"Fourth Night"

On the fourth night, I started counting down winters,
looking back at each for a marker that I could remember....

Three nights with you had never seemed to be enough, yet that was
all we allowed.

The fourth night was for recovery, unpacking and trying to remember all
that had been said, and done, in that short time.

If a year passed in between, it was a day. If a day passed that we didn't think to speak,
I thought of you, and those times, and looked forward to the next.

On the fourth night, I opened everything up, and tried to sort it all out.

Those winters we have checked off. Those years that we have let escape us, yet held onto.......

I've held onto them.......

Those fourth nights......

We created a record of them, and then some........

Old Dudes That Smell Like Pee

I, for one do not believe all old dudes smell like pee. I DO believe that Dick Vitale smells like pee:
Dickie V at his best

What is Political Philosophy?

Simply put, political philosophy is a search for truth; it is a process through which philosophers and theorists hope to illuminate “the realities of collective life” (Tinder 14). Political philosophy is concerned with discovering great moral truths in a world of uncertainty. The act of deep political thinking goes further, though, by forming a base from which political knowledge and action are built and by shedding light on the individual and the community through a process of arduous and often contradictory reflection.

The authors of both “Why Engage in Political Thinking?” and “Introduction” are certain to distinguish that political thinking is different from either fact-gathering or calls to action. Tinder says that our society somewhat foolishly “presses on us the urgency of action and the need for reliable information” (13), while Fowler makes it clear that political philosophy is distinct from ideology (which is “highly action oriented”), as a way of showing that political thought goes well beyond the current trends or facts—it is a deep and long-lasting pursuit of the ultimate moral truth (Fowler 3). But while political philosophy is not the same as popular ideas or actions, it is the “groundwork of ideas that has been built by reflection” upon which the actions and facts of the day are constructed (Tinder 14). The act of political thought does not constitute activism, but political activism bases itself on the moral truths and realities that are the product of political philosophy.

Political thinking is also a means of “defining the self” through constant rumination and reflection (Tinder 18). Thinking is an introspective and personal act, and when philosophers struggle to discover moral truths, they search within themselves to eventually arrive at their answers. The results, therefore, are deeply reflective, personal theories that shed light on the thinkers as much as the product of their thought. Political philosophy can likewise define a community, as thinking is “a communal state” (Tinder 18). When the political theories of one philosopher are challenged or built upon by another, it illustrates the communal nature of political thought; and while thinking is a personal act in its infant stages, no solid theory ever goes unchallenged. So, just as political thinking is an individual act, theoretical debate and discourse is a communal act, bringing the “individual in the company of others in the incertitude and mystery of their existence” (Tinder 18).

Political thinking is a careful, on-going, and laborious practice that must consider and analyze alternative viewpoints to be fully formed. Through this painstaking rumination theorists pursue a “normative truth” to make sense of individuals, communities, and politics. Political philosophy is also subjective in nature, but while it is more subjective than, say, the natural sciences, political theories must still stand to tests of logic and reason. That is to say, although the theories of political philosophy are not rigid and factual, they are still subjected to scrutiny—rationality is a necessary element of any political theory.

The personal nature and potential subjectivity of political theory requires that it be clearly and thoughtfully justified (Fowler 7). In particular, the “basic values” or “first principles” of a political theory require justification (Fowler 7), as these form the basis of the rest of the theory. Part of the difficulty in formulating political theory lies in the fact that the justification of basic values, while essential, is subject to disagreement and multiple perspectives; it should be no surprise, then, that the formation of political theories is such an arduous and convoluted task when the most basic part of a theory, upon which everything else is built, is difficult to justify.

I see political philosophy as a means of mutual edification; the most important aspect of which is the fact that all deep, meaningful political thought takes place rationally and over a long period of time. I think it is difficult for people today to accept that there are “unknowns” or that the “truth” cannot be found except through thoughtful and drawn-out investigation. When people accept that knowledge comes from uncertainty and open-mindedness, as through political philosophy, they will hopefully be more receptive to previously unconsidered ideas. In this way, the very pursuit of truth through political philosophy may bring society closer to the “normative truth” than any political theory yet has. What I think we can expect from political philosophy is the realization that the “rules of deduction, logic, and consistency” (Fowler 6), as well as an open and inquisitive mind, are the means through which we may someday reconcile our uncertainty and arrive at an answer.

Sunday Afternoon Delight

John Dowland was a court lutenist for the ambassador to France, then directly to the Danish court of Christian IV, and, eventually, to the English throne of James I, the son of Mary Queen of Scots and the successor to Elizabeth I. His work has seen a considerable revival amongst classical guitarists. Here, Peo Kindgren plays Frog Galliard and Air.

A Rather Simple Formula

Einstein's theory of special relativity really is a very simple one. Almost every educated person knows that E=mc^2, but most of us don't know what it really means. These folks provide some of the best explanations available for lay people to get their heads around.

The Prehistory of the Mind

What a huge topic to tackle - but Steven Mithen did it. Here is Howard Gardner's review of Mithen's book from 1997.
Gardner is not kind to Mithen in this review, but we find he offers no alternative to Mithen's conclusions. I will not fault Gardner. Instead we thank him for exposing us to Mithen's work.

An Apology for Zombies

No one asks to be a zombie. Whether thrown into the "life" by nuclear holocaust or viral catastrophe, the zombie is a victim, just as we, his meal, are victims. What must go through his mind, so deliciously existential in his pursuit of protein! I would wager that it's fairly basic stuff ("lady brains", "man brains", "Baskin-Robbins", etc.) Though apealing in its simplicity and as fun as it sounds, do not think for a minute that he has chosen his career. It was foist upon him as suddenly as the responsibility of mowing was for us.
Zombie anthropology is a rather limited field, given the near annihilation of the human species. But, for those who have committed themselves to the study, zombie "life" is the most intriguing and rewarding subject available for anyone hiding in a boarded cellar.
The science is greatly handicapped by the fact that zombies eat bones, so researchers consign themselves to social studies. Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the tried and true model for zombie culture, is being revised as we speak by a little known anthropologist in Chicago who has survived for nearly five months. He says that Maslow may have missed a very salient aspect, at least as it applies to zombies... that "self esteem may be only as far away as your next dinner." The researcher has also documented the zombies' rejection of morality and sexual intimacy as higer needs.
And it is just on this point, that I launched my most hopeful business initiative to date: Zombie Daniels Midland. I began discussions with the zombies on ZDM about a month after the Big One. Television was still carrying Nick at Nite and I quickly learned that zombies absolutely love Barney Miller. I was able to find an affiliate in Waterloo Iowa with working cameras, and got a message out (being careful to keep it short and displacing only advertisement spots) to a couple of true visionaries of the zombie race. I kept it simple - "If you eat ALL of us you're gonna die out. Wojo and Barn don't want you to die out: they need the residuals." I was contacted by Stan and a guy I'll just call Chewy, by snail mail within the week (the US Postal Service - always awesome.) In reading their response "brain brains bra brain brrrrr braaiinnsses!", I was taken with their business acumen. They were suggesting that some zombies could, in fact, be trained as people farmers, and that they were willing to provide seven figures in capital for the R&D effort.
As we got into the "brain and potatoes" of the deal, as Stan puts it, they were looking for an exclusive on the intellectual property rights, but I just couldn't go there. I had filed with the US Patent office before even sending the TV message, and told them quite simply that my hands were tied (for some reason this got Chewy to drooling and grunting.) While very disappointed at the prospect of sharing the technology, Stan and Chewy still agreed to set up the Mid-West branch of ZDM with Chewy as CEO and Stan as my liaison to other regional zombie co-ops. Believe-you-me, it ain't easy to find another Chewy from this rabble of misfits. No sooner than Stan sets up a farm co-op, the locals get whipped into a frenzy and eat all the human breeders - it's a real mess out there.

Sometimes Stan laments, on the big HD screen in my concrete bunker, that he'll never have children of his own. And I have to remind him, that with every bite he takes out of someone's neck he's passing on that most important part of himself, that he's creating new dead people every single day. I don't think he really buys it though. Despite all of the money and power he has amassed, Stan is empty. He would trade everything, I think, for a girl that he could love and eat a little bit at a time.