The sign of a truly totalitarian culture is that important truths simply lack cognitive meaning and are interpretable only at the level of 'F.… You', so they can then elicit a perfectly predictable torrent of abuse in response—Noam Chomsky
Free speech is very important, but not nearly as important as the right to redress impediments upon it, and that ability lies within our separation of powers. While we stand firm at the line of free speech, we must also be looking at the repeated attempts to move more and more power toward a central power, a central administration. As states cede governance to the federal government and Congress cedes oversight and details to administration lackeys, we erode the very foundation on which we depend to ensure not just the first amendment, but all those that follow it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I absolutely agree with the separation of powers. And I agree just as strongly that states must take back their power. Hayek saw moral traditions as restraints on instinctive traits. By doing so, the foundation for civilization could be created. The founding fathers laid the framework to keep this instinctive trait in check. Unfortunately, it is being demolished.
First, let me say how much I enjoyed your article. It was lovely that a little tribe put Noam Chomsky in his place.
But, one of my biggest concerns is that "average sane people" are learning the importance of protecting our freedoms a little too late. I have many friends who fall into this category. They are so far behind the curve that I'm careful with what I say to them. Their discovery is so new and so fragile that I don't want to frighten them, but I do want them to continue forward.
Thank you so much for reading it. I greatly appreciate it. Ironically, a few years ago, I would have had some sympathy for Chomsky on Tom Wolf's sardonic attack. The scientific community from 2016 was pretty brutal on his book. However, considering that Chomsky and many of the other 'intellectuals' had no problem forcing vaxxes or being put in a camp, Wolf's take on him has aged very well. With your friends, the only thing I can advise is to continue what you are doing (and what I am trying) to understand the mechanisms ensnaring us. I know the more I dive in, the more I can articulate why what is happening is wrong. I am currently diving into the work of Professor Lian McGilchrist. If you have time, his thoughts might provide more tools on how to reach your friends in the abyss. https://youtu.be/Qe10cAAbKqI?si=2HVFcKKgP00Wh4HY
This is simply a rehashing of Aristotle's fundamentally wrong belief that all knowledge exists within our bodies and we only need to trust our instincts and/or think *really* hard. If you can't give a logical argument against something, you are probably wrong and not worth listening to.
Tom Wolf's book 'The Kingdom of Speech' is a great read delivered with his sardonic wit. I had already been thinking about language after hearing Camille Paglia in reference to post-modernists that it as if they think history only started with the printing press. While for her it may have been an unplanned off-the-cuff statement, it radically changed how I viewed things.
Free speech is very important, but not nearly as important as the right to redress impediments upon it, and that ability lies within our separation of powers. While we stand firm at the line of free speech, we must also be looking at the repeated attempts to move more and more power toward a central power, a central administration. As states cede governance to the federal government and Congress cedes oversight and details to administration lackeys, we erode the very foundation on which we depend to ensure not just the first amendment, but all those that follow it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I absolutely agree with the separation of powers. And I agree just as strongly that states must take back their power. Hayek saw moral traditions as restraints on instinctive traits. By doing so, the foundation for civilization could be created. The founding fathers laid the framework to keep this instinctive trait in check. Unfortunately, it is being demolished.
Awesome article, K.E.!
ZL
Thank you. I am very grateful to all who read my essays. Truly an honor.
First, let me say how much I enjoyed your article. It was lovely that a little tribe put Noam Chomsky in his place.
But, one of my biggest concerns is that "average sane people" are learning the importance of protecting our freedoms a little too late. I have many friends who fall into this category. They are so far behind the curve that I'm careful with what I say to them. Their discovery is so new and so fragile that I don't want to frighten them, but I do want them to continue forward.
Thank you so much for reading it. I greatly appreciate it. Ironically, a few years ago, I would have had some sympathy for Chomsky on Tom Wolf's sardonic attack. The scientific community from 2016 was pretty brutal on his book. However, considering that Chomsky and many of the other 'intellectuals' had no problem forcing vaxxes or being put in a camp, Wolf's take on him has aged very well. With your friends, the only thing I can advise is to continue what you are doing (and what I am trying) to understand the mechanisms ensnaring us. I know the more I dive in, the more I can articulate why what is happening is wrong. I am currently diving into the work of Professor Lian McGilchrist. If you have time, his thoughts might provide more tools on how to reach your friends in the abyss. https://youtu.be/Qe10cAAbKqI?si=2HVFcKKgP00Wh4HY
This is simply a rehashing of Aristotle's fundamentally wrong belief that all knowledge exists within our bodies and we only need to trust our instincts and/or think *really* hard. If you can't give a logical argument against something, you are probably wrong and not worth listening to.
I find it difficult to express my inability to understand how a group of people are capable of living only in the present.
Tom Wolf's book 'The Kingdom of Speech' is a great read delivered with his sardonic wit. I had already been thinking about language after hearing Camille Paglia in reference to post-modernists that it as if they think history only started with the printing press. While for her it may have been an unplanned off-the-cuff statement, it radically changed how I viewed things.