Comments on: Update II: Writing In The Age Of The Idiot

By: Mark Humphrey

Mark Humphrey — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:07:03 +0000

Ilana’s column “Writing in the Age of the Idiot” identifies an ugly, rarely-mentioned characteristic of our time: the Idiot who takes pride in flexing his ignorance. [Great turn of phrase.]

As others have explained, this odd behavior is partly a consequence of the egalitarianism that dominates contemporary Western culture. But the Grand Parade of Morons is also whooped up by another more basic feature of our age: philosophical nihilism.

Nihilism is the (incoherent) idea that no one can know anything about ultimate issues with reasonable certainty. According to this world view, knowledge is actually pretense; free will is fiction; and ideas are arbitrary and optional–the product of one’s culture, or upbringing, or genes.

If ideas are simply cultural preferences or genetic reactions, then classification (known among Post Modern pin heads as “labeling”) is merely an arbitrary barrier to creative thinking–and probably a tool of systemic oppression.

However, if one gives up classifying, one literally loses the ability to think. Thinking is concept formation, whereby the thinker identifies one defining characteristic shared by every entity subsumed by the concept. Knowledge is a logical hierarchy of classification, consisting of simple concrete concepts at its base that build to increasingly complex and abstract concepts. This logically integrated conceptual hierarchy is what enables humans to confidently extend their understanding to the farthest reaches of outer space, and to the tiniest elements of physical reality. [THANK YOU for picking up on this pivotal issue.]

Of course, all this philosophical mumbo jumbo is a source of great annoyance to chest-beating Know-Nothings, because they have to interrupt to resume talking.

By: Robert Glisson

Robert Glisson — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:31:21 +0000

Sorry forgot that Aristotle is a saint; I didn’t mean to blasphemy. My reference to Judaism and Christianity was meant in the fact that in Judaism, Jesus was a Rabbi who taught a proactive form of Judaism and died to enact a covenant with God. When Christianity became a Greek/Roman religion, Jesus became a son of God, like Hercules only co-equal with the creator of the Universe and that removed it from its Jewish roots, because Judaism only recognizes one god. The whole Greek “Spirit vs Matter” argument now comes into play and WND is an example. The “The age Of the Idiot,” can also be laid at the door of “The age of Enlightenment” whereas Europe rediscovered Aristotle and Plato and the 15th and 16th century humanists built their foundations for “Socialism” on Greek philosophy. The Civilization we have today is second Century Greek and Roman civilization with advanced technology.

By: Hugo Schmidt

Hugo Schmidt — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:50:42 +0000

At the risk of being the permanent sourpuss, as I mentioned before, your diagnoses are correct, and will also not be listened to, for the simple reason that a magazine - WND - that complains about dumbing down, while pretending that evolution didn't happen, is just making a fool of itself. [When did WND complain about dumbing down? I did. Perhaps you equate me with WND. If so, that is incoherent. WND is not a party organ like NRO or HuffingtonPost; it's a collection of many different, uncensored voices. One of them is mine.]

Judaism lost its Christian believers because Romans and Greeks “Aristotled” their believers, so I’m not very fond of Ancient philosophy.

Given that our civilization wouldn't exist without the phenomenal legacy of Aristotle, I'd say "case in point". [Agreed]

By: Michael DeLoatch

Michael DeLoatch — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:05:21 +0000

I have followed your writings off and on for a decade or so. I think you’re a real treasure and I always enjoy your perspective. As a college drop out who now languishes in an unactualized mid-life wilderness, I feel justified to speak with authority on behalf of the world’s ignoramuses. I know idiots. I work with idiots. Let me tell you, Ms. I, you are _no_ idiot. In fact, while God may have graced me with a modicum of ability to stitch words together, I’ve never found too much I have to say (or am willing to say aloud) surrounding the great issues of our times. Therefore, you are what I would like to be if I ever grew up mentally. (As a fat old man who’s past it physically, I don’t have a chance to catch up to you in the eye candy aspect, sigh.) South Africa’s loss is our great gain in what remains of the USA.

By: Randy A.

Randy A. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:29:56 +0000

Oh boy! We seem to have replaced mediocrity as our highest value with idiocrity. Is that a word? Never mind. I know what I mean.

By: Myron Pauli

Myron Pauli — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:53:59 +0000

Ilana: “Super smart sorts still predominate in the few professional niches in which advanced skill and aptitude are necessary” – I WISH IT WERE SO in the Department of Defense. The intellectual battles I sometimes have to fight! Oh, what the hell, it’s Friday afternoon and I get paid as a Federal parasite whether anything makes sense or not.

I enjoyed your Jefferson quote and it can supplement Franklin’s prediction that the Constitution “is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.”

Well, at least my daughter got 5 A’s, 1 A- (science), and a B in civics. Ironically, they are teaching about the principles of the Constitution. Yesterday Anna asked me what “limited government” meant! I presume the kids must treat the civics course as pure FICTION in light of the reality of our current Warfare-Welfare Leviathan.

Nevertheless, I see no alternative for thinking creatures but to advocate for the truth even if we go down (defeated by the Neanderthals) swinging!

[Why is Anna asking such questions? I’m worried: the two kids I know (home schooled) know about their Second Amendment Rights and the ostensible meaning of the Constitution: to limit state power. A smart daughter of a libertarian should know this stuff.]

By: Robert Kelley

Robert Kelley — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:34:51 +0000

Surely any person that calls Ilana an a-hole qualifies as an idiot. As for intellect and ancient Greek philosophers; Socrates stated “True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing”; and Aristotle, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” As to their application at a group or “Age” level, I do not know if they are meaningful.

Good stuff as usual Ilana Mercer.

By: Robert Glisson

Robert Glisson — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:04:33 +0000

Judaism lost its Christian believers because Romans and Greeks “Aristotled” their believers, so I’m not very fond of Ancient philosophy. I think I understand where Anonymous is coming from and I think I would tend to agree with his/her conclusion; however, all this is drifting away from the point.
The point being that there is an element prevalent in today’s society that is not capable of ‘rational argument’ and normally resorts to insult as a response. Mr. Hayes made the correct comment in that there are ‘bottom feeders’ as someone on John Stossel’s site called them. Every site I visited today had at least one or two commenter’s who insulted the blog host. I think they get their incentive from television commentators who call tea party protesters, tea baggers and wingnuts.
Television has replaced the school system as the educational medium, not to say that it was much of a step; neither facility teaches anything approaching education, historical or grammatical. Don’t take them personal, they don’t have a future.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:30:35 +0000

Regarding Update II – unlike the ancient Greeks, we have already suffered from our inability to know everything that is known. As such, I would not expect their categorization systems, nor the theory behind them, to stand-up to the strains they are experiencing in an increasingly inter-connected world. Even the longstanding Linnaean classification of organisms is starting to crumble as we learn more details about the genome and its plasticity. We may well need structured THINKING, but structuring KNOWLEDGE is, I fear, impossible, impractical, and destructive.

[Everything you do is built on what they brought forth. “Inter-connected world” sounds like something Oprah would say, to express nothing much at all. An example or two usually helps break down these “theoretical” castles in the sky.]

By: robert

robert — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:06:19 +0000

Ilana,
You have two major draw backs as a writer in the contemporary setting: 1) You are not a twit and 2) You have excellent english skills in both the spoken and written word.
The fact that you are also rather beautiful is a big turn off too for your female competitiors and metros like Iavan the twisted. The fact that you are thoughtful also puts you with paleo amd libertarian typs who are despised and hated today by the oligarchs who run the show. Other than those minor obstacles, I think you have a really bright future.