On … Logic
Not a week passes that someone attempts to sway me to their cause with “logic.” “Just look at the facts,” their argument begins. Later comes the ol’ fall-back, “it’s common sense”–an ill-defined concept we all “know when we see”–like invoking “common” or “natural” law when the codified system isn’t working.
Leaving aside the braying nabobs that pollute the media, I have no doubt these individuals are sincere in their beliefs, and the factors they mention would lead one to the conclusions they’ve drawn–IF the picture is complete. Like the old showbiz saying, “if you buy the premise, you’ll buy the bit.”
Despite our body of collective knowledge, it seems to be easier than ever for the loud and obnoxious to sway masses of people with elementary propaganda techniques. Sides dig in ever deeper, as they reinforce each other and never allow themselves opportunities to encounter alternate experiences. Most of us are aware of the selective facts involved in the sales process (where ethics are as bad as ever); I’m not sure we recognize that similar tactics are being used on us in many other areas. If we can’t even agree on what “rational” is, we’re little more than inarticulate beasts, with violence the only conflict resolver.
All the hubbub about assertiveness the last 40 years has done us a disservice, one of which is suppressing self-doubt to a fault. Seems to me an awfully weak belief system that can’t handle frequent re-examination; after all, if it’s true, no amount of contact with the contrary will invalidate it. If (and when) new evidence emerges to challenge one’s world view, one would be a coward not to work on accommodating it. This is not easy, however, and takes a type of strength not valued by many people.
If we can at least agree that the human brain is a marvel–perhaps the greatest in what we currently know of the universe–we owe it to the creative force responsible for it to push it to ever greater heights.