Freethinker's corner

Reason and Logic … October 27, 2014

2014/10/26

rea•son (ˈri zən)
n.

1. a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, or event.
2. a statement presented in justification or explanation of a belief or action.
3. the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions, judgments, or inferences.
4. sound judgment; good sense.
5. normal or sound powers of mind; sanity.
6. Logic. a premise of an argument.
7. Philos.
a. the faculty or power of acquiring intellectual knowledge, either by direct understanding of first principles or by argument.
b. the power of intelligent and dispassionate thought, or of conduct influenced by such thought.
v.i.
8. to think or argue in a logical manner.
9. to form conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises.
10. to urge reasons that should determine belief or action.
v.t.
11. to think through logically, as a problem (often fol. by out).
12. to conclude or infer.
13. to convince, persuade, etc., by reasoning.
14. to support with reasons.

logic (ˈlɒdʒɪk)
n
1. (Logic) the branch of philosophy concerned with analysing the patterns of reasoning by which a conclusion is properly drawn from a set of premises, without reference tomeaning or context. See also formal logic, deduction⁴, induction⁴2. (Logic) any particular formal system in which are defined axioms and rules of inference. Compare formal system, formal language
3. the system and principles of reasoning used in a specific field of study
4. a particular method of argument or reasoning
5. force or effectiveness in argument or dispute
6. reasoned thought or argument, as distinguished from irrationality
7. the relationship and interdependence of a series of events, facts, etc
8. (Logic) chop logic to use excessively subtle or involved logic or argument

On many sites on the internet the difference between logic and reason is given as:
Reason is subject to personal opinion, whereas logic is an actual science that follows clearly defined rules and tests for critical thinking. (http:www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-logic-and-reason.htm)

Logic is defined as core principles. Logic uses reason.

More information gleaned from the information highway (aka “the misinformation highway”) claims that reason assumes that every cause has an effect and that every effect has just one cause. Logic, meanwhile, assumes that similar causes lead to similar effects. Reason is voluntary and transient, while logic is involuntary and eternal. (www.answers.com/Q/What-is –the-difference-between-logic-and-reason)
Misanthropy Anyone? … October 20, 2014

2014/10/19

Having the knowledge of good and evil may in itself be the source of good and evil. Animals, though they may do what humans consider horrendous things, possess no knowledge of good and evil. They, therefore, are incapable of doing good or evil. They are indifferent and function by way of instinct.

Humanity is capable of great good and great evil. The majority of human beings in this world possess a conscience. Most know good from evil. The majority chooses good; the minority that chooses evil is growing.

Knowing what the right thing to do is does not guarantee that the right thing will be done. In many instances if there are repercussions to doing right, doing right will be avoided to avoid the consequences. Sometimes if there is gain from doing the wrong thing, as long as no one is hurt, or just maybe hurt a little, or perhaps if the identity of the perpetrator cannot be discerned, the wrong thing will be chosen. Greed is an evil humanity knows well.

People will lie to protect themselves. If the blame falls on someone else, some may come forward and confess… but few, I guarantee. Is there a good lie? A lie like those that saved many Jewish people during WWII? Are those lies evil? Honesty works only when you are being honest with decent moral people.

A person who looks upon this perspective, feels this perspective, of the inherently flawed nature of human beings, can begin to grasp why the ancients struggled with it so. Humanity possesses the attributes of both beast and reason. The beast alone is innocent, and the reason is perfect. Combined they become corrupted. Evil is born. Initially, I think, religions were fabricated by this struggle (and to explain the unexplained to assuage fear). In time, however, the religions became corrupted as unscrupulous humans used them for their purposes.
Death Penalty Re-visitations …October 13, 2014

2014/10/12

Much has been said regarding the morality and need for the death penalty. Many have remarked that the cost to the public of maintaining an individual in confinement for a lifetime is less than that associated with the many appeals of a death sentence.

I have, I admit, overtime, gone from one stance to another on the morality and need for the death penalty. I went from staunch supporter of the penalty to the opposite camp. Now… I am re-evaluating that position.

I am concentrating this opinion solely upon the individual habitual criminal. This is directed only at those people who cannot be reformed, cannot become empathetic, cannot, if you will, see their evil ways and relent. The question I pose is: Is it moral to maintain the existence of such a person?

I have always said, in reference to suicide, that as long as one is not terminal and suffering great pain, that existence trumps non-existence every time. (If you are suffering in great pain or terminal, my opinion of euthanasia is that it is moral and should be available to all.) The most terrible punishment society can exact then, despite objections to the contrary, is the death penalty: depriving the person of existence.

Monetary costs aside, the scum of society is using up space, food, air, water. Space, food, air, and water are commodities that are in finite supply. By eliminating the useless dregs of society perhaps an equivalent number of people will be able to eat a meal, breath clean air, have a drink of water, or space to live. One is torn here, seeing callous disregard for the convict’s life on one hand, or callous disregard of quality of life for the good decent person on the other.

The despicable scum of society that travels in and out of the penal system as if through a revolving door is affecting the lives of everyone he/she (yes, women can be scum too) meets. They, since they are amoral, must necessarily affect the behavior of everyone they influence in a negative way. Such un-redeemable people are, regardless of financial measures, a subtraction to society. They are a negative, draining element of society. It would improve society if they were removed.

To kill a killer? Does that not make society as evil as the evil it seeks to expunge? If the resources of this earth were inexhaustible, cheap, abundant, then perhaps we could afford to keep every piece of excrement living and still maintain quality of life for the rest. Without quality of life, what good is life?

In my opinion the penal system’s efforts should all be directed toward reformation of the incarcerated. Those who over the years are found to be incapable of reformation need to be eradicated. Those who make no effort to reform need to be excised. This would not be punishment. This would not provide deterrence. Its benefit would be to improve the morality of society as well as the quality of life for those who remain.
Circumcision… The Mutilation of Male Offspring……….. October 6, 2014

2014/10/05

Circumcision… Why the controversy?

Circumcision was common but not all encompassing among ancient Semitic peoples. The reasons for it are not known with solidity. Many think it began as a religious rite or rite of passage for boys into adulthood. In ancient times it was also thought to aid cleanliness.

The first medical doctor to advocate its adoption in the English-speaking world was Jonathan Hutchinson. Although his studies have since been proven flawed, he claimed that circumcised men were less vulnerable to STD’s like syphilis.

In a British Medical journal he asserted that the foreskin was a haven for filth and a constant source of irritation. He added that it promoted masturbation, a great concern of his time. Other doctors added that circumcision acted as an effective measure against the prevention of some cases of epilepsy and chorea.

As these beliefs became common they were applied to females as well. One Baker Brown , an obstetrical surgeon, recommended the use of clitoridectomy as a cure for several conditions. This procedure involved the removal of the clitoris. He claimed that such diseases as epilepsy, catalepsy, and mania, which he attributed to masturbation, would be cured. He was eventually expelled from the Obstetrical Society of London for carrying out these operations without the knowledge or permission of the patient.

An interesting article is available for your perusal on Wikipedia : Male Circumcision.

Opinion:

I consider circumcision an unnecessary and barbaric holdover from a time of ignorance. Though not conclusive, some studies have pointed to the possibility of trauma to the infant male. Female circumcision has been made illegal in the United States. It is time to make male circumcision illegal here as well.
Is Christianity a Myth? …. September 29, 2014

2014/09/28

If one examines the Egyptian Sun God Ra many similarities will be noted between Ra and the story of Jesus. In fact, the stories nearly parallel. It is apparent that the story of Jesus was plagiarized from the Sun God’s story. This is the basis for my assertion that Christianity started as sun worship.

If one does not think Ra real, and Christianity was taken from Ra’s story, can Jesus be real?

More clearly: If Ra does not exist, and most Christians will deny Ra exists, then can Jesus exist?

Clearly if one accepts that the story of the Egyptian Sun God Ra is a fabrication, and that the near parallel of Jesus’ story was taken from the story of Ra, Jesus never existed and Christianity has no foundation. If one says that the story may have been plagiarized but that Jesus did exist then one is admitting that the Bible is not the infallible word of God.

Naturally no Christian can admit the two stories are one from the other. Christianity was never based in logic, it is totally tied to emotion. Emotion does not reason. No true believer will be swayed by logic. Does the true believer’s belief make the story of Jesus true? Of course not.

Conclusion: If one takes the Ra story as a fabrication and Ra non-existent; if one accepts the apparent truth that the Jesus story was extracted from the Ra story; if one insists that the Bible is the infallible word of God; then Jesus is fiction and Christianity a myth.
The Last Sane Man … September 22, 2014

2014/09/21

“Does believing you’re the last sane man on the planet make you crazy?” said Spooner.

The march is slow, determined, and unstoppable. Many are aware of the fate which is approaching. Among them there are desperate cries to take action. The consensus is that something must be done. Plans are formulated but only those that provide temporary relief are put in place. These temporary measures quiet all but the most determined. The meager measures put in place soon fail and again the chorus for action sounds. The most faithful of the crowd has seen this before, again and again, and though happy for the renewed call to action, have become jaded. They prove right as inadequate responses to major calamities are developed and erected once more.

Earth …. if only there were another selection.
Sanity Ignored … September 15, 2014

2014/09/14

As the world and its inhabitants decay into decadence and inevitable extinction, I watch. I really thought I would feel more sorrow at humanity’s demise. Even knowing that my own existence depended upon many of those degrading before my vision failed to raise the level of empathy within me. After watching, decade after decade, the gradual decline of the human condition my sense of caring has followed suit.

Humans have suffered much the same century upon century: fighting, dying, starving, killing. Sporadic cries for sanity go ignored, sometimes condemned. Some say there is no free will. Perhaps the continued carnage is testimony to that. Like automatons people war and rage. It just could be that the occasional sane cry is a spark of free will. The spark is fated always to be extinguished by the mob.

My thoughts of empathy and sympathy do go out to touch the innocents. No, not the human flotsam twisting in their agonies, I feel naught for them. My caring reaches those who lived before mankind came, the kingdom humans by far considered their inferior. The flora and fauna of this planet suffer so, through no fault of their own. Their habitats diminished, their water sources poisoned, many used to extinction by the “needs” of humankind. These “intelligent” apes behave as if worlds like this exist in abundance.

I seem like some lonely observer, watching this tragedy play out. Unable to affect a change of course or influence others to take action, watching helplessly as the calamity unfolds. Perhaps that is my role, I can fantasize, I am here to observe and report. At least, perhaps, through such a fantasy my feelings of frustration and helplessness can be side-stepped. How could I possibly be held accountable, should there be an accounting, when I have no role to play? That’s it. I am just an observer. I am recording the demise of a civilization. A demise caused by its own hand. Nothing more.
Sick of Humans… September 8, 2014

2014/09/07

Crude and rude people seem to be the majority among humans. Some even value their crude-rude behavior above all other behavior saying things like “ I value brute honesty no matter how hurtful and scathing.”

Honesty, it is true, is valuable in the daily dealings of human beings. If you buy a product you want to know its faults. In the pursuit of your daily life you need to know possible dangers. Honesty can provide safety.

The pursuit of honesty to the nth degree can be harmful. Brutal honesty can destroy the fragile dreams of a child. Self-confidence, once destroyed, may never recover. Alternatively, a well placed compliment or encouragement, neither the truth nor a lie, may spur the child to new heights of achievement. A clumsy hapless child may be molded into a wreck or a piece of art. Even a harmless fib (is that a micro-lie?) may allow a fragile ego to strengthen and become strong. Yet … there are those who insist that absolute frank and caustic honesty is the best path, regardless whether the child ends up needing psychiatric treatment, or chooses as many do, to end it all.

The problems of humanity are many fold. One thing I think that makes human beings such a miserable lot is the “me first” mentality. This can also be described as “I’ve got mine, the rest of you can just do without” syndrome. It is almost as if something has effected the base emotion of empathy. No one seems capable any more of putting themselves in other’s shoes to know how they feel about a situation.

A bum sits upon a street corner. He is obviously handicapped. Today people are more likely to tell the invalid to get a job rather than to drop a coin in his cup. “I’ve got mine, the rest of you can just do without!”

My idealistic faith in the goodness of humanity has taken a severe beating in the last few months. I search with strained eyes to see the goodness that continues to elude my gaze. Even that which claims to be good, has a smooth and friendly veneer of decency, upon examination has an ulterior goal. It does not pay to examine those of “godly” nature too closely. The altruistic claims of non-theists fall flat as well with minor scrutiny.

I am not unaffected by the greed and callousness I have seen. I, too, find it difficult to sympathize, to express empathy, for those “me first” and “I’ve got mine” sorts.

There seems to be social engineering taking place upon the population. This engineering is suppressing the empathetic instincts evolution has instilled in the human species. It seems to be bracing us for some coming calamity that might require the deaths of many. A feeling of “everyone for themselves” seems to be welling up within our species. Empathy will have to go if the population is to be culled. Many have spoken of just such a conspiracy scenario. Whether this is actually an orchestrated conspiracy, or just the natural reaction of an animal (humans are just animals, let’s admit) to over-population, we cannot be sure.
Paranoia … September 1, 2014

2014/08/31

“par·a·noi·a (pr-noi)
n.
1. A psychotic disorder characterized by delusions of persecution with or without grandeur, often strenuously defended with apparent logic and reason.
2. Extreme, irrational distrust of others.” – http://www.thefreedictionary.com/paranoia

“The symptoms of paranoia are diverse, but one of the most common is a strong distrust of other people. Often, paranoid people suspect that those around them are plotting against them and question the motives of others,m leading them to be tense, oversensitive, and confrontational. They are unable to relax around people because of this lack of trust and often are quick to take offense to others’ actions, which may make them uncomfortable at social functions. Other symptoms may include extreme stubbornness, perfectionism, and difficulty in expressing forgiveness, although these may also be signs of other mental disorders.” – http://www.wisegeekhealth.come/what-is-paranoia.htm

How many times does a person have to be burned, stabbed in the back, spat upon, before at least a measure of paranoia evolves? How long before you begin to adopt the X-Files warning to “Trust No One”?

When you read or hear that some certain group of people would like to see you, or your kind, dead or dying, at what point do you circle the wagons, or close the door and lock it securely?

“Not all are like that”, they cry in reassurance. Yet they fail to demonstrate that what is spoken is the truth … their actions betray them.

So you walk with care, like upon pins and needles, saying little, or saying everything with diplomatic care, so as not to ignite a spark.

Nevertheless, at some point the ignition will take place, most likely the moment they suspect you are treating them with diplomatic care, not speaking all, and walking with tender care.
Anti-human Philosophies and Stances … August 25, 2014

2014/08/24

Among the many belief systems and political stances there are many that are anti-human. Lacking compassion, having compassion only for one’s select group and no others, or holding bigoted, racist, or other unsavory opinions of others without just cause, these groups of people are the reason mankind continues to be in constant peril. Should certain groups gain significant political power, humanity may indeed expire in extinction.

Here are some I consider anti-human, a list that I will add to, from time to time:

1. Conservative Christian beliefs. Many other fundamentalist, bigoted, religious cults. (Any religious belief that elevates a deity above humanity)

2. Feminism.

3. Pure undiluted Capitalism.

4. Marxism.

5. Libertarian.

6. Nazism.

7. Communism.

8. Pure undiluted Socialism.

9. Anarchy

10.