by Chris Billowsin Spirit Speculations2 commentstags: Comprehensive Analysis, Foolishness
I was at a concert where I and a friend watched Tinsley Ellis perform. Tinsley is a a great blues musician and while we both agreed that we got our entertainment dollar’s worth with his performance, we disagreed about the quality of the opening act. The band that opened was named Deano and the Funky Bunnies, a local band that made a spirited effort to bring their cover tunes alive. My friend said that he was not surprised that they were confined to obscurity since they were not as talented and famous as Tinsley. I challenged him to define what talent is. Is it the ability to play the same music as well as Tinsley? Is it the ability to write your own music? Is it something else like fame? His ill-defined notion of talent is just a sneaky way of pretending that one particular artist is better than another. If talent means playing a blues song as well as Tinsley, then I am convinced that most reasonably capable musicians would be able to play something just as well as him. It would take time, some more than others to learn the piece, but they would all be be able […]
by Chris Billowsin Political Ponderings0 commentstags: Comprehensive Analysis, Meta History, Political Opinion, Western Ascendance
A controversial book that created a storm of derision and disbelief when it came out following the collapse of communism in 1992. Fukuyama argues how the West’s liberal capitalist democratic model of governance has become the epitome of human civilization. The West represents the final step in mankind’s political evolution. Fukuyama says that there are no other political models to truly challenge liberalism. Authoritarian regimes of both the right and left political wings will rise but eventually fall. Globalization is just the latest incarnation of the Western model being embraced by most of the world community. It is too deeply rooted to ever see a major reversal. Liberalism, capitalism, and democracy have won and the ideological conflict of the past 20th century is over. Fukuyama named his book in part because he believes that Hegel’s view that human society would evolve into rationale governance has arrived and history has ended. Following 9-11 many considered this book to be irrelevant. Despite its title, Fukuyama did not predict an end to conflict between the West and other ideologies. Some countries or regions might fall under the sway of religious fundamentalism (Middle East) or cultural co-opting of capitalism (Asia), but these will not […]
by Chris Billowsin Political Ponderings0 commentstags: Comprehensive Analysis, Political Opinion, Poltical Party Corruption
In my previous post I listed a ranking of political parties from the frivolous to the functional. Despite their ideological and practical differences, they all function for the same purpose: To gain power and to use this power to make the world a better place according to their principles. My experience in the Green Party which I consider to be the most egalitarian and sensitive political party is that the very nature of party politics brings out the worst in people. The people in the Green party believe that they are being inclusive, sensitive, and egalitarian. In fact, they use those concepts in as ideological weapons to silence those who do not agree with them. Inclusiveness becomes pandering to special interest groups, sensitivity becomes political correctness, and egalitarianism becomes communism. The problem is that the Greens share the same corrupt social structure as the other parties. They are held together by ideology which is used in the worst way to silence those who do not agree with those in power. In my earlier blog Ideology vs Philosophy, the biggest problem in politics is the abdication of personal responsibility to blindly follow party ideology. So what’s the solution? In doing a […]
by Chris Billowsin Political Ponderings0 commentstags: Comprehensive Analysis, Political Opinion
I was cleaning up some of my files and I came across a hierarchy list that I created when I was involved in politics. I was thinking about how political parties range from the perennial governing party such as the Liberal Party of Canada to others who are a party in name only, but actually do not contest any elections. The listing ranges from the practical purpose of governing to the social purpose of providing an outlet for the politically and socially isolated. Government Parties – broad-based coalition parties that form government after every election. (Liberal Party, Conservative Party) Parliamentary Parties – movement or regionally based parties that usually win seats after every election. (New Democratic Party, Reform Party, Bloc Quebecois, Social Credit Party, National Progressive Party) Ideological Parties – fundamental ideological or issue parties that contest elections but rarely win seats. (Green Party, Christian Heritage Party, Communist Party, etc.) Concept Parties – small, idea parties that are somewhat organized but rarely contest elections. (Rainbow Coalition Party, Collective Group Party, Canadian Party for Renewal, etc.) Wilderness Parties – minor parties that are unable to contest elections but try to influence citizens to support their platform. Many of them are established […]
by Chris Billowsin Spirit Speculations0 commentstags: Comprehensive Analysis, Defining Life
There remains in science and other segments of society (the legal & art critic communities) a conviction that objectivity is a worthwhile goal. We see this in our legal system where entire cases are thrown out because of a smidgen of faulty evidence. We see this in our art system where critics approve or reject artists based on self-aggrandized opinions. Judges and critics are expected to be objective and thus fair. The question then becomes, is it possible to be truly objective? One scientist says that objectivity is a myth. Richard D. Jarrard wrote a eBook called Scientific Methods which elegantly and convincingly argues that objectivity is a myth. Does this mean that we should no longer have judges, lawyers, and critics? No. Jarrard reminds us that we all need to become more aware of our own biases. By being aware and accepting our limited perceptions, we then focus on what is relevant and necessary. The goal is not objectivity so much as to fully disclose and accept that our perceptions of law, art, or life in general is based on uniquely skewed and reinforced experience. Once done, then we move onto making the best judgments and decisions we can, […]
by Chris Billowsin Mental Mischief0 commentstags: Comprehensive Analysis, Defining Life, Human Condition
Through my collective experiences from learning about religious values to developing program guidelines, I see the existence of a continuum of guidance. It is as follows: Instinct – the basic guidance system that functions at our biological & survival levels. The rules of the jungle. Intuitive Guidance – how we interact with others through feelings. The rules of emotional and social intelligence. Ethical Guidelines – a critical analysis about how we treat others and what we value. Also known as a Statement of Values which is just a more refined and wordsmithed summary and is typically public shared. The rules of values. Morals & Social Mores – an established set of rules about moral conduct with a clearly defined set of consequences. Tends to be based around religious scripture. The rules of philosophy and religion. Common Law – an evolving set of laws that is enforced by judges who create precedent by their interpration of society’s values. Also known as Case Law. The rules of society. Legislative Law – political forces and individuals who consciously create and enforce law based on a combination of societal and political values. The rules of nation states. Regulatory Law – institutions that further enforce […]
Recent Comments