Philosophy (part 1) - Stupidity

 

Thomas Paine/wikipedia

Thomas Paine, American Revolutionary War influencer, best known for his pamphlet Common Sense, once said:

To argue with a person
who has renounced the use of reason
 is like administering medicine
to the dead.

AZ Quotes

Otherwise - Stupidity.

A casual observer sees displays of stupidity in politics every day. But when the emotions in a crowd get out of control, we can have....

Mob Rule

The 20th century experienced much madness. One such gripped Nazi Germany during the 1930s.

Some resisted the devolution from a democracy with rule of law into a police state under a tyrant. But it was not enough to stop the escalation into World War II.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident was one of the resistors. He was arrested as part of a failed plot to assassinate Hitler, imprisoned, and hung in April 1945, weeks before Germany surrendered to the Allies. 

But he wrote of the evils of stupidity in his letters from prison while waiting execution:

https://youtu.be/ww47bR86wSc?si=UcxFNLRmDBFuP9hB

To sum up stupidity:

The way of fools seems right to them,

but the wise listen to advice.

Proverbs 12:15

And our philosophers speak in the art of film:

 
https://youtu.be/tldGgGFe194?si=_w2y9BuU96CMR_oz

And that's all I have to say about that!

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For more in this series, search blog:

Philosophy

Politics

Proverbs

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Photo: Thomas Paine/wikipedia

PPP (part 2) - Psalms, Proverbs, and the Pale Blue Dot

Pale Blue Dot/wikipedia.com

David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, when he looked up at the dark night sky, wrote these words..

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
 

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV)

And David's son, Solomon, also expressed this proverb in his wisdom writings:

By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,

by understanding He set the heavens in place;

by His knowledge the watery depths were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew.

Proverbs 3:19-20 (NIV)

In the late 20th century, Carl Sagan brought science and astronomy to the people in his series, Cosmos (1980). Before he slipped the surly bounds of earth, Sagan was moved by the photo of our home (above). Taken almost 4 billion miles away from Earth from Saturn. Known as...

The Pale Blue Dot

As the probe finished its primary mission, Carl Sagan had requested NASA to take one last picture of Earth as it was leaving the Solar System. That became the iconic photograph the Voyager 1 space probe had taken of Earth on February 14, 1990. A pale blue dot, the Earth's apparent size is less than a pixel among bands of sunlight.

 And such inspired his poetic tribute:

(reference: https://youtu.be/wupToqz1e2g )

Definitely awe struck, Sagan's tribute expressed a more humanist philosophy. As well as overwhelmed by our seemingly insignificance  in the vast universe. All the politics of our short lifespans seem petty. Nothing. {reference: Carl Sagan gave us an incredible perspective on our planet }

Again, David has his words of the greatness of the universe and the smallness of humans and life on earth with the Divine perspective in mind.

Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!

You have set Your glory

in the heavens.

Through the praise of children and infants

You have established a stronghold against Your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You have set in place,

what is mankind that You are mindful of them,

human beings that You care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of Your hands;

You put everything under their feet:

all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:1-9 (NIV)

The Pale Blue Dot ... in Psalms and Proverbs.

It makes the Politics of the Earth pale in comparison to the vastness of space....

And beyond, the Greatness of our Creator.

But in His greatness, He cares for all His creatures and put mankind to care for the handiwork of His creation.

And that is awesome.

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Other post in series:

PPP (part 1) - All Men are Liars (2017) 

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Photo:  Pale Blue Dot/wikipedia.com

PPP (part 1) - All Men are Liars

Proverb Scroll/wikipeida.com

Remember this childhood taunt on the playground?

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Nose as long as a telephone wire.

[ reference: Liar Liar ]

And how many have heard this joke?

How to tell a politician is lying...his lips move. 

[ reference:  How to tell...]

And there is much said about this in Psalms and Proverbs about Politics.

Here we go....

Psalms:

King David once said -

I said in my haste,
All men are liars.
Psalm 116:11 (KJV)

And I've heard it said, after giving it a lot of thought, many of us come to that same conclusion -

Everybody lies

So did House, the surly doctor in the TV series named after his character, House (2004 - 2012).

(reference: https://youtu.be/CZR2k5c_198 )

"It's a basic truth of the human condition
that everybody lies. 

The only variable is about what."

Indeed that's a proverb. And there's many like them.

Proverbs:

King David's son Solomon gave this nugget -

The lip of truth shall be established for ever:
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

Proverbs 12:19 (KJV)

But what about this moment? The politically expedient.

Politics:

We've seen this play out in the various types of media. Below is a clip that could be the playbook for many a politician from the old movie, A Guide for the Married Man (1967)

It is described as: A man gives his co-worker a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught. 

Like who are going believe, me or your lying eyes as shown in this scene below:

(reference: https://youtu.be/4pmBC_CrQS4 )

Deny, Deny, Deny

In thousands of years, human nature hasn't change.

And as King Solomon once said:

...
and there is no new thing under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJV)

And the words from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah about lying are just as true today.

For your hands are defiled with blood,
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies,
your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

Isaiah 59:3 (KJV)

The song below contain those words of the prophet as a lament, but also hope as offered in the Gospel:

( reference: https://youtu.be/62p_JWGBRlM    )

Here are the full lyrics from the The Liberated Wailing Wall - I Am Not Ashamed

* The Arm of the Lord

* I Am Not Ashamed

And as our country is so divided and evil seems to be unleashed, a look at Psalms and Proverbs along side Politics can illuminate the Sign of the Times as well offer some hope for troubling days.

So begins the new thread ...

PPP - Psalms, Proverbs and Politics

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Similar posts in this series:

Biblia Files (part 1) - Thru the Bible (2013)

Biblia Files (part 2) - What is the Bible Basically About? (2013)

Biblia Files (part 3) - Gideon - weakness, warts and all (2013) 
   
Biblia Files (part 4) - Holy Hyperlinks (2014)

Biblia Files (part 5) - Waiting .... (2014)
  

Biblia Files (part 6) - Crowns and Frowns (2015)

Biblia Files (part 7) - Follow Me (2017)

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Photo: Proverb Scroll/wikipeida.com

Proverbs (part 3) - Strangers with eye candy?

Wikipedia/The Procuress

The Book of Proverbs spends many chapters warning young men about the strange woman ...  the adulterous woman.  And those warnings certainly apply to the young woman about the strange man.  Here is a sample of such life tips:

1  My son, pay attention to my wisdom,

turn your ear to my words of insight,

2  that you may maintain discretion

and your lips may preserve knowledge.

3  For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,

and her speech is smoother than oil;

4  but in the end she is bitter as gall,

sharp as a double-edged sword.

5  Her feet go down to death;

her steps lead straight to the grave.

6  She gives no thought to the way of life;

her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.

Proverbs 5 (NIV)

And the Book of Proverbs is filled with many, many more warnings on this same theme.  Take a gander at these verses:  Proverbs 2:16-19 ; Proverbs 5 ; Proverbs 6:20-35 ; Proverbs 7 ;  Proverbs 9:13-18

Simple put:

Beware of Strangers with Eye Candy

The tabloids and their ilk devour a regular diet of the indiscretions of prominent political figures (from both parties), high profile religious leaders, captains of industry, entertainers, sports heroes, and other celebrities.  (Just google "mistresses" with your chosen powerful positions and/or celebrity.)  And many of these dalliances have had tragic consequences - damaged reputations, ruined marriages, ended careers, and hurt the innocent.

Many songs bemoan such ruin.  And one such hit the top of the charts on this theme - 50 years ago - September 5, 1964.

The House of the Rising Sun
by the Animals

[reference:  House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals tops the U.S. pop charts — History.com This Day in History — 9/5/1964]

(reference:  http://youtu.be/y2oKRKZnEoA )

Lyrics found here:  THE ANIMALS LYRICS - House Of The Rising Sun

But in the Book of Proverbs there is another mistress who is the counter to the strange woman.  She is called Wisdom and she is personified as a woman:

20  Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,

she raises her voice in the public square;
 

21  on top of the wall she cries out,

at the city gate she makes her speech:

22  “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?

How long will mockers delight in mockery

and fools hate knowledge?
 

23  Repent at my rebuke!

Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,

I will make known to you my teachings.

Proverbs 1 (NIV)

And the Book of Proverbs is filled with many pictures of Wisdom calling out to the simple and the foolish.  Here are some of  her instructions: Proverbs 1:20-33 ; Proverbs 2 ; Proverbs 3 ; Proverbs 4 ; Proverbs 8 ; Proverbs 9:1-12

As the strange man/woman ruins, Wisdom redeems.  

King David was a strange man, an adulterer, and he found forgiveness and redemption as he wrote:

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.
  

2 Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51 (NIV)

That Wisdom is found in the Son of David, Jesus, in which all can find forgiveness, even the strange man or woman, adulterers. As to the woman caught in adultery (curious note is the man was not brought forth, too), Jesus said this of her accusers -

"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

The story is found in the Gospel of John - John 8:1-1 and is illustrated in the short clip below.

(reference:  http://youtu.be/rFyymEvM6Dw )

The Wisdom of Proverbs speaks of the Wisdom of Christ - the incarnation of Wisdom. 

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, 

who has become for us wisdom from God—

that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

1 Corinthians 1:30 (NIV)

His Words can save us from the seduction of adultery ... and save those who have committed adultery and make us whole again.  As one forgiven adulterer, David, once said -

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    so that sinners will turn back to you.

Psalm 51:13 (NIV)

And that is sweeter than candy!

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Previous post in the series:

Proverbs (part 1) - Information vs. Wisdom (2013)

Proverbs (part 2) - Live Long and Prosper (2013)

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Photo from: Wikipedia/The Procuress

Proverbs (part 2) - Live Long and Prosper

Wikipedia/Beowulf and the dragon

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings 

The Book of Proverbs begins by giving such advice to a young man starting out in life - going out the door.  (Young ladies, too.)

Before walking down that road -

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
They are a garland to grace your head
    and a chain to adorn your neck.
Proverbs 1:8-9  (NIV)

Several verses in Proverbs repeat this advice to the young person.  It must be important.  Indeed as Tolkien wrote - it is a dangerous business going out your door.

And in other literature and stories, similar advice is given to the younger generation.  An example of such - a father's instruction to his son -  is read below in the poem,  IF, by Rudyard Kipling :

(reference:  http://youtu.be/9jdkaLCGM5k)

And by listening to the wise parent or guardian, comes this promise:

My son, do not forget my teaching,
   but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
   and bring you peace and prosperity.
Proverbs 3:1-2 (NIV)

 A shortened version is this traditional religious Jewish blessing -

Live long and prosper.

Sound familiar?

We may know it as a Vulcan greeting from Star Trek.  And it may be no coincidence that the actor, Leonard Nimoy, who first played Mr. Spock, and made this phrase well know, again, is Jewish.
[reference:  Live long and prosper - origin]

Whether the 10th century B.C. or the 23rd century A.D. ... on planet Earth or Vulcan or anywhere in the universe, this blessing is timeless and universal.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
   but the word of our God stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8 (NIV)

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Related Links -

Lessons in Manliness From the Greatest Generation | The Art of Manliness

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Previous post in the series:

Proverbs (part 1) - Information vs. Wisdom (2013)

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Photo from:
Wikipedia/Beowulf and the dragon

Proverbs (part 1) - Information vs. Wisdom

Wikipedia/Internet map

If you are reading this blog post, you are on the Internet, my friend.  Above is a partial map of the Internet based on the January 15, 2005 data (according to the description of the image source).  And eight years later, I imagine this map looks even more hairy and tangled!

There is a lot of information out there.  

Go to google.com and google the keyword - information.  Try it here - results for information

When I did it (September 19, 2013), I came up with 6,380,000,000 hits!  That's almost as much as one hit per person on this planet, which is over 7 billion.  [reference: World Population Clock: 7 Billion People (2013) - Worldometers]

And information is growing exponentially as shown in this video clip below (which is 3 years old and already out-dated):  (reference:  http://youtu.be/yrRn7rSif2Q)

How do we manage with so much information thrown at us - ever growing, ever changing?

It takes some wisdom.

So let's go back to google.com and google the keyword - wisdom. Try it - results for wisdom

When I did it (September 19, 2013), I came up with 146,000,000 hits.  That's a little less than one hit for half the population of the United States, about 316 million.  [reference:  Population Clock]

Roughly that is a ratio of information / wisdom of 44 to 1.

Wisdom is definitely lacking here - if we only go by these raw statistics.

But wisdom is calling ...

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
on top of the wall she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
Proverbs 1:20, 21 (NIV)

For this reason, I began a new series on *Proverbs * - a source of wisdom.

Proverbs has 31 chapters and is one book of 66 books (in the Protestant Bible).  But what it lacks in volume, it packs quite a punch in quality.

For starters, here are some proverbs on Wisdom, in this clip:  (reference: http://youtu.be/wPfKI2HOfgc)

And the entire Book of Proverbs is read here - http://youtu.be/Z9ku-DB8nxw
(It's over 90 minutes when read, but a twinkle of an eye when considering all the information out there!)

And here is an appropriate proverb on wisdom to kick off this series ... on Proverbs:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10  (NIV)


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Recent posts on similar topics:

Timeless Truths (part 3) - Hakuna Matata - No Worries? (2013)

Biblia Files (part 1) - Thru the Bible (2013)

Biblia Files (part 2) - What is the Bible Basically About? (2013)

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Photo from:  Wikipedia -  Internet map

There must be an answer

Winston Churchill once said, “It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required.”

For the energy crisis, what is required?

The previous five blogs covered key points from Dr. Bartlett’s “Arithmetic, Population and Energy” speech at the 2009 EntConnect conference.

In summary,

(1) To find the doubling time for any percentage of steady growth, use this simple formula: 70 divided by the percentage (70/%). Hence, 7% steady growth per year equates to a doubling time of 10 years.

(2) We saw with the case of the doubling of grain on a chess board and the splitting bacteria in a jar, steady growth equates to huge escalations over short periods of time.

Simple arithmetic tells us that population growth and/or growth in the rates of consumption of resources cannot be sustained. Understanding the consequences of growth, we can see trouble coming and take proactive action to avert disaster. Most important when acting early, we are more likely to control the factors to sustain living in an ethical and healthy way.

If we ignore the red flags, zero population growth will happen anyway. As we do nothing, factors, out of our control, will suppress life and promote death. The resulting human suffering could be incalcuable.

Space confines detailed solutions. Thoughtful community planning and education are a start. Exploring and developing renewable energy resources are another. And let’s not forget one of the most important factors, people who are willing to think.

Solomon expressed this timely wisdom:

A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Proverbs 22:3
(New International Version)

On that spiritual note, instead of "In Growth We Trust" may we choose "In God We Trust" when we tackle our great challenges.


Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

Dr. Bartlett links:
albartlett.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bartlett
globalpublicmedia.com/transcripts/645

Sir Winston Churchill link:
en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
Sir Winston Churchill: http://everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2235250