Productivity continues to suck. I spent the day in the library today and did very little work. The library at George Mason sucks just as much as the Chicago library. I'm actually going to visit Becca in Philadelphia tomorrow just to get out of the house. Vacation sucks when you start feeling introspective and sinking into that black hole of forgetfulness. And then it's like, gee, I guess I was suppose to do all my research for my BA but where has all the time gone? Or like, wow, three weeks have passed and I don't actually remember a since thing I actually accomplished besides eat, sleep, and vegetate for extended hours in front of the TV.
Ah, I feel so special to be blessed with an email from Sushu. How unexpected! My life is fulfilled. Alright, at least it's not a completely mass email. It's cut and pasted mass email but hey, you put effort into the cutting and pasting, and I thank you so much.
The intelligence demos argument has pretty much what Martin and I talk about all the time. Theoretically, we both think the intelligence demos exists, it's just we have a hard time justifying our faith so I enjoy playing the devil's advocate and telling him that people are stupid and he should just give up with democracy idea and allow the global elite to take care of everything, and do it right.
My favorite response to this I guess is Jefferson's intellectual aristocracy. John Wintrop, America, city on the hill idea, but take out of biblical context. America, unlike the old world, said Jefferson, should be ruled by the intellectual aristocracy. But the thing with the intellectual aristocracy is that it's not determined by birth, but by aptitude. So you educate everyone because anyone can be part of this intellectual aristocracy. I know we all want to be part of something special, this band of brothers (Henry V), and that's why things like LOTR and XMen really resounds in our collective subconscious. But I guess it all comes back to Mill and not knowing whether or not you're right. Sure, we think we're pretty smart but what if we're wrong. And what if the masses are right? What if we're just as dumb as the masses? What if we think this is what they want but it's not actually what they want? What if we're just being patronizing? I'm sure many of the whites colonizing the new world and Africa thought they were putting those countries right. They were the elite after all.
I think people all think they are standing at the crossroads of history because they are. Every moment, the world reinvents itself. Every little act becomes a cornerstone of history. History is ultimately a path-dependent entity. Every act shuts off several paths and opens others. A few people always determine the fate of the world. That is the legacy of any kind of hierarchical society, even in the kinds of communism we've seen. It'd be nice if history was as clean as neat as lord of the rings, but unfortunately, it's not. What people believe in their hearts to be right can actually be totally wrong. Well what do we do? Well, Satre (I hope you're reading No Exit) suggests that we should choose and take responsibility. I like that idea. I could be wrong, and I will have to take responsibility for those wrongs. Not acting in action as well, it's not a crime of commission but a crime of omission.
i am replying
Ah, I feel so special to be blessed with an email from Sushu. How unexpected! My life is fulfilled. Alright, at least it's not a completely mass email. It's cut and pasted mass email but hey, you put effort into the cutting and pasting, and I thank you so much.
The intelligence demos argument has pretty much what Martin and I talk about all the time. Theoretically, we both think the intelligence demos exists, it's just we have a hard time justifying our faith so I enjoy playing the devil's advocate and telling him that people are stupid and he should just give up with democracy idea and allow the global elite to take care of everything, and do it right.
My favorite response to this I guess is Jefferson's intellectual aristocracy. John Wintrop, America, city on the hill idea, but take out of biblical context. America, unlike the old world, said Jefferson, should be ruled by the intellectual aristocracy. But the thing with the intellectual aristocracy is that it's not determined by birth, but by aptitude. So you educate everyone because anyone can be part of this intellectual aristocracy. I know we all want to be part of something special, this band of brothers (Henry V), and that's why things like LOTR and XMen really resounds in our collective subconscious. But I guess it all comes back to Mill and not knowing whether or not you're right. Sure, we think we're pretty smart but what if we're wrong. And what if the masses are right? What if we're just as dumb as the masses? What if we think this is what they want but it's not actually what they want? What if we're just being patronizing? I'm sure many of the whites colonizing the new world and Africa thought they were putting those countries right. They were the elite after all.
I think people all think they are standing at the crossroads of history because they are. Every moment, the world reinvents itself. Every little act becomes a cornerstone of history. History is ultimately a path-dependent entity. Every act shuts off several paths and opens others. A few people always determine the fate of the world. That is the legacy of any kind of hierarchical society, even in the kinds of communism we've seen. It'd be nice if history was as clean as neat as lord of the rings, but unfortunately, it's not. What people believe in their hearts to be right can actually be totally wrong. Well what do we do? Well, Satre (I hope you're reading No Exit) suggests that we should choose and take responsibility. I like that idea. I could be wrong, and I will have to take responsibility for those wrongs. Not acting in action as well, it's not a crime of commission but a crime of omission.