> I'm not sure, as I avoid group activities like the plague these days (I
>only bother with these functions when I'm with someone I know and like and
>trust who might run "interference" for me <g>), but from what I've seen
>the notion seems to be more and more widely held that if you believe
>something then that's the same as if it were "true" or factual, and so
>even if you criticize only an idea someone or some group "believes" to be
>true you're setting yourself up for a heated assault for the reason these
>people take your opposition to have been an attack on their idea thus an
>attack on themselves!
> Any of that make sense?
Yep - the confusion between 'truth' and 'belief' is always problematic.
Once you believe something, you tend to discount and/or attack any evidence
to the contrary. Of course, the entire concept of a neutral, value free
'truth' is highly suspect anyway. (You want paradigms? - we got paradigms!)
I have students who see my stated dislike of McDonalds and all it stands
for as a personal attack on their culture - obviously, they aren't
listening.
> Basically it just boils down to piss poor education. People simply aren't
>receiving the requisite training (education) to develop the sort of mental
>discipline needed to do better intellectually in a world as complex and
>demanding as the one we live in. It should be intuitive that when our
>intellectual processes break down one of the first positions of fallback
>is going to be our emotions, and at that juncture you're playing with fire.
> Tris
If only. Education is not some magic bullet. Most people receive an
education designed to pass on a belief and value structure. Most people
want vocational training, rather than education - it's more 'userful.' Most
receipients simply don't have the mental furniture to deal with complex
arguments in an objective manner and so genuine criticism sideslips into
mere cynicism and scepticism. Most philosophers live dangerously - like my
former lunchtime companion Peter Singer at Princeton.
AndrewF
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|