Category: Politics, Power, and Governance

Thanks for giving me the impetus to think about this subject for a moment. The reason being that I am always troubled by the factionalization of not only the polity, but the libertarian and conservative (responsibility-demanding) factions.

FRAMING
Humans evolved grammars (logics) by evolutionary means, from the most anthropomorphic to the least by incremental SYSTEMIZATION:
(purely subjective reasoning)
1. Anthropomorphism – embodiment order.
2. Mythology – anthropomorphic order.
3. Theology – supernatural order
4. Philosophy – rational order
5. Empiricism – observable order
6. Science – testifiable order
7. Operationalism – causal order
(purely objective reasoning.)

I work in operationalism. Meaning construction from first principles (laws of nature).

So in making any argument, what grammar does one argue from, and what degree of testifiability does one rely upon?

We argue from our capacity to argue – which exists somewhere on that spectrum.

There is a reason why children practice imitative or virtue ethics. The mature gradually practice rule ethics. And the wise practice outcome ethics.

Likewise there is a reason why each of us argues from the grammar of his intellectual ability, maturity, and learning.

Now, when children argue with us, we can often understand their incentives, ability, and method.

When factions argue with us we can just as easily understand their incentives, ability, and method.

That is, we can easily do so if we have the knowledge to do so.

Most of us an understand that which is downscale from us – but few of us that which is upscale from us.

And given human incentives for advancing self image and status sufficient to defeat our neuroticism (worry), we are driven to defend our investment in our ‘grammar’ (logic) that most empowers us. Each of us needs to act in the world, and some of need to negotiate in the world, and others of us seek advantage in the world – often by arguing a downscale against an upscale – which is … well, like arguing as a child against an adult.

The difference is we must because it is all that we can do. And for some reason the democratic era has convinced us that what we feel has more validity than justifying our wants and claims, despite the evidence of the grammar we use to express our wants and claims.

Cheers
CD

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