First Blog

Most of us know of Charlton Heston as an excellent actor, with spectaculars such as Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments in his filmography. However, he did more, much more.  Let me highlight his contributions to philosophy, as a performer.  In the series of audiobooks, The Giants of Philosophy , he recorded many years ago, he took on a task no other top movie star has ever attempted that being to bring serious philosophy to the masses.  These books are well produced and include segments on Kant, Aristotle, Spinoza, Hegel, and many others.  Most run two hours or more.  Not only that they are available on YouTube.  Free.  Check them out.  You will not be disappointed.

Homework 101  - Run for president of the USA Really?  Of course not.  But everyone should write their speech of what they have to offer, of what they stand for, and of why others should cast their vote in your favor. You can mention your family values, religious values, philosophical ideas, what the public means in your life, and all the rest.  You can invoke your party, your beliefs, your convictions, and your humor.  You should state what you have done, how you have led, and how you wish to lead your country and the world. You should express your big ideas, bold ideas, new ideas, the wrong ideas, and all ideas which comprise your vision. With your speech you have created your vision for America.  With your speech you can compare your vision as compared with what is offered by opponents. Only when you impress your ideas on paper can you know in your heart what you wish for, hope for, and what you demand for your country. This is your homework assignment.

The talking points nation.   We are faced with a huge population whose knowledge base, whose opinions, and whose operational guidelines are contained within a few sheets of talking points . Information is exchanged via talking points, and knowledge is conceived through talking points.   Sure, there is the talking points exchange from time to time, wherein some points are replaced by others, but the total number is conserved.   It is akin to the Malthusian, wherein when the number of talking points exceeds capacity to absorb there results a diminution and constriction of the whole.   Definitely not gestalt.  This may, under the most generous interpretation, be a consequence of modern information overload, dissembled national viewpoints, or highly crafted antipodal positions.   With less generosity it may be more simply disinterest, preoccupation, or depth of understanding, all as promoted by our schools. Political demagoguery is paramount in their creation of talking points

The other day while I was listening to a radio show, an advertiser boasted their underwear would make me twice or three times as cool.  Sounds great BUT what does this mean?  Nada.   We have here a mix of the quantitative with the qualitative – seemingly a trend in the misconception of terms.    The new (false) math applies multiples to qualitative objects.  Twice as cool.  Twice as hot. Double your happiness. Ten percent of your brain power.  Loving you three times as much… Dress up your claim with math, and you convince the ignorant.  That so many use these false math claims are made indicates a profound ignorance or misunderstanding of the listening public. Google almost anything and you will get hits.  Google any multiples of anything and get hits again.  Some examples: Double your love life; Triple your risk; Quadruple your happiness – wow!  Can you really "double your pleasure, double your fun," by chewing Double Mint Gum?   Are our students given to doublin

Recently on TV we've seen a number of young adults burning the flag, often in public places. To us old folks, we see this as rebellious youth or reprehensible or simply ungrateful.  We've seen the Eric Sheppard Challenge, which is to stomp on the flag as a sign of disrespect toward a symbol representing oppression, police brutality, or whatever else it the topic du jour .  This is disheartening for a person who for many years has loved that symbol of freedom for us and much of the world. Is this the new force in America, to reshape it into some utopian vision of all together in a new and totally fair order, with true equality? Makes one think of Lenin, who announced the same goals. OK, this brings up my ages old sense of anti-communism.  Maybe they think this time they'll get it right.  It was a sign of worry, to me anyway.  But then just by accident I saw on TV a recent flag burning where there was a protest by a number of folks disagreeing with the burning. These anti