The problem with "arguments"

Having thought about the last couple of posts, I thought it might be a good idea to take a break and explain something so fundamental that we tend to overlook it. The human mind is a fascinating object of study. How we think, why we think the things we do, how we learn, what we remember ... the list truly goes on and on ... are really quite mind-boggling subjects. We know something about how the brain functions, but we know very little about how it works. And, what is even more important, we have hardly any idea what "consciousness" is and how it may (or may not) be related to the brain. All we know is that the brain is involved.

Now, I'm not going to clear these matter up by any means. I'm not even going address most of them. What I am going to address is one way that we come to believe things and why we are ready to accept some arguments while rejecting others, even though those we reject may be more compelling. I'm going to keep this simple, but I'm not going to make it simplistic. There are some things about the process than everyone can, and should, know.

We all gather sensory data through our five senses (smelling, tasting, touching, hearing, and seeing). We don't, however, gather exactly the same data. Instead, we gather this data and process it through all the filters that our parents, teachers, society, culture, and friends have helped us to create. We like certain things, dislike others, really love some things and hate others. We all experience the "same reality", but we process it in very individual ways. That's one side of the coin.

While the five senses are a great starting point for physical things, they are not so well suited for abstract ideas and notions, things that happen only in our minds. Some people prefer red to blue, others prefer liberals to conservatives, some think capitalism is good, others that it is evil incarnate. This kind of perception is what has always fascinated me the most.

The point is this: regardless of what we get through our senses, we process it through filters that we have consciously and unconsciously created. Our experiences, upbringing, society and culture have all played a very significant role in all this. I have to go back to my overworked "breakfast" example to explain: What do you eat for breakfast (usually)? Why? When you look around the world to see what other people think what constitutes a "normal" breakfast, you will most likely find yourself asking, "Why would anybody eat that for breakfast?" Yes, why? Because to them, it is normal. Whatever any of us has for breakfast is simply "normal" to us. No more, no less. There is not one normal, but all normals are equal. What we know, what we are used to, what seems to suit us is what we consider "normal". There is nothing to prove it, there are no reasons to justify it that would convince others to change their ways. It is simply a matter of assuming that whatever we (and those around us) do is "normal". In other words, normalcy is really nothing more than an assumption.

Assumptions, however, are rather tenuous things. What happens if we find that our assumptions are misplaced? What happens if it becomes clear that our assumptions are harmful? What do we do?

Good questions. More next time.

Too harsh a judgment?

Without a doubt, there are some who might think that describing American economic and political activity as a "disease" is being too harsh. I can understand their feelings, even if I don't agree with their judgment. After all, just what is a "disease"?

The Free Dictionary (online) provides us with three definitions, all of which are fairly standard:

1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.
3. Obsolete Lack of ease; trouble.

While the first is generally directed to physical organisms, there is nothing that restricts us from applying it to any organism or system of an organism, such as the "body politic", or "the economy" or "society", or whatever. This is, in essence, acknowledged in the second definition, as it can describe any condition or tendency regarded as abnormal or harmful.

I suppose we could argue all day whether our culture or our society can be considered an organism, but the analogy has been used for centuries without anyone complaining. I don't see why this has to be an issue now. Moreover, we could also spend all our time arguing about what is "normal", thereby attempting to determine what does not fit into that scheme (i.e. that which is "abnormal"). This does vary from society to society and from culture to culture, but the other word used does provide us with a sound starting point, leaving us with "a condition or tendency regarded as harmful". There is little question that the US form of capitalism is harmful, in many ways.

When we consider the amount of pollution it produces, the amount of environmental damage it inflicts, the wealth inequality and poverty that it generates, the "stress" (on individuals and whole peoples), I think we can start identifying the "group of signs or symptoms" required by the first definition above.

Don't get me wrong, the Americans aren't the only ones, but they are the cheerleaders for more, not less, capitalism; the US is home to the idea of unfettered free-market capitalism; in the US there is simply no discussion that is not ultimately, if not solely, about money/capital (most often expressed in the can-we-afford-it argument). When the Americans start propagating this outside their own borders (which is precisely what the corporate takeover of the world is about), well, that's when it starts looking infectious, dangerous, most disease-like.

The good news is, it can't go on for ever. Like any faulty system of thought, any destructive ideology, it carries within itself its own seeds of destruction. Capitalism lives from the notion of unlimited growth; the earth, however, is limited: there is only so much space and so many resources, so when either (or both) of these hit their limits, there is simply no more growth. Capitalism, if left to itself, will consume itself. The bad news is that if the environmental catastrophe that wipes out (perhaps only most of) the human race before that time, the destruction may be more than we all can handle. Of course, at that point, none of us will have to worry about anything anymore.

Capitalists like all-or-nothing arguments, but they avoid this one. No, when seen from a broader perspective, it's just a disease, and the disease peddlers aren't even thinking about a cure.

The American disease

There is no doubt that the USA has been something of a powerhouse for a good deal of its very short history. It has benefitted from accidents of time and nature, of geography and sometimes blind determination. Not everything it has ever done, of course, like any other modern (or ancient) nation-state, is worth praising. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone gets some things wrong, but it is the sign of a healthy mind that we learn from these and not do them anymore. Unfortunately, this is precisely the virus that is infecting the country right now: it refuses to learn.

America talks a good game when it comes to ideals: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness; freedom, democratic processes, and equality of opportunity. Unfortunately, the reality is anything but this. It is actively seeking to restrict democratic processes, through legislation and precedent; it is raping the environment in the name of economic growth, it supports corruption and lawlessness, as the recent refusal to prosecute the criminals involved in the recent economic crash has shown; it has gone after whistleblowers with a vengeance; it has suppressed its minorities (again); it refuses to admit to, or even acknowledge, its genocidal past; it knows no solution to international problems other than war and violence; it has no hesitation committing war crimes (drones, torture) in pursuit of its interests; and it is doing all it can to suppress the last remnants of opposition at home.

Now, I don't know if this is what the majority of Americans want, nor whether this is the America that the majority of Americans see. It really doesn't matter. This is their country and the simple fact that there is no visible resistance to this reign of power and terror -- political, social, and economic -- makes those of us outside believe that Americans are, well, OK with all of this. This is really a situation of silence being assent, of not-acting-against being support-for.

Unfortunately, part of America's current power is perceived to be expressed in economic terms. The American capitalist system, the great delusion of trickle-down, the rape of resources, the blatant disregard for human feelings or rights, is one of the two vehicles the country has chosen to spread to the rest of the world (the other being outright war, including drone attacks and clandestine operations). What Americans apparently don't realize and what too many non-Americans don't recognize is that we not only don't need this, we don't want it either.

The US is ill, in so many ways, and it is simply bad manners and inconsiderate to go out and deal with others when you should be at home recuperating. My suggestion, therefore, is that the US simply go home. Go back to your own four walls and sort yourself out before you insist on sorting the rest of us out.

Yes, America has traditionally liked to think that it knows what is best for all us. It doesn't. It is in such a state of delirium that it can't even see what it is doing to itself. It's time to stop spreading this American disease. "Physician, heal thyself."

New year, new game, new rules

If you're reading this, you made it over the threshold. Welcome to a brand-new, never-been-used year. It can end up being a lot like the last one, which I'm sure would not bother most folks (we tend to like what we know), but it also has the potential to be very, very different than last year. The change could be beneficial, of course, but it could also be a catastrophe. Though not completely up to us individually, what comes of what comes does depend a lot on what each of us does, and how each of us reacts.

The transition between years is inevitably a time of reflection. It certainly doesn't hurt to take inventory of where one is, what seems like it's worthwhile holding onto and what could use a bit of an overhaul. This applies not only to our physical possessions and well-being, it applies to our thoughts and beliefs as well. How we see the world, how we react to it, and what we decide to say and do all depends inexorably on what these thoughts and beliefs are. Some people think they don't really have any, but everyone does and they determine everything one perceives, knows and deduces. That's just how our consciousness works, much to the dismay of the materialists. But that's their problem, not mine.

If I were to sum up 2013 in a single word, which one would it be? After some serious reflection, I've decided on "broken". Yes, 2013 was the year when it became clear just how much in our world -- and by this I mean the whole world, the earth and everyone and everything on it -- is broken. Our economy is broken: too many people without work, too few people with way too much, and at it's limits of growth (which is an essential feature of the system, but which is recognizably impossible); our political systems are broken: too many lobbyists and private interests, too little democracy, too much oppression and repression (especially for so-called "democracies"); our diplomatic systems are broken: too much aggression, too much war and too little willingness to talk or negotiate; our belief systems are broken: too many fundamentalists, too many people who think they know what "God" wants, too few who are willing to live what they believe; our education systems are broken: too much influence from corporations, too much testing, too little learning and nurturing of critical faculties; and our social systems are broken: too many poor, too many neglected, too little willingness to help those who need it most. The environment, as well, may be beyond saving.

Some things cannot be fixed when they are broken. We would do better to devote our time, energy, attention, and efforts to things we can do something about: ourselves and those around us. While we're at it, we should never hesitate to speak truth to power, to draw attention to injustice, to drag the behind-the-scene manipulators out into the open. We have the obligation to act. Not acting and not speaking give tacit assent to those doing wrong and causing harm.

It's a new year, a renewed opportunity to make a difference, to help get things back on track. Who's ready to lend and hand and get to work?