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To find those truths most certain, observe where opponents agree.
Even from those opinions with which we adamantly disagree, there is something to be learned.
Those opinions which we find lacking in evidence are still worthy of our consideration since they must contain at the very least a morsel of truth to have convinced others of their veracity.
I have always considered pacifism a self defeating ideology. That which is worth defending demands defending.
If a people deem their culture morally indefensible, they are not long for this earth.
By far the worst display of disarmament in our time is the moral disarmament of the west.
The value of boredom is little understood and completely unappreciated.
It is from boredom that many of the greatest discoveries issue forth.
Nature abhors a vacuum and human nature abhors boredom. Discovery or creation is the cure.
Disruptions can be welcome or unwelcome, depending on the circumstances. When you are up against a hard deadline on a project, disruptions are most unwelcome. When you are in the middle of a conversation which you would like to escape, a disruption is welcome indeed.
A distraction is one of those things that can be either good or bad, depending on the circumstances.
So for example, it is inadvisable to allow oneself to be distracted when operating a motor vehicle. On the other hand after working on a project for some time, a pleasant distraction may be just what is needed to recharge one's batteries.
That's the whole idea behind the concept of recreation, where we are supposed to recreate ourselves afresh.
As we argued in the previous post the purpose of thought is to bring our conclusions and beliefs into the closest alignment with reality of which we are capable.
Of course, this is not the end, but rather a critical station along our journey.
But journey to where?
The answer of course is to the best course of action for us in any given situation.
Have you ever thought about the purpose of thought? Probably not.
Thinking deeply requires a good deal of energy and focus. Most people prefer to invest their time and energy in other less strenuous pursuits. It is therefore left to a few to do all the serious thinking.
But, what exactly do we hope to accomplish by thinking deeply?
Is it not to arrive at conclusions or beliefs regarding something of interest to us?
Is not our aim, if we understand it correctly, to bring our conclusions and...
Collectivists, authoritarians and totalitarians always and everywhere strive to focus our attention on group issues. They break us down into race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, etc.
The goal is to pit us against one another and to divert our attention from the machinations in which they are engaged.
The antidote is to focus instead on the individual.
Remember, groups do not think or act, only individuals do.
What it means to be a centrist, like so may other concepts, has evolved into something unrecognizable when one considers its classical definition.
Once upon a time it meant someone in the center politically. Neither left nor right.
Today it signifies a person in favor of a centralized governance with purported experts in charge of the rest of us rubes.
The concept 'entrained thinking' describes the behavior of members of the educated class whose education effectively insulates them from paying attention to novel, and potentially beneficial ideas and concepts which originate outside their narrow scope, and are often put forward by people less qualified than themselves.
Many groundbreaking discoveries have been made by people who were essentially amateurs in the field in question.
Government education (sic) can never be more than an indoctrination program.
If educating the young were really the goal then all schooling would be privately provided by the market.
There can be no end to the controversies regarding what may be taught or allowed in public schools. Prayer being just one example.
The only solution is to allow entrepreneurs to provide the variety of curriculums the public desires.
Each parent would then be able to find a school suitable for them.
It is difficult if not impossible to exaggerate the importance of persistence in the realization of one's goals. Having a sound strategy is of of course important, but persistence alone enables us to overcome the inevitable obstacles the path to success is strewn with.
'Divide and Conquer' is a well worn strategy expression. That however, does not in any way nullify its truthfulness.
It is one of the strategies most effectively employed by those who would rule over us.
They are fully aware that if they can manage to get us fighting amongst ourselves, we are far less likely to notice the gradual curtailment of our liberties and the shrinking of our ability to think and act as best we see fit.
Manufacturing resentment is one facet of this strategy, and it is...
More young people than ever are estranged from their parents, and especially their fathers. I consider this very unfortunate. I always loved and appreciated my parents for everything they did for me, including many sacrifices for my happiness.
As is the case in every instance I can imagine, the proof of something's correctness or appropriateness, is to be judged by the results it brings about, either satisfactory or otherwise.
I believe (based upon scant knowledge I admit) that most therapy is useless or worse.
I have believed for a very long time that the best therapy is unlikely to come from the professionals. Instead, properly trained laypeople are the most viable solution to the therapy problem.
I have written on the topic of merit before but wish here to approach the subject from a slightly different angle. That is, how it is related to compensation.
First, merit can never be properly assessed by others since it is an individual affair and the efforts of the individual can never be objectively weighed by outsiders, or compared to the efforts of others.
It might be appropriate here to recall that merit is ascribed to the efforts an individual makes to put to best use the talents and...
Considered in a certain light, the amazing progress of the human race, notwithstanding a few tragic setbacks, can be understood as the discovery of, and the constant improvements to what might best be referred to as 'Force Multipliers'. I should think the term would be clear in its meaning.
Simple examples of physical 'force multipliers' are pulleys, fulcrum and lever, steam, internal combustion, electricity, the internet.
There are 'force multipliers' in other areas of our lives which may be...
Much mischief and worse often results from initiatives and policies which are mistakenly aimed at the expressions (branches) of a problem, rather than at its cause (root).