The Hope for Rational Discussion and Evaluation
Why should I believe this?
Why should I accept this authority?
The media of the so-called "global village" seem to bring different cultures together in the sense only of confrontation, not of dialogue.
That seems to be how it is a lot of the time - somebody just comes on the air, reports an incident, moves their eyebrows to denote that there's something important about it - like you ever see the way the newscasters use their facial language when there's been an incident that involves SMOKING?
It's like this is the most horrendous thing that has taken place in the history of man! Somebody was SMOKING!
Seems like the media tells us what to think.
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For we can always distinguish what someone says from that person's motivation for saying it.
We can if we think about it - if we keep in mind that it is truly an individual person talking - but often as not, is just one more 'talking head' reading from what a group of individuals wants told.
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Nietzche - scorned the theory of knowledge and moral philosophy . . . displays a double standard at work in his own thought.
How does he know what's 'truth'?
For that matter, what is truth and what is what someone else wants you to think?
. . . the technique of meeting all criticism by attacking the motives of the critic . . .
Someone's motivation m ay be peculiar or objectionable in some way, and yet what the person says may be true and justifiable by good reasons.
Well, to put things in my own words, I see this segment as asking the reader the question of just how easy or difficult it can be to discuss issues thoroughly - in any issue, does everybody get the chance to put their own honest opinion on the table?
Often, there are things a person might want to say, but doesn't because of the general attitude of the room - the environment.
For instance . . . let's say we're at a meeting which has been called to discuss just how much money and resource should a city put into an upcoming Gay Pride event - the parade, the speeches, the get togethers - the policing of the event.
How much should be spent? How much manpower should be assigned to the event?
IF most of the people at the table are 'straights', who are put off by this kind of thing, then the few who are either 'gay' or 'gay sympathizers', aren't going to feel they can speak up and express their own views. They will keep quiet to avoid conflict.
IF most of the people at the table are 'gay' and are people who are all for this event, then the few who are not will not feel free to express their views.
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Say there's a meeting at your office - everybody's obligated to attend. The issue is whether to extend office hours to meet with an expected rise in business.
The owner of the business is, of course, all for the idea - she doesn't have to spend the extra time at the office, of course - her employees will be pressed into that service.
She, a couple of the company's major stockholders, the general manager, etc., are all there.
The employees are expected to give their views.
Most of the employees are family people and don't want to be forced into doing extra time they don't want to do. But they have to be careful what they say - they don't want to offend someone and have their job on the line.
Maybe even one of the top echelon in the company is against the extended hours - he believes it's better to find a way of handling the extra work within the regular hours. He's of the belief that employees should be free to be with their families, or their own personal pleasures on evenings and weekends.
He's not going to feel comfortable saying so with the stockholders who want the extended hours - with people who might even 'pull out' if he doesn't agree with them.
What I'm saying is that something could be put forth as being a statement that EVERYBODY agrees with - the poll was unanimous!
But it's not necessarily so - the results didn't really reflect what people really thought.
OK . . . so it isn't the most 'sophisticated' view of this segment, but those are my thoughts on it.