The problem of integrity is even more basic. It has to do with the
inconvenient truth that "truth" is not really valued across the board,
despite all our rhetoric to the contrary. Valuing truth includes honesty
and therefore integrity. There are only 2 basic ways to value truth and
know the truth - either it is given by some external source and taken to be
inherently true or self-evident or through the process of inquiry. The only
reliable form of inquiry (epistemology) is Reason and reasoning, which is
critical thinking. These two basic ways of knowing and of evaluating
truth-claims correspond to 2 fundamentally different meta-epistemologies.
If one believes something on the basis that this person or that external
source says so (a leader, politician, religion, parent, neighbor, "expert"),
they embrace the first type of epistemology.
What leads people to inquire and thus to thinking critically is either that
they are not satisfied with their current understanding of something or that
they are not satisfied with the given state of affairs in some way. To not
be satisfied with one's understanding engenders curiosity and if one truly
values "Truth" their threshold for being satisfied or accepting something or
some understanding is much higher. Think Einstein vs. George Bush.
Not only is truth not valued, outside certain narrow domains and with
respect to certain questions (the valuing is contingent on something besides
the value of "Truth" per se) but, as a consequence, as I indicated, critical
thinking is neither valued nor practiced very much and certainly is not with
respect to virtually all public/political discourse and thinking and policy
making regarding important societal issues and problems. Most people think
that they and people like them - those of the same political persuasion,
religion, philosophy, etc. - think critically in general and with respect to
all these issues, but few people apply critical thinking across the board,
to all thinking and discourse, and certainly on important societal issues.
I believe, and believe I can amply demonstrate, that this failure to value
and think critically is the most fundamental problem we, as a society and
species, and maybe in our personal lives, have, underlying virtually every
significant societal problem. Most people think critically about only
certain issues and domains of concern to them, if at all, but not generally,
across the board.
I couldn't resist chiming in here, as I'm developing a theory about critical
thinking and especially its application to societal problems and discourse,
as well as some related theories, such as a theory of questions and maybe a
theory of thought. Hope to get a blog or website up and post them there and
hopefully in a published essay and a book. If and when I do I'll post the
site here, rather than ramble on in an email.
Randall
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rev. Stewart Marshall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM>
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: [CGUYS] computer guys...kinda
Tom the lack of integrity in politics goes back way before the current
administration.
We have made politics what is by electing and continually reelecting these
ethical black holes.
Need I remind you of certain lacks of truth from Clinton et.al. Plus the
dearth of who me's when others in congress got caught in the same
predicaments.
When we elect these yahoos and knowingly put in office people who are
ethical slippery eels, we are getting what we deserve.
Not sure how to stop it all, but Politics is a lot more than what do I get
out of this bill ethics.
I have called politicians on decisions that showed poll watching instead
of integrity and get sappy no answer answers from them. Then next time in
the ballot booth, mark an x in front of the opponents name. Problem is
Americans in general tend to be way too independent and self serving when
it comes to politics.
Last state election the incumbent State Supreme Court Chief Justice had a
comfortable lead until he started bad mouthing his opponent, a female.
Half truths, swapped charges etc. bounced around the TV stations and radio
stations. Enough people got sick of it and the lack of integrity that the
Incumbent Chief Justice is now former Chief justice.
Stewart
At 01:17 PM 7/6/2007, you wrote:
When people do not respond with integrity that is when really bad things
start happening: Abu Grav, Gitmo, firings of U.S. attorneys, Microsoft
anti-trust, etc. etc. None would have happened if people had responded
with integrity. No, the Computer Guys is not of the same scale, but lack
of integrity has a corrosive action on all aspects of life.
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