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Mark Lewis's Profile

Mark Lewis
Name:
Mark Lewis
Hometown:
San Francisco
Joined:
Jun 17, 2010

Recent Comments

Mark Lewis

An interesting analysis of strawman arguments President Obama's second inaugural speech. Would that we interpreted every political speech with similar rigor.

Mark Lewis
Tom Lindholtz: Mark Lewis, Re #8: Then you're saying that Russell wanted to believe that and so he did regardless of whether or not it made sense? That is the implication, is it not? · January 18, 2013 at 8:35am

Hmmm. I don't think so. Although he probably believed that he was above the tendency he was describing - perhaps because he wanted to, or perhaps because it made sense. :-)

Mark Lewis

One challenge. Crimes of passion are more easily lethal with more lethal tools (especially ones operates at a distance and requires only the energy of contracting a finger). How much does this contribute to murder/crime? 
Well, if someone were to point a gun at me, I would react very differently than someone showing me a knife or club. The odds change radically.

In the movie Grand Canyon, Kevin Kline is being hassled by a gang when Danny Glover comes to tow his car (saving him). The gang leader challenges Danny G. and shows him his gun in his belt. Danny G.'s character says - "I know. If you didn't have a gun, we wouldn't be having this conversation" - to which the gang leader replies - "THAT's why I have a gun - you don't have no gun, you don't get no respect."
Of course, this equalization/unfair factor is exactly why I want law-abiding citizens to have them. 

Mark Lewis

Thomas Sowell - Conservative Godfather. Amen. I have learned  so much from his work on race and culture.
Mr. Sowell has done more to temper my libertarianism than any other author. 

I look forward to what you bring to Ricochet.

Edited on January 18, 2013 at 5:29pm
Mark Lewis

And for fun - 

‎"What a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way."

-- Bertrand Russell 

Mark Lewis

Mollie - as a quibble.

Myth certainly means a verbal attempt to describe something intuitive (vs. a literal fact from history).

However, it ALSO means a verbal attempt to describe something intuitive - that is taken as fact by the majority of its believers. 

The myths of most religions fit this bill. Some practitioners of the religion  understand the myths symbolically, and use the stories as intuitive representations of deeper principles. However, in the bulk of any population of religious believers, 80-90% take the myths literally.

Lao-Tzu was literally born 600 years old.
Athena was literally born from the forehead of Zeus.
The world was literally created in 6 days.
Martyrs will get 72 virgins.
Jesus was literally born of a virgin.

As you become more settled and subtle in your understanding of your religious beliefs, you see their intuitive truths. You go beyond the literal interpretation to its symbolic interpretation - the intuitive principles/insights underneath it.

AND, for the bulk of believers, questioning the literal truth of the myth is grounds for blasphemy. Let's not pretend that most religious believers understand the allegorical/metaphoric/symbolic understanding of myth as its central value - The myth, for them, is fact.

Edited on January 18, 2013 at 5:16pm
Mark Lewis

Great article. I work with Oakland cops who are doing their best to work with the community to police the city. They get very frustrated that they must spend so much of their training and time/energy jumping through hoops. AND, they are trying to learn how to somehow get the bad guys without pissing off the good guys - especially when the bad guys pretend to be good guys and not0-actively-bad-sort-of good guys support the bad guys out of some "us/them" mentality. Tough game.

Mark Lewis

Yeah - that little thing called honesty. Clever beaver though.

Mark Lewis

Wow. 

Western Chauvanist - 

Nemesis always catches up with Hubris. The problem is she almost always claws her way over the backs of humble people to_get_to_him. · 2 hours ago

I think I will read and contemplate that another dozen times...

Mark Lewis

OK you made my day!

kesbar:  something rather fun. · January 2, 2013 at 11:18am
Mark Lewis

Brilliant, as always. Thanks for walking me through the issue, step by step. It's funny how clear it becomes when you understand the issues at stake.

Mark Lewis

Because you don't want me to have one. That makes me feel like there is something important about it to cherish and protect.

Mark Lewis

drlorentz

Fricosis Guy: The real luxury item on this list?  "[L]ots of time to do it in."

Time is the onlytruly scarce resource because life is finite. Wealth affords you greater autonomy over your time. Hence, even this has improved greatly over the years. It is a choice to spend more time working; you may wish to do it to improve your material well-being but it's hardly required for survival, or even comfort. · 3 minutes ago

It is amazing how many people forget to smell the roses, and live in stress trying to buy (fill in the blank).

Mark Lewis

Resource use/creation/depletion. It's a question worth asking - just to watch the dogma reactions on both sides of the issue! :-) Conservatives  think about systemic long-term effects, on culture. Why not the environment? 

Hang On

Fred Cole: I need to jump in here. 

Are you asking the fact that American civilization is so prosperous that what were once uncommon luxuries can be afforded by the common man is a problem? · 2 minutes ago

It isn't only Americans. · 35 minutes ago

Mark Lewis

Since no one has posted it yet... This is a more detailed look at it, in Bill Whittle style. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkebmhTQN-4

Mark Lewis

Ed G.

Oh well; New Year's resolution: avoid Fred Cole. · December 21, 2012 at 9:50am

Really?  Really?

Really?

Kirk Out.

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