FALLACIES - UNSOUND REASONING THAT POISON DIALECTIC
The basis of sound reasoning is provided by the principles of logic. They are the keys to rational dialogue and universal understanding.
However, reason is under sustained attack from almost every direction. Every day, we are constantly bombarded by much information from the mass media, our educators, our politicians, our friends and our co-workers. Though we are sometimes unaware, these messages that persuade us, inform us, contradict us, motivates us and forces us to take certain actions or to re-evaluate others; can sometimes be less than coherent.
We need to arm ourselves against unsound arguments by guarding against these false beliefs or unsound arguments called fallacies.
This imaginary dialogue between Socrates and 25 Sophists (representing 25 different fallacies) would be illustrative:
Socrates: Hello, my dear friends! What do you think truth is? I think truth cannot be passively discovered but is only attainable in an ongoing process of pursuit through questioning and conflict with opposing ideas and modifying one's position in the process.
Sophist 1: What does a short, ugly, old man like you know about truth? (Ad Hominem fallacy - attacking the man instead of the argument)
Sophist 2: If you are religious, I think truth is determined by God; if not, then it is established by our Government. (Appeal to authority)
Sophist 3: I think to find truth we need to look at the causes of all phenomena. So we should look at all preceding events first. (Post hoc - asserting that one thing is the cause of another thing because it precedes it in time)
Sophist 4: For thousands of years, we Greeks all think of truth the same way. So there is no need for change now. (Appeal to tradition/ Prejudice fallacy)
Sophist 5: Never mind what you say about truth, Socrates. I'm more concerned about your intention in bringing up the subject. (Red Herring fallacy - redirecting attention to another subject)
Sophist 6: Truth is like the wind - it may blow East, it may blow West. Who knows which direction it's going next? (False analogy fallacy)
Sophist 7: Ha ha, Socrates. You foolish man! If your ideas conflict with opposing ideas, these opposing ideas will themselves conflict with other ideas, and so on, ad infinitum. I think what you end up with is not the truth, but a state of paralysis and anarchy. (Straw man fallacy - misrepresenting an opponent's position in an absurd way)
Sophist 8: Actually, the issue is quite simple. Since truth is absolute and unchanging, there is no point in pursuing it or testing it against other ideas because doing so will not change it one bit! Truth is best left alone. (Circular Argument or Begging the question fallacy - using the conclusion as the premise of an argument)
Sophist 9: There are only 2 possibilities. Either truth is self-evident, or else it is unknowable. Since we are discussing it, it is probably not self-evident. So it must be unknowable! (False Dilemma fallacy)
Sophist 10: If truth needs to be pursued endlessly against a constant stream of opposing ideas, it will never be established. There will not be any useful human understanding, no progress and therefore, no civilization. We will end up no better than any other animal species! (Slippery slope fallacy or Domino theory)
Sophist 11: According to Gustave Flaubert: "There is no truth. There is only perception.". Up till now, nobody has disproved him, so I think he must be right, and Socrates - you must be wrong! (Ad ignorantiam fallacy or argument from ignorance - asserting the truth of any proposition on the basis that what is asserted has never been disproved)
Sophist 12: All of you are making me confused. Please stop or I'll be having a headache soon. (Ad misericordiam fallacy or appeal to pity).
Sophist 13: I totally disagree with you, Socrates. I heard my 2 neighbors having an argument over their stolen chickens last night and it was not resolved. Truth will never be found out through argument. (Anecdotal evidence fallacy - attempts to establish a proposition as fact or as a universal principle based solely on personal experience)
Sophist 14: Up till now, Socrates, you had always been right. I think it's about time for you to be wrong. (Gambler's fallacy - asserting that a normally random event, because it has recently followed a pattern, it is due or about to break that pattern)
Sophist 15: Since we cannot agree on this matter, I don't think it is possible for mankind to resolve this issue. (Hasty generalization fallacy - a conclusion or generalization inferred from limited information, inadequate evidence, or a limited sampling)
Sophist 16: If you need to contest ideas to find the truth, then we might as well do the opposite and simply agree with everyone. (Non-sequitur fallacy or "does not follow" - argument in which the conclusion has no apparent connection to the reasons or premises)
Sophist 17: Most people do not like to think too much about matters. They just feel their way along intuitively. So, let's not complicate things. (Pragmatic fallacy - asserting something is true or preferable because it has practical advantages)
Sophist 18: Truth cannot be objectively established. Every person has his own way of looking at it. (Relativism fallacy)
Sophist 19: Before you pursue truth, show us why falsehood is not sometimes acceptable. (Shifting the burden of proof)
Sophist 20: There is little real difference in most peoples' opinions. After all, we are all human beings. (Beard fallacy - discounting an argument or evidence on the basis that small or minor differences are not significant)
Sophist 21: Haven't you heard? Truth is with God; and God is the Truth. There are no two ways about it. They are inseparable. Socrates, you should talk to the men of God. They know from the bottom of their hearts that the only truth they need is God! (Argumentum ad nauseam fallacy - assertion by continuous repetition)
Sophist 22: I'm not a rich man. I don't think I have the right to speak on this issue. (Ad crumenam fallacy/Appeal to wealth - wealth being the criterion of correctness)
Sophist 23: Hey, no way man! Only the poor have the conscience to speak the truth! (Ad lazarum fallacy/Appeal to poverty - the principle that the poor are more likely to be right or virtuous than the wealthy)
Sophist 24: Speak no more, Socrates! If not, we will ignore you in the future. (Bandwagon fallacy - issuing a threat of rejection by one's peers as a substitute for evidence in an argument)
Sophist 25: Indeed, there is no need for further discussion. All of us do not agree with you. It's 25 against 1. So, you must be wrong! (Democratic fallacy - attempts to prove something is true (or right) based on the number of people who agree with, desire, or choose it)
Wednesday 29 June 2011
Monday 27 June 2011
SIMPLE STEPS TO HEALTHY LIVING
To live a healthy life, we must first understand why we fall sick. We must know that illness is not caused by sin, bad karma, evil spirits, Satan, demon possession, witchcraft, wind, obstruction of Qi along the meridians, imbalance between yin and yang, accumulation of toxins, or sheer bad luck!
According to science, the causes of disease are remembered by the mnemonic "VINDICATE":
V – Vascular
I – Infectious/inflammatory
N – Neoplastic
D – Drugs/toxins
I – Intervention/iatrogenic/idiopathic
C – Congenital/developmental
A – Autoimmune/allergic
T – Trauma
E – Endocrine/metabolic
From the above list, we can surmise that some causes of disease are beyond our control. But, of those that are amenable to risk reduction, I can recommend the following:
(b) Reduce fat intake.
(c) Reduce salt intake.
(d) Reduce sugar intake.
(e) Healthy food choices include yogurt, nuts, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, fish, chicken breast and plain water.
(b) Work with weights or isometric exercises 5 times a week.
3. Keep an optimal body weight: body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 to 23.0 for Asians or 20.0 to 25.0 for non-Asians. BMI = weight in kilogrammes/square of height in metres.
4. Avoid bad habits like smoking, alcohol and unprotected sex.
5. Sleep between 6 to 8 hours nightly.
6. Avoid or reduce stress in your life.
7. Be happy, optimistic and contented in your outlook.
So, there you have it. Healthy living is quite simple. The difficult part is sticking to it. That would require discipline, determination and perseverance. So, keep at it. You have my support!
To live a healthy life, we must first understand why we fall sick. We must know that illness is not caused by sin, bad karma, evil spirits, Satan, demon possession, witchcraft, wind, obstruction of Qi along the meridians, imbalance between yin and yang, accumulation of toxins, or sheer bad luck!
According to science, the causes of disease are remembered by the mnemonic "VINDICATE":
V – Vascular
I – Infectious/inflammatory
N – Neoplastic
D – Drugs/toxins
I – Intervention/iatrogenic/idiopathic
C – Congenital/developmental
A – Autoimmune/allergic
T – Trauma
E – Endocrine/metabolic
From the above list, we can surmise that some causes of disease are beyond our control. But, of those that are amenable to risk reduction, I can recommend the following:
1. Eat right.
(a) Reduce calorie intake.(b) Reduce fat intake.
(c) Reduce salt intake.
(d) Reduce sugar intake.
(e) Healthy food choices include yogurt, nuts, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, fish, chicken breast and plain water.
2. Exercise regularly.
(a) Brisk walk, swim or cycle for 30 to 45 minutes 5 times a week.(b) Work with weights or isometric exercises 5 times a week.
3. Keep an optimal body weight: body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 to 23.0 for Asians or 20.0 to 25.0 for non-Asians. BMI = weight in kilogrammes/square of height in metres.
4. Avoid bad habits like smoking, alcohol and unprotected sex.
5. Sleep between 6 to 8 hours nightly.
6. Avoid or reduce stress in your life.
7. Be happy, optimistic and contented in your outlook.
So, there you have it. Healthy living is quite simple. The difficult part is sticking to it. That would require discipline, determination and perseverance. So, keep at it. You have my support!
Sunday 26 June 2011
PICTURE PUZZLES
There is a hidden object in each picture. See if you can find them. Have fun!
1.Find the Bear.
2. Find the Dog's Owner.
3. Find the Fox.
4. Find the Rooster.
French translation "We call this place the Rooster’s rocks: for me, I see nothing that justifies this qualification", "Me neither, but I come and we will search together."
5. Find the Druid.
So, you have found all of them. Congratulations! Like in life, many things are hidden from us. Some are easy to find, some are more difficult. Some are pretty obvious, yet we fail to see them. But, as long as we persist, we will find the truth!
There is a hidden object in each picture. See if you can find them. Have fun!
1.Find the Bear.
2. Find the Dog's Owner.
3. Find the Fox.
4. Find the Rooster.
French translation "We call this place the Rooster’s rocks: for me, I see nothing that justifies this qualification", "Me neither, but I come and we will search together."
5. Find the Druid.
So, you have found all of them. Congratulations! Like in life, many things are hidden from us. Some are easy to find, some are more difficult. Some are pretty obvious, yet we fail to see them. But, as long as we persist, we will find the truth!
Wednesday 22 June 2011
THE TRUE AIMS OF EDUCATION
The children, we must educate,
Not for them a mere certificate.
The students, they must learn,
Not solely, a degree to earn.
So what? - you've scored an A-One
Or an MBA already done?
Scored a rare distinction!
A Phd, your next destination?
What education really is,
Is something much more than this.
It's for a better understanding,
Of the life goals worth having.
It's to teach you the skills
For work, to pay the bills.
To be able to focus,
With self-control as a bonus.
To communicate your motives,
And to see in different perspectives.
To discern a subtle connection,
Beyond its rationalization.
Knowing how to face challenges,
And self-direct learning as one ages.
Developing social subtleties,
Cultural values and their varieties.
From having reason and secularity,
To making progress in scientific surety.
Endorsing democracy's history
And subscribing to liberal theory.
Discerning moral choices
By deciding among consequences,
Between deontological cues,
And picking cardinal virtues.
Yet, the most crucial thing
Is not the knowledge or the thinking.
Nor the choices you say you'll make,
But the actions you finally undertake!
The Children We Must Educate
Not for them a mere certificate.
The students, they must learn,
Not solely, a degree to earn.
So what? - you've scored an A-One
Or an MBA already done?
Scored a rare distinction!
A Phd, your next destination?
What education really is,
Is something much more than this.
It's for a better understanding,
Of the life goals worth having.
It's to teach you the skills
For work, to pay the bills.
To be able to focus,
With self-control as a bonus.
To communicate your motives,
And to see in different perspectives.
To discern a subtle connection,
Beyond its rationalization.
Knowing how to face challenges,
And self-direct learning as one ages.
Developing social subtleties,
Cultural values and their varieties.
From having reason and secularity,
To making progress in scientific surety.
Endorsing democracy's history
And subscribing to liberal theory.
Discerning moral choices
By deciding among consequences,
Between deontological cues,
And picking cardinal virtues.
Yet, the most crucial thing
Is not the knowledge or the thinking.
Nor the choices you say you'll make,
But the actions you finally undertake!
Monday 20 June 2011
LIFE, DEATH AND UNCERTAINTY - A SOLUTION
As we get older, year after year, we see more and more of our relatives, friends and acquaintances in the obituary pages of our daily newspapers. Whenever that happened, it never failed to set me thinking about life, death and their uncertainties.
Always, my first thought was: we certainly are alive now. Or else, I wouldn't be writing this blog now and you wouldn't be reading it. We never ask to be born, yet we were. But, once alive, we realize that, in the end, everyone dies. So, why be born only to die later? Well, I think that's the wrong question to ask. We should just accept that our birth is a fact, we are now alive, but we will soon be dead. So, the real question is: what should we be doing in the meanwhile? And will that really matter?
It was obviously from these kinds of questions about existence and mortality during our teenage days that we felt a need for spiritual and supernatural answers. We later learned that this seeking constitutes the almost universal presence of the religious instinct. Yet, whether we subscribe to any formal religion, maintain a vague sense of spirituality, proclaim ourselves atheist, agnostic or free-thinking, these questions largely remain at the back of our minds in the later years.
Perhaps, the most vexing question after we passively consent to stay alive is this: if death is certain, yet, the time of death is uncertain, how are we to live to make our daily striving worthwhile, our relationships meaningful and find happiness and fulfillment however long or short our lives may be? In short, how can we deem our lives as successful if the Sword of Damocles wielded by the grim reaper may fall on us any minute?
Perhaps, we can't. We certainly can't if we go through life outwardly ignoring the prospect of death while in our hearts feeling fearful and secretly hoping for the best. We seem to think that death is unreal to us; that it should only happen to other people! So, not knowing how to face this uncertainty leads to a kind of fear - a fear that makes us reluctant to even think about it.
I think we must develop a strategy to make our lives successful and fulfilling in spite of this essential existential uncertainty. My strategy is to do all that I want and all that I can every day, limited only by the time-frame and life circumstances. Even if I were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't mind because up to that moment of death, I would have lived my life fully and according to the principles that I believe in. That, in a nutshell is what a successful life is irrespective of how long one really lives. It is to die without regrets. So, success is not a PROCESS OF HAVING wealth, status, fame, a long life or the number of grand-children or great-grand-children; but a PROCESS OF BEING. It is then up to the individual to decide what that state of being constitute.
For myself (and myself only), I believe in a daily state of being consisting of:
I believe that if I act according to this personal code of successful living every day, my life will not be in vain. So, should anyone else's life be as long as he could live his life according to the highest principles that he believes in day after day!
So now, my fear of death is gone and my anguish about its uncertain timing banished from my mind forever!
As we get older, year after year, we see more and more of our relatives, friends and acquaintances in the obituary pages of our daily newspapers. Whenever that happened, it never failed to set me thinking about life, death and their uncertainties.
Always, my first thought was: we certainly are alive now. Or else, I wouldn't be writing this blog now and you wouldn't be reading it. We never ask to be born, yet we were. But, once alive, we realize that, in the end, everyone dies. So, why be born only to die later? Well, I think that's the wrong question to ask. We should just accept that our birth is a fact, we are now alive, but we will soon be dead. So, the real question is: what should we be doing in the meanwhile? And will that really matter?
It was obviously from these kinds of questions about existence and mortality during our teenage days that we felt a need for spiritual and supernatural answers. We later learned that this seeking constitutes the almost universal presence of the religious instinct. Yet, whether we subscribe to any formal religion, maintain a vague sense of spirituality, proclaim ourselves atheist, agnostic or free-thinking, these questions largely remain at the back of our minds in the later years.
Perhaps, the most vexing question after we passively consent to stay alive is this: if death is certain, yet, the time of death is uncertain, how are we to live to make our daily striving worthwhile, our relationships meaningful and find happiness and fulfillment however long or short our lives may be? In short, how can we deem our lives as successful if the Sword of Damocles wielded by the grim reaper may fall on us any minute?
Perhaps, we can't. We certainly can't if we go through life outwardly ignoring the prospect of death while in our hearts feeling fearful and secretly hoping for the best. We seem to think that death is unreal to us; that it should only happen to other people! So, not knowing how to face this uncertainty leads to a kind of fear - a fear that makes us reluctant to even think about it.
I think we must develop a strategy to make our lives successful and fulfilling in spite of this essential existential uncertainty. My strategy is to do all that I want and all that I can every day, limited only by the time-frame and life circumstances. Even if I were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't mind because up to that moment of death, I would have lived my life fully and according to the principles that I believe in. That, in a nutshell is what a successful life is irrespective of how long one really lives. It is to die without regrets. So, success is not a PROCESS OF HAVING wealth, status, fame, a long life or the number of grand-children or great-grand-children; but a PROCESS OF BEING. It is then up to the individual to decide what that state of being constitute.
For myself (and myself only), I believe in a daily state of being consisting of:
(1) An honest and authentic rationality
(2) A happy and contented attitude
(3) An imperturbable inner serenity
(4) A high self-esteem
(5) A capacity to love others
(6) An unshakeable sense of moral obligation to others
I believe that if I act according to this personal code of successful living every day, my life will not be in vain. So, should anyone else's life be as long as he could live his life according to the highest principles that he believes in day after day!
So now, my fear of death is gone and my anguish about its uncertain timing banished from my mind forever!
Saturday 18 June 2011
FOUR SPECIAL WAYS OF EATING
In Singapore, eating is our favorite pastime. An essential but simple biological life activity to ensure survival and health has developed into a fine art of culinary finesse and hedonistic epicurean experience here.
However, I wish to highlight 4 types of 'eating' that are all undesirable and unethical, but are rampant in modern societies. My intention now is to make people more aware of these practices and to start to evaluate their own behavior.
Then there's big-fish-EAT-small-fish.
So, there you have it - ways of eating that are actually against the survival and health of the Honorable Man!
In Singapore, eating is our favorite pastime. An essential but simple biological life activity to ensure survival and health has developed into a fine art of culinary finesse and hedonistic epicurean experience here.
However, I wish to highlight 4 types of 'eating' that are all undesirable and unethical, but are rampant in modern societies. My intention now is to make people more aware of these practices and to start to evaluate their own behavior.
Eating!
Eating is our favorite past-time.
Yet, there are other kinds more sublime.
Yet, there are other kinds more sublime.
Not for the kind and the moral to partake,
But something awful, for heaven's sake!
Have you heard of dog-EAT-dog?
But something awful, for heaven's sake!
Have you heard of dog-EAT-dog?
Against each other they would slog.
In a rivalry between ruthless people,
Guided by no conscience or principle,
Then there's big-fish-EAT-small-fish.
When the rich and powerful have no wish,
To give way to the feeble and the weak,
In the race for their fine wine and big steak.
Man-EAT-man is the despicable notion,
Of grand betrayal and great deception.
To give way to the feeble and the weak,
In the race for their fine wine and big steak.
Man-EAT-man is the despicable notion,
Of grand betrayal and great deception.
For honesty is surely a rare commodity,
When making a fast buck is the priority.
Corruption, I call it man-EAT-money,
Seems as natural as bees making honey.
By saying that money makes the world go round,
As the perfect reason, it seems so sound.
So, new ways of eating you've now seen,
What an eye-opener it must have been!
If you think they're no crime,
What an eye-opener it must have been!
If you think they're no crime,
Indulge in them as your favorite past-time!
So, there you have it - ways of eating that are actually against the survival and health of the Honorable Man!
Thursday 16 June 2011
BOOK SUMMARY - LIFE'S GREATEST LESSONS: 20 THINGS THAT MATTER by Hal Urban
This book by Mr Hal Urban was first published in 1992 with the title "20 Things I Want My Kids to Know". Having been a father and a high school teacher and also a teacher at the University of San Francisco for many years, he wanted to put into writing what he wanted to teach people all those years. When it became apparent that the book had a timeless message for people of all ages, he republished the book in 1997 with a new title "Life's Greatest Lessons".
The main message of the book is that good character is the bedrock of a good society.
He had 4 aims in writing the book:
1. To state that we are never too young or too old to learn life's greatest lessons.
2. He wanted to teach "how life works" and "what is essential in life".
3. He wanted to bring out the positives in a world that seems to dwell on negatives.
4. He wanted to share the enduring universal values of kindness, honesty, appreciation, desire, hard work, commitment, and just being a good person.
The 20 essential lessons are as follows:
If you learn these lessons and apply them, Mr Urban would have achieved his aims and you will become a better person.
This book by Mr Hal Urban was first published in 1992 with the title "20 Things I Want My Kids to Know". Having been a father and a high school teacher and also a teacher at the University of San Francisco for many years, he wanted to put into writing what he wanted to teach people all those years. When it became apparent that the book had a timeless message for people of all ages, he republished the book in 1997 with a new title "Life's Greatest Lessons".
The main message of the book is that good character is the bedrock of a good society.
He had 4 aims in writing the book:
1. To state that we are never too young or too old to learn life's greatest lessons.
2. He wanted to teach "how life works" and "what is essential in life".
3. He wanted to bring out the positives in a world that seems to dwell on negatives.
4. He wanted to share the enduring universal values of kindness, honesty, appreciation, desire, hard work, commitment, and just being a good person.
The 20 essential lessons are as follows:
1. Success Is More Than Making Money
2. Life Is Hard...and Not Always Fair
3. Life Is Also Fun...and Incredibly Funny
4. We Live by Choice, Not by Chance
5. Attitude Is a Choice -- the Most Important One You'll Ever Make
6. Habits Are the Key to All Success
7. Being Thankful Is a Habit -- the Best One You'll Ever Have
8. Good People Build Their Lives on a Foundation of Respect
9. Honesty Is Still the Best Policy
10. Kind Words Cost Little but Accomplish Much
11. Real Motivation Comes from Within
12. Goals Are Dreams with Deadlines
13. There's No Substitute for Hard Work
14. You Have to Give Up Something to Get Something
15. Successful People Don't Find Time -- They Make Time
16. No One Else Can Raise Your Self-esteem
17. The Body Needs Nutrition and Exercise -- So Do the Mind and Spirit
18. It's OK to Fail -- Everyone Else Has
19. Life Is Simpler When We Know What's Essential
20. Essential #1 Is Being a Good Person
2. Life Is Hard...and Not Always Fair
3. Life Is Also Fun...and Incredibly Funny
4. We Live by Choice, Not by Chance
5. Attitude Is a Choice -- the Most Important One You'll Ever Make
6. Habits Are the Key to All Success
7. Being Thankful Is a Habit -- the Best One You'll Ever Have
8. Good People Build Their Lives on a Foundation of Respect
9. Honesty Is Still the Best Policy
10. Kind Words Cost Little but Accomplish Much
11. Real Motivation Comes from Within
12. Goals Are Dreams with Deadlines
13. There's No Substitute for Hard Work
14. You Have to Give Up Something to Get Something
15. Successful People Don't Find Time -- They Make Time
16. No One Else Can Raise Your Self-esteem
17. The Body Needs Nutrition and Exercise -- So Do the Mind and Spirit
18. It's OK to Fail -- Everyone Else Has
19. Life Is Simpler When We Know What's Essential
20. Essential #1 Is Being a Good Person
If you learn these lessons and apply them, Mr Urban would have achieved his aims and you will become a better person.
Tuesday 14 June 2011
THE GREATEST EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY - THE BATTLE OF HALYS
If we were to google for "the greatest events of all time" and visit a few choice websites, we would come up with a list that looks something like this (not in any particular order):
1. Jesus' birth or death
2. The American Revolution
3. The invention of the printing press
4. Prophet Muhammad's death
5. The invention of gunpowder
6. World War 2
7. World War 1
8. Marco Polo's expedition to the far east
9. Pax Romana
10. Renaissance
11. The Reformation
12. Tearing down of the Berlin Wall
Much as I agree that these are important moments in history, I think, short of the Big Bang itself, the single most important human event is the Battle of Halys! Huh?? Never heard of it? Well, let me tell its story in my own verse and I'll explain later...
The Battle Of Halys
The Battle of Halys, you see,
Was a special event in 585 BC.
On May the 28th, by the Halys River,
To fight, the Medes and the Lydians gather.
No one foretold this final reckoning.
Would it be another blood-bath?
Or would it incur God's wrath?
Their rivalry in Anatolia the spark,
Of a conflict that turned stark.
Cyaxares from Medes bayed for blood,
His son's murder ignited a red flood.
The guilty Scythian hunters had fled
To the Lydians that Alyattes II led.
But Alyattes would not consider
Cyaxares' demand for their handover.
But, the hunters would not have killed,
Had not their ears been cruelly filled
With Cyaxares' taunts and insults
About their poor hunting results.
The Medes invaded on this day
But Alyattes would not consider
Cyaxares' demand for their handover.
But, the hunters would not have killed,
Had not their ears been cruelly filled
With Cyaxares' taunts and insults
About their poor hunting results.
The Medes invaded on this day
For they saw no other way.
But in the midst of the fight,
Abruptly, day became night!
An omen from the gods, they saw.
To stop the war, that's the law.
So a truce was hastily called
And the border at river Halys installed.
Aryenis, daughter of Alyattes,
And Astyages, son of Cyaxares,
Abruptly, day became night!
An omen from the gods, they saw.
To stop the war, that's the law.
So a truce was hastily called
And the border at river Halys installed.
Aryenis, daughter of Alyattes,
And Astyages, son of Cyaxares,
They marry for peace to be sealed.
And the quarrel permanently healed.
Little were they to realize
And the quarrel permanently healed.
Little were they to realize
It was already predicted to materialize
By *Thales who told the Ionians before -
By *Thales who told the Ionians before -
That this Eclipse of the Sun was no folklore.
For science, this was the first success
Arriving at facts few had access.
Yet, good had come from superstition,
Saving much bloodshed and attrition.
So, must we make a decision,
Between science and religion?
Is scientific truth our greatest deed?
For science, this was the first success
Arriving at facts few had access.
Yet, good had come from superstition,
Saving much bloodshed and attrition.
So, must we make a decision,
Between science and religion?
Is scientific truth our greatest deed?
Or is it our mission to serve human need?
*Thales was reputed to be the world's first philosopher. With this event, he is the first to demonstrate that it is possible to predict the occurrence of a natural event by using careful astronomical observations and meticulous mathematical calculations. In one stroke, way before the scientific and industrial revolutions, he launched Man's scientific quest for truth using only naturalistic explanations. This allowed Man to use his intellect and reason for harnessing the resources of this Earth to turn his dreams into the modern civilizations of today!
That's why I say this is the greatest event in human history. It's a pity that I'm the first and only one saying this!
Sunday 12 June 2011
THE CHOICE BETWEEN RATIONALITY AND IRRATIONALITY
Is there truth and falsehood? Is there good and evil? Or is there right and wrong? If so, are they determined by traditional or supernatural authority, or can they be derived by anyone using objective discipline, logical analysis and dispassionate judgement?
Or is everything relative? Is it wrong to see things in black and white when only shades of grey exist in reality? Are all viewpoints correct in their own way and are all opinions equally valid? If so, can this illogical and irrational postmodern attitude be sustainable or conducive to better human understanding?
It is, of course, my thesis that we should choose rationality as a common language for humanity to foster better communication, resolve conflicts, encourage co-operation and build a common destiny of economic justice, ethical living and human happiness.
But to choose rationality, we need to obey certain rules:
Is there truth and falsehood? Is there good and evil? Or is there right and wrong? If so, are they determined by traditional or supernatural authority, or can they be derived by anyone using objective discipline, logical analysis and dispassionate judgement?
Or is everything relative? Is it wrong to see things in black and white when only shades of grey exist in reality? Are all viewpoints correct in their own way and are all opinions equally valid? If so, can this illogical and irrational postmodern attitude be sustainable or conducive to better human understanding?
It is, of course, my thesis that we should choose rationality as a common language for humanity to foster better communication, resolve conflicts, encourage co-operation and build a common destiny of economic justice, ethical living and human happiness.
But to choose rationality, we need to obey certain rules:
(1) We must strive to be objective and believe that reality is independent of our minds.
(2) We must think logically by ensuring that our thoughts are consistent, our inferences are valid, our assertions are complete by being provable and our arguments are sound and based on true premises.
(3) Our judgement must be dispassionate by being free from emotional entanglements.
(4) We must reject all judgements based solely on traditional or supernatural authority.
(5) We must resist the fashionable tendency for postmodern confusion and ambiguity.
(6) We should provisionally uphold as objective facts the non-falsified empirical truths of science.
(7) We should adopt a consequentialist ethical system as the best guide for our moral judgements.
WHAT IS DIALECTIC?
Simply put, dialectic is the art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments.
The original Socratic Dialectic was more of a process of interrogation whereby Socrates will ask an unsuspecting Athenian a simple question like "What is courage?". If that person was to answer with some common-sense reply, he would be entrapped by Socrates into answering a series of questions, usually culminating in the person contradicting himself, and finally acknowledging that he did not know what he was talking about. His aim is to teach us the importance of continuous critical reflection on ethics and the good life and to warn that nothing is more dangerous for society and the individual than the suspension of independent critical judgement.
Hegel had a different take on this dialectical process. He believed that ultimate truth is slowly uncovered through the unfolding evolution of the history of ideas. This unfolding is dictated by a process of continuous interaction between thesis and antithesis, resulting in a synthesis which becomes itself the new thesis. The process then repeats itself till the ultimate truth of an absolute universal mind is attained. This dialectical progress of concepts will drive social and political change.
Karl Marx also had a different variation of this theme. His dialectical materialism is a description of the 3-cornered conflict between the economic classes of landowners and the middle class on the one hand producing a synthesized class of capitalistic industrial employers and the antithetical class of the proletariat or worker class. The end-result is socialism, which according to him, is the most efficient way for economic production and survival. It is these economic forces that determine the development of human ideas.
Our present concern is to establish a common platform and language for dialogue. Despite the modern tendency to celebrate a diversity of voices and a respect for all viewpoints, such a state of affairs is not tenable in the long run. No meaningful communication can result if all discussions lead to an unsatisfactory paralytic condition called "we agree to disagree"!
Simply put, dialectic is the art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments.
The original Socratic Dialectic was more of a process of interrogation whereby Socrates will ask an unsuspecting Athenian a simple question like "What is courage?". If that person was to answer with some common-sense reply, he would be entrapped by Socrates into answering a series of questions, usually culminating in the person contradicting himself, and finally acknowledging that he did not know what he was talking about. His aim is to teach us the importance of continuous critical reflection on ethics and the good life and to warn that nothing is more dangerous for society and the individual than the suspension of independent critical judgement.
Hegel had a different take on this dialectical process. He believed that ultimate truth is slowly uncovered through the unfolding evolution of the history of ideas. This unfolding is dictated by a process of continuous interaction between thesis and antithesis, resulting in a synthesis which becomes itself the new thesis. The process then repeats itself till the ultimate truth of an absolute universal mind is attained. This dialectical progress of concepts will drive social and political change.
Karl Marx also had a different variation of this theme. His dialectical materialism is a description of the 3-cornered conflict between the economic classes of landowners and the middle class on the one hand producing a synthesized class of capitalistic industrial employers and the antithetical class of the proletariat or worker class. The end-result is socialism, which according to him, is the most efficient way for economic production and survival. It is these economic forces that determine the development of human ideas.
Our present concern is to establish a common platform and language for dialogue. Despite the modern tendency to celebrate a diversity of voices and a respect for all viewpoints, such a state of affairs is not tenable in the long run. No meaningful communication can result if all discussions lead to an unsatisfactory paralytic condition called "we agree to disagree"!
Saturday 11 June 2011
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG
Hello friends, this blog is started for the sole purpose of encouraging dialogue among people of all stripes so that there can be better understanding and greater benevolence in human societies.
As the name of this blog suggests, I shall attempt to pursue the truth in all matters by using logic and objective or dispassionate reasoning. So, I hope to engage like-minded people from the blogosphere and other dimensions of the cyberspace in a fruitful conversation about the "examined life".
As already apparent, this is also a tribute to Socrates (469-399 BC) who is the originator of the Socratic Dialectic. Though he claimed that "all I know is that I know nothing", he also declared that "the unexamined life is not worth living"! He had challenged Athenians of all stations to frequent debates in a campaign to awaken people from their moral complacency and intellectual stupor. As the famous story goes, in the end he made the ultimate sacrifice for his moral and intellectual integrity. So, this blog is dedicated to the memory of a rare, brilliant and honestly good man.
Hello friends, this blog is started for the sole purpose of encouraging dialogue among people of all stripes so that there can be better understanding and greater benevolence in human societies.
As the name of this blog suggests, I shall attempt to pursue the truth in all matters by using logic and objective or dispassionate reasoning. So, I hope to engage like-minded people from the blogosphere and other dimensions of the cyberspace in a fruitful conversation about the "examined life".
As already apparent, this is also a tribute to Socrates (469-399 BC) who is the originator of the Socratic Dialectic. Though he claimed that "all I know is that I know nothing", he also declared that "the unexamined life is not worth living"! He had challenged Athenians of all stations to frequent debates in a campaign to awaken people from their moral complacency and intellectual stupor. As the famous story goes, in the end he made the ultimate sacrifice for his moral and intellectual integrity. So, this blog is dedicated to the memory of a rare, brilliant and honestly good man.
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