Sunday, June 19, 2005

A bit of logic in an illogical world

I like to think of myself as a reasonable man. I believe that everyone is entitled to his or her opinions and views, based on whatever facts he or she deems credible. However, the key here is that these conclusions people make must be arrived at through a logical progression of thought. Now I'm not saying things need to be as orderly as a geometric proof that A is parallel to B, but things have to make sense.

One of the most frustrating things in the world to me is when someone takes a position based on nothing other than "because I say so"... or "that's just how it is". That is bull honkery. Taking a position like that implies one of three things:
1) Ignorance
2) Stupidity
3) Sheer stubbornness

Or any combination of the three. None of which I can, or should, accept. Ignorant people should educate themselves so they are not ignorant, or else speak not on that which they do not understand. No person is inherently stupid; I believe any normal person with a desire can learn anything with the right amount of effort. Stubbornness is the result of building a wall around your ideas and insulating them from any sort of logic that might case any doubt on their relevance. That is just unacceptable.

Now, I know there are some who may read this and think that I'm saying that the only opinions that I will accept are those which match my own. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, in a world of logical deduction, people can reach vastly different conclusions on the same issue. This is the beauty of it! You could come to a conclusion which I believe to be fundamentally wrong, but as long as you came to the conclusion though some measure of logical deduction, AND more importantly can reasonably explain how you came to that conclusion and back it up, I fully accept your right to believe it, and in turn expect the same.

All I desire is common sense... is that too much to ask?


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