Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Parmenides Pooh-poohed
Below is a short comment on an interesting recent article on Parmenides,
Parmenides—father of modern thought
Published by
Tom Nuttall
December 19, 2007 in Science and technology and Philosophy.
Read more Greek history, and less Greek philosophy, and I think you’ll have a very different understanding of the rise of the ancient importance of reason than the one given by this article however.
Internal to cities: wealth, intermarriage and force held far more importance than reason. But the ancient Greek historians recount again and again how critical reason and rhetoric were as a military force multiplier amongst diverse city states without permanent alliances. Conflicts in such multiplayer games were won by those who could persuade others to join temporary alliances of interest, faith, heritage, or anything else that seemed appealing.
Reason was a desperately important survival skill, and a competitive blood sport as well - emissaries from both camps would often be simultaneously appealing for help from prospective allies, and if memory serves: not infrequently, debating each other in front of them.
(I can't help sneakily thinking, though, that Parmenides could very well have been trying to discourage or satirize the use (or merely misuse) of reason in human life, with a poem that was simply hilarious to contemporary farmers - and farmers today for that matter.)
Parmenides—father of modern thought
Published by
Tom Nuttall
December 19, 2007 in Science and technology and Philosophy.
Read more Greek history, and less Greek philosophy, and I think you’ll have a very different understanding of the rise of the ancient importance of reason than the one given by this article however.
Internal to cities: wealth, intermarriage and force held far more importance than reason. But the ancient Greek historians recount again and again how critical reason and rhetoric were as a military force multiplier amongst diverse city states without permanent alliances. Conflicts in such multiplayer games were won by those who could persuade others to join temporary alliances of interest, faith, heritage, or anything else that seemed appealing.
Reason was a desperately important survival skill, and a competitive blood sport as well - emissaries from both camps would often be simultaneously appealing for help from prospective allies, and if memory serves: not infrequently, debating each other in front of them.
(I can't help sneakily thinking, though, that Parmenides could very well have been trying to discourage or satirize the use (or merely misuse) of reason in human life, with a poem that was simply hilarious to contemporary farmers - and farmers today for that matter.)
Thursday, December 13, 2007
More Steroids and Baseball
When I wrote and Steroids and Moneyball, I was told I was greatly exaggerating a situation that affected only a tiny handful of players, not an industry.
http://confusioncomplete.blogspot.com/2005/07/steroids-and-moneyball.html
Uniformly, my correspondents flatly stated that the problem couldn't be that so extensive that it was changing the very management of the game. Mitchell's report now says the problem is and has been larger, in fact... and then wishes to change the subject. Moreover it relies on two or three sources only, and unmasks only the most highly indiscreet players. Anyone who took any precautions at all to hide their use, Mitchell doesn't know about.
Every time the subject of steroids has been mentioned, for years now, baseball management and players have been saying "It's all out. Let's move on." Implying (and lying) that the whole story was known. The latest Mitchell report tying the biggest names to illicit drug use puts the lie to previous denials, and then repeats the same nauseous mantra: "No blame. Move on. No penalties."
But that neglects an essential fact about steroid use: much of the positive effects on athletic performance, such as muscle bulk and strength are PERMANENT not temporary. The cheaters will retain the advantage, those who didn't cheat will continue to be deprived of careers if Mitchell's advice is taken. Nice.
We've become a society that believes neither in retribution NOR deterrence: that doesn't believe in punishment or penalties or even occasional time-outs it seems. In this New Age, everyone, starting with upper management it seems, is an anarchist!
All very charming, but the idea that rule of law is superfluous has been tried before and it didn't work well. Some example we're now setting for our kids. In effect we're saying: "Forget Christianity (or any other major religion). Forgiveness is a human right; all that Christian stuff about repentance and heartfelt change being necessary first? Screw that. Do what you like, however shocking. Forgiveness is your birthright and if someone tries to deny that to you for any reason whatsoever, you have every reason to be outraged! How dare they!"
So now we have a society that isn't merely post-Christian, is post-morality, period. We could survive the former, but not the later.
http://confusioncomplete.blogspot.com/2005/07/steroids-and-moneyball.html
Uniformly, my correspondents flatly stated that the problem couldn't be that so extensive that it was changing the very management of the game. Mitchell's report now says the problem is and has been larger, in fact... and then wishes to change the subject. Moreover it relies on two or three sources only, and unmasks only the most highly indiscreet players. Anyone who took any precautions at all to hide their use, Mitchell doesn't know about.
Every time the subject of steroids has been mentioned, for years now, baseball management and players have been saying "It's all out. Let's move on." Implying (and lying) that the whole story was known. The latest Mitchell report tying the biggest names to illicit drug use puts the lie to previous denials, and then repeats the same nauseous mantra: "No blame. Move on. No penalties."
But that neglects an essential fact about steroid use: much of the positive effects on athletic performance, such as muscle bulk and strength are PERMANENT not temporary. The cheaters will retain the advantage, those who didn't cheat will continue to be deprived of careers if Mitchell's advice is taken. Nice.
We've become a society that believes neither in retribution NOR deterrence: that doesn't believe in punishment or penalties or even occasional time-outs it seems. In this New Age, everyone, starting with upper management it seems, is an anarchist!
All very charming, but the idea that rule of law is superfluous has been tried before and it didn't work well. Some example we're now setting for our kids. In effect we're saying: "Forget Christianity (or any other major religion). Forgiveness is a human right; all that Christian stuff about repentance and heartfelt change being necessary first? Screw that. Do what you like, however shocking. Forgiveness is your birthright and if someone tries to deny that to you for any reason whatsoever, you have every reason to be outraged! How dare they!"
So now we have a society that isn't merely post-Christian, is post-morality, period. We could survive the former, but not the later.
Labels: baseball steroids law morality ethics drugs
