Wednesday, December 29, 2004
New Look, New Direction
Nice thing about the holidays is time on my hands. So why haven't I been posting?
With all this time, I've been seriously considering the purpose of this blog. To me, it's not enough to merely parrot what I've read on other leftist blogs and sites; that's done elsewhere and usually done far better than I can do it. I'm not a journalist (we'll forgo the "blogger as journalist" nonsense) nor did I ever want this blog to become "journalistic". In the last month or so, I've been looking for my place in the blogosphere and the new look here announces where I intend to take this space.
I have degrees in Psychology and Philosophy and I think both those areas give me a unique perspective on world events. Some of my posts have indulged in a little psychoanalysis and I'll continue with that, especially when examining the motives of conservatives. However, Philosophical (and specifically, Logical) analysis of conservative arguments are always entertaining - and revealing.
Back in the early 90's Rush Limbaugh had an hourly show, basically a stripped-down repetition of his show, and the college Republicans used to gather in the student union at noon to watch him. Likewise, I would watch along with them, keeping a tally of the logical errors he would make. It never failed to amaze me how many Straw Men, Red Herrings, False Analogies, and other fallacies Limbaugh could manage to fit into 40 minutes of broadcasting.
What's truly astounding is that The Federalist Papers are gorgeous works of pristine logic - read them and follow the exquisite arguments laid down by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay to see what I mean. Conservative "intellectuals" constantly refer to the Federalist Papers but it seems to be mere lip-service; modern conservative arguments tend to rely more on "belief" and emotion than reason - a tragic development, especially since it has degraded the discourse in politics. Rather than confronting liberals on terms of reasoned argument, conservatives have reduced themselves to name-calling and scapegoating.
A rather broad, sweeping indictment on my part. I intend to use this space to support my claims. We'll see how successful I am.
With all this time, I've been seriously considering the purpose of this blog. To me, it's not enough to merely parrot what I've read on other leftist blogs and sites; that's done elsewhere and usually done far better than I can do it. I'm not a journalist (we'll forgo the "blogger as journalist" nonsense) nor did I ever want this blog to become "journalistic". In the last month or so, I've been looking for my place in the blogosphere and the new look here announces where I intend to take this space.
I have degrees in Psychology and Philosophy and I think both those areas give me a unique perspective on world events. Some of my posts have indulged in a little psychoanalysis and I'll continue with that, especially when examining the motives of conservatives. However, Philosophical (and specifically, Logical) analysis of conservative arguments are always entertaining - and revealing.
Back in the early 90's Rush Limbaugh had an hourly show, basically a stripped-down repetition of his show, and the college Republicans used to gather in the student union at noon to watch him. Likewise, I would watch along with them, keeping a tally of the logical errors he would make. It never failed to amaze me how many Straw Men, Red Herrings, False Analogies, and other fallacies Limbaugh could manage to fit into 40 minutes of broadcasting.
What's truly astounding is that The Federalist Papers are gorgeous works of pristine logic - read them and follow the exquisite arguments laid down by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay to see what I mean. Conservative "intellectuals" constantly refer to the Federalist Papers but it seems to be mere lip-service; modern conservative arguments tend to rely more on "belief" and emotion than reason - a tragic development, especially since it has degraded the discourse in politics. Rather than confronting liberals on terms of reasoned argument, conservatives have reduced themselves to name-calling and scapegoating.
A rather broad, sweeping indictment on my part. I intend to use this space to support my claims. We'll see how successful I am.
