     
  • In North Carolina, all three of our endorsed state legislative candidates won, as did our candidate for Durham County District Attorney.
     
  • And in Ohio, our candidate for secretary of state and all 12 of our state legislative candidates won their primaries!
This is just the start. Because in May, there are major primary elections almost every week, which means there are just FOUR DAYS to go until our next election day!

We have 21 candidates on the ballot this coming Tuesday in Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. And they're running in races for U.S. House, governors' seats, and state legislatures. For one candidate, Helen Tai — who's running for the Pennsylvania House — it's both her special election AND her primary.

Let's make sure we support them like we did our women in North Carolina, Ohio, and Indiana.

Thanks,

Lucinda Guinn
Vice President of Campaigns, EMILY's List