[Peace-discuss] Blago-Burris circus

[Bob Illyes]

Laurie writes: "As for calling the revolutionary fighters illiterate and 
uneducated, I will stand by that. There are a number of uneducated and 
illiterate people in the world who are true believers and have memorized 
the Bible, songs, prayers, maxiums and a whole lot more who (a) do not 
understand what they have memorized and repeat, (b) cannot discuss or 
evaluate what they have absorbed, or (c) explain and justify their actions 
in terms of the slogans and phrases of the day. Most of the fighters in the 
revolutionary armies in all likelihood were not sophisticated erudite 
persons who had more than rudimentary schooling and reading and writing 
skills."

And here we have the real argument. If I believed that only "sophisticated 
erudite persons" could govern well, I would consider democracy to be 
ill-advised and unworkable, and give up on thinking about the matter.

So we are back to the Joe Six-Pack debate.....

Incidentally, Laurie, you confuse science with statistics. This is a common 
error. Pure sciences, such as mathematics, do not require statistical 
verification in general to establish the truth or falsehood of conclusions. 
Even in experimental science, one case can make a huge difference, although 
it is, technically, statistically insignificant. Science is not nearly as 
probabilistic as you suggest.

I wrote my original comment because I am grateful to Wayne for having 
emphasized the seminal importance of the Declaration of Independence. It is 
too easy, in noting that that the Declaration is unfortunately not legally 
binding, to underestimate its importance. By stating that rights are 
inherent in the individual rather than granted by the government, it sets a 
standard without which democracy is unworkable and ethics belongs to 
Machiavelli.

Bob