Is it possible that those – or some of those – referred to as “liberals,” “socialists,” “communists,” etc. are just ignorant, and dispositionally ordered in opposition to rational thought; having assimilated a disposition – or formed a character – derived from a culture nearly bereft of rational thought…? If ignorance, rather than ideology, is that which orders some of these souls, then it would seem plausible – through edifying knowledge – to alter those souls, so ordered…
Those of us one the social-political Right often frustratingly encounter the advocates of abortion, of feminism, of homosexuality’s acceptance and normalization, of hedonism, of ubiquity of the EPA, of severe restriction (if not the repeal ) of 2nd Amendment, of Government expansion in regulating damn near every aspect of the citizenry’s lives, and benevolent fascism (benevolent for the time being; down-the-road Government bureaucracy may confidently dispense with the facade of benevolence) which allows private ownership, but cudgels the business through taxation and regulations so as to end the intractable business. Out of frustration, those of the social-political Right (conservatives, libertarians, fiscal conservatives, sundry Christians and moralists…) often respond to those individuals – that senselessly – embrace and advocate the things mentioned above, by calling them liberals or socialists, communists or some other dismissive as they disengage from what appears, and experience has likely taught to be a waste of time…
Because it may be the case that the common-garden variety liberal, socialists or Lefty, is just egotistically ignorant, we offer a list of principles which may allow the establishment of a common ground between the social-political Left and Right… However, we note that we did not nexus the terms “egotistically ignorant,” as a derogation, but as descriptive, and a precaution. An individual that is both ignorant and egotistical is less likely to engage another in a discussion if their ego’s since they are viewed as less. The egotist – in order to engage in a dialectical discussion – would likely need to have their intellectual capacity (or potential capacity) affirmed, while also having conveyed the intimation that the individual has suffered, and is currently suffering from a bad education; Ronald Reagan intimates something like this when he asserted (somewhat in jest): ‘It is not that our liberal friends do know anything, it is that so much of what they know, is wrong.’ With this in mind, if one desires to edify those on the social-political Left, it is likely necessary to treat their fragile ego’s accordingly, while drawing their attention to fundamental principles of reality (generally they will find such discussions non-threatening, because the controversies related to political choice are of a different order-of-being…) so as to logically undermine their unconscious beliefs (hollowing out their weltanschauung, so to speak)…
Thus, we propose a non-exhaustive list of axioms, principles, truths, and definitions of which the inveterate Leftist may be dispositionally altered, if they were to garner a clearer understanding of a number of these salient topics, and were to reconcile – through intellectual synthesis – those irrational views which currently order their souls… In subsequent posts, we hope to examine – at some length and depth – these and other related principles…
1. Objective reality; this is existence ordered independently of you, me or any combinations of you’s and I’s i.e., the character of reality is independent of the subjective consciousness. Modern science presupposes – or assumes – the objective character of reality… Classical philosophy – especially Saint Thomas Aquinas – argues that the human mind/understanding must conform to, and is dependent upon, objective reality. The emotional/sentimental Leftist may be prompted to change through a coming to accept and to understand that…
2. Objective reality is either intelligently ordered (God made it that way) and thus the human mind may establish a relation of correspondence with reality (classically – classical philosophy – this is from whence knowledge is garnered) meaning is transcendent and reflects God’s intention; thus reality is ordered to its final-cause/end; Or – reality is not intelligently ordered (Since there isn’t a God…), and any order is illusory, or imposed by the subjective consciousness/mind (what the subjective mind imposes is then ephemeral chimera); ultimately, reality is devoid of enduring meaning… Any that realize God is presupposed (consciously contradictorily; or, dully unconsciously) by the atheist that argues there isn’t a God; what effect would such understanding/knowledge have upon the soul of a social-political Leftist.
3. Reality – as an intelligent objective order – reflects the creators Will; to seek to accord with His Will, is to seek to be virtuous; if reality isn’t objectively intelligently ordered then discussions of morality and virtue are absurd, or meaningless.
4. The principle of non-contradiction… Generally, formal-logic isn’t today taught in secondary education system, nor is it a requirement of a University education; erstwhile Euclidean Geometry served the dual function of informally teaching formal logic, and lays a foundation for advanced mathematics, but the standards of secondary education have become retrograde and come to emphasize socializing skills rather than the beginning of intellectually rigor coursework… Grasping the principle of non-contradiction – and subjecting – criticizing information presented to the minds of social-political Leftists, may through time, cudgel them to agree with objective reality i.e., to rationality i.e., to sanity…
5. What constitutes a valid logical argument, and how are valid arguments related to truthful arguments; one that understands such things may be open to dialectical discussions; as it is the social-political Left, as the culture, encouraged eristical arguments i.e., arguments of distraction and character assassination – the Democrats and the Democratic Party are exemplars at this.
6. How do existential arguments relate to universal logical arguments, what are the respective conditions and refutations of each?
7. What is the correlation between faith and reason?
8. What any fact presupposes?
9. What is presupposed by modern science?
10. What is the truth, and how does it differ from the self-evident truth?
11. In what manner are all humans equal – in the jungle?
12. What is presupposed by inalienable rights?
13. What is presupposed by the inalienable right to Life?
14. What is presupposed by the inalienable right to Liberty?
15. Which inalienable right is the necessary condition of the others?
16. What is presupposed by a Constitutional Government with a written Constitution?
17. What is presupposed by the goal of a “more perfect Union?”
18. What are the necessary preconditions for ‘establishing Justice?’
19. What is Justice?
20. What are the necessary conditions for ‘ensuring domestic Tranquility?’
21. What is the “general Welfare?” And how may it be ‘promoted?’
22. What is necessary to ‘secure the Blessings of Liberty?’ What is Liberty?
23. What is the utility of criticism?
24. What does it mean to be virtuous?
25. What is a moral being, and what are his/her obligations?
26. What is free-will? What is its presupposition?
27. Why did the Founding Fathers seek divided Government?
There are other principles which could be addressed, but as this is neither exhaustive, nor an exposition, we close by remarking that those which claim themselves to lovers of truth (philosophers) and those that profess the Lord Jesus Christ are obliged to do for their “least of His brethren” (see Matthew 25: 31-40), than merely calling those which “dwell in darkness” liberals, socialists and commies, one has an obligation to attempt to lead them to the truth; changing the subject from a political tête-à-tête to a more philosophical discussion, may lay the intellectual predicate for those on the social-political Left – eventually – to extract their heads from their respective rectums…
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