In My World
"No positive quality possessed by a false idea is removed by the presence of what is true, in virtue of its being true.”
?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
My brain hurts!! WTF did that quote mean? Other than I am NOT a member of the meritocracy?
(reaches for a handful of aspirin and duct tape to wrap his skull so when it explodes the pieces are relatively close together)
Vilmar,
I will let Spinoza’s translator R.H.M. Elwes himself explain it:
Proof.--Falsity consists solely in the privation of knowledge which inadequate ideas involve, nor have they any positive quality on account of which they are called false; contrariwise, in so far as they are referred to God, they are true.
Wherefore, if the positive quality possessed by a false idea were removed by the presence of what is true, in virtue of its being true, a true idea would then be removed by itself, which is absurd. Therefore, no positive quality possessed by a false idea, &c. Q.E.D.
Note.--Imagination is an idea, which indicates rather the present disposition of the human body than the nature of the external body; not indeed distinctly, but confusedly; whence it comes to pass, that the mind is said to err. For instance, when we look at the sun, we conceive that it is distant from us about two hundred feet; in this judgment we err, so long as we are in ignorance of its true distance; when its true distance is known, the error is removed, but not the imagination; or, in other words, the idea of the sun, which only explains the nature of that luminary, in so far as the body is affected thereby: wherefore, though we know the real distance, we shall still nevertheless imagine the sun to be near us. We do not imagine the sun to be so near us, because we are ignorant of its true distance, but because the mind conceives the magnitude of the sun to the extent that the body is affected thereby. Thus, when the rays of the sun falling on the surface of water are reflected into our eyes, we imagine the sun as if it were in the water, though we are aware of its real position; and similarly other imaginations, wherein the mind is deceived, whether they indicate the natural disposition of the body, or that its power of activity is increased or diminished, are not contrary to the truth, and do not vanish at its presence. It happens indeed that, when we mistakenly fear an evil, the fear vanishes when we hear the true tidings; but the contrary also happens, namely, that we fear an evil which will certainly come, and our fear vanishes when we hear false tidings; thus imaginations do not vanish at the presence of the truth, in virtue of its being true, but because other imaginations, stronger than the first, supervene and exclude the present existence of that which we imagined.
In other words, it ain’t necessarily so because you think it’s so and your mind can’t be changed by the truth but only by another stronger impression.
Or as my grandpappy would say, “sometimes you just gotta hit that mule in the head with a two-by-four before he changes his mind”.
The problem with this Meritocracy is that these people are part of the Academia with their self-inflated Egos and Leftist Brainwashing. An High IQ is definately not a qualification for leadership let alone governing, because Common Sense, Morality, Intgerity and Honor are better qualities for a person to have to lead, than intellegence.
Mr Minority - BS in Electronic Engineering, Patent in Semiconductor Manufacturing, writer of several industry related papers, owner of several Certifications and holder of numerous Awards. Oh yeah, IQ of 148 and a very conservative fellow.
Posted by Mr Minority
10/11/2004 at 01:56 PM
Allan, my own numbers are right there with ya. But until you
broke it down to mule level ... my head hurt too. I was going
for the Demerol.Posted by Steel Turman
10/11/2004 at 03:37 PM
Hot Damn! I never dreamed I could have this much fun with everyone. Headaches ‘R’ Us! Indeed.
Spinoza is a very hard read and I don’t recommend him to anyone who isn’t serious about stretching their brain. In his “Ethics” treatise, Spinoza attempts to make a clear, undeniable connection between man, God and man’s perceptions, both of God and himself.
Spinoza proves his utility by breaking down common concepts into their atomic components. In some cases, as the above quote, it seems to obfuscate the overall point but if you examine all the implications of the statement with an eye toward simplicity, it all makes sense.
Unless you’re an arrogant meritocrat with a brainful of Chomsky’s “critical thinking” bullshit.
Never fear, fellow travellers. It was not you I was trying to tie up in knots with that editorial. I was hoping to entice one of the liberal trolls (like wah) to give it a shot. I’m in the mood for an intellectual shootout today. Armed and dangerous. I too have read many books, Kemo Sabe.
Sheesh only about 136-140 (depending on tests taken) here, an I got what allan said. And that scares me!! However, I would rather be discussing playboy and the designated hitter boondoggle, and the ever present Cubs curse for that matter.
It strkes me as sad...the elitests in this country fail on the most simple of levels...had the collective *we* wanted that, it would have been King George the first and not President Washington. Or am I being one of them there simple minded conservative, salt of the earth american folk. Good for a strong back and weak mind, as long as we know our place.
Nice post, Allan. It’s a fine way to tell the “nuanced” elite that smart enough to mind your own goddamned business is smart enough.
Posted by K
10/11/2004 at 04:39 PM
Shootout???? I’m workin’ on it
Posted by Steel Turman
10/11/2004 at 08:06 PM
