The Cellar  

Go Back   The Cellar > Main > Philosophy
FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search

Philosophy Religions, schools of thought, matters of importance and navel-gazing

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-02-2008, 01:16 AM   #1
coberst
Civil Civilian
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 34
Critical Thinker Habitually Pulls Back the Curtain

Critical Thinker Habitually Pulls Back the Curtain

I guess, for all of us, a meme that gives impetuous to much of our behavior is the “capitalism is good” meme. This meme, with its closest suburbs, probably represents a fundamental element of the dominant ideology of western culture.

This cluster of memes contains the wonderful “doing good by doing well” meme. This is the rascal that allows us to follow our imperialistic impulses. This meme allows us to invade Iraq under false pretenses, it allows us to open our borders to those who will work cheap, it allows for the “trickle down” economic theory, it allowed the Nineteenth Century imperialism practiced by our European cousins, etc.

Most of the memes we live by have never been examined by any of us. I suspect this one, in particular, needs to be placed on the table for close individual examination.

We saw the Nineteenth Century birth of a new economic entity, the corporation. A recent delivery of a new economic entity has occurred. This is the corporation-state. The new supranational corporation is here and on a fast freight. I suspect all these things happened too fast for a liberal democracy to encompass; so much for liberal democracy.

CT is about analyzing and understanding.

One thing I have learned about playing chess is that for almost every move there is a bad judgment a good judgment and a better judgment. And I also learned that one pays a price for each bad judgment.

In life we are constantly making judgments. There is an art and science for judgment making and it is called Critical Thinking. Our schools and colleges have prepared us to make good judgments about special matters as it might pertain to our job but have done little to prepare us for the constant judgment making. CT is about learning how to think.


Perhaps philosophy should be an advocate of “lets take a meme out for examination” day.
coberst is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 02:20 AM   #2
xoxoxoBruce
The future is unwritten
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 71,105
You've been out of college what, 50 years? You're out of touch.
__________________
The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.
xoxoxoBruce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 04:39 AM   #3
DanaC
We have to go back, Kate!
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 25,964
I agree with much of what you say, except this line:

Quote:
Most of the memes we live by have never been examined by any of us.
Explain how you know that most of us hav not examined the 'memes' we live by?
DanaC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 06:38 AM   #4
Undertoad
Radical Centrist
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cottage of Prussia
Posts: 31,423
If you respond to this guy he'll just keep going. This one is posted on roughly 25 other forums. By my judgment he gets one more thread to post before banning, unless he becomes more conversational and involved. Let's hope it's a good one.
Undertoad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:01 AM   #5
Shawnee123
Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya?
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 21,206
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"

--The Wizard
__________________
A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice.
--Bill Cosby
Shawnee123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:22 AM   #6
xoxoxoBruce
The future is unwritten
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 71,105
Quote:
Originally Posted by Undertoad View Post
If you respond to this guy he'll just keep going. This one is posted on roughly 25 other forums. By my judgment he gets one more thread to post before banning, unless he becomes more conversational and involved. Let's hope it's a good one.
But the responses, and drift, has been interesting, without his dialog. Are they worse than Flint or LJ's stir up shit threads?
__________________
The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.
xoxoxoBruce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:23 AM   #7
Sundae
polaroid of perfection
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 24,185
Quote:
Originally Posted by coberst View Post
Perhaps philosophy should be an advocate of “lets take a meme out for examination” day.
Wait... what?
I'm not liking the close connection between examination and curtains in this thread.
Sundae is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:24 AM   #8
Troubleshooter
The urban Jane Goodall
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,012
Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce View Post
You've been out of college what, 50 years? You're out of touch.
You're assuming he/she's actually been to college.
__________________
I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle
Troubleshooter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:28 AM   #9
xoxoxoBruce
The future is unwritten
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 71,105
I've no reason to doubt his bio, and his description of college fits with the pre 60's college environment.
__________________
The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.
xoxoxoBruce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:36 AM   #10
Undertoad
Radical Centrist
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cottage of Prussia
Posts: 31,423
We have no shortage of good source to navel-gaze. I'd be happy to post more of my shit if need be, or somebody can just go get coberst's stuff when he posts it elsewhere. What we are after is good, engaged users.
Undertoad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:38 AM   #11
Undertoad
Radical Centrist
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cottage of Prussia
Posts: 31,423
Let me add that I desperately bought the hook this time and was ready to talk about it. But then I thought better: an uninvolved user doesn't get to set our agenda, that's my thinking.

He doesn't get to squirt his stuff all over the net just because he CAN.
Undertoad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:49 AM   #12
lookout123
changed his status to single
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Right behind you. No, the other side.
Posts: 10,308
you're just hung up on your meme UT.


BTW, I think the guy is a nutter but I would greatly enjoy it if he'd actually engage after posting his thread. Unfortunately, I've checked a couple of the forums he's dropping these same threads on and they've come to the same conclusion. He drops and runs. Not too much value in that.
__________________
Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin
lookout123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 10:51 AM   #13
Cloud
...
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,360
offensive. because he's implying HE's the only critical thinker around. And I hate the repeated use of the word, "meme."
__________________
"Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"
Cloud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 11:03 AM   #14
glatt
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 27,717
I used "meme" in Scrabble a few months ago. My opponents had never heard of it. We didn't have any dictionaries handy so they accepted my use of a Blackberry to look up the Wikipedia definition. I won the game with that word.
glatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2008, 11:04 AM   #15
Troubleshooter
The urban Jane Goodall
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 3,012
Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce View Post
I've no reason to doubt his bio, and his description of college fits with the pre 60's college environment.
Does it say he attended one or just worked at one?
__________________
I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle
Troubleshooter is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:58 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.