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[free_thought181]

If anyone out there still needs more convincing that the current push to allow torture by Messrs Bush and Cheney is horribly, horribly wrong, the fact that John Negroponte of all people is refusing to support it should clinch it. Mr Negroponte was not only instrumental in the Iran-Contra affair (in my opinion, the single worst act in our nation's

Comments

[thales1940]

I'll take this from two perspectives. 1. The long view: when we argue we use reasons to persuade. But what is the process of reasoning? Check ot Encyc. of Phil. on "reason", only about two pages that say they don't know what it is. The article on thinking is a lot closer to the mark. My argument is that Thales discovered critical reasoning which involved the integration or the two ways we measure things: ordinal and cardinal. Before Thales the world had no idea of the power of cardinal numbers, which give us the power to be exact in our thinking. Pythagorus damaged the idea by not knowing how to integrate irrational numbers resulting in the mind/body dichotomy as evidenced by Hereclitus/Parmenides.

My goal in philosophy is to correct the Pythagorean error and clearly identify the value of Thales.

2. the shorter perspective has to do with secrecy in government. As a free people I have never been able to figure out how we the people can justify some of us making decisions that affect the general popul. in secret. I know there are arguments about the need to protect ideas in time of war, so I don't have a clear answer, I just know I'm not comfortable with trusting the CIA to do the right thing. At the same time, I have no sympathy with terrorists who break all the rules. We have the moral right of self defense. That means you don't fight in a way that gives your enemy the advantage. We are not reduced to their level when our only goal is to live and let live. Unfortuunately, that is my goal, should be our nations goal, but probably is not the goal of either major party.