The logical fallacy behind the wall of separation between church and state has been hidden in plain sight for over two centuries. A little logic reveals the misconception and explains its power to legalize prejudice. Because the wall is founded on an inadvertent delusion, we should expect to find symptoms of that error on both sides of the wall. And…Continue reading The Fallacy that Became a Wall of Separation
Category: Logic
Having to do with the process of accurate thinking.
Abstraction: a Legislative Trap
One of the interesting things the human mind can do is to use abstractions. We can think and talk of carrots and crops. Carrots are real physical things. You can eat one. The word “Crops”, on the other hand, means plants grown to be harvested.”Crops” is an abstract idea that covers all kinds of things. But you can’t eat an…Continue reading Abstraction: a Legislative Trap
The Space Between Words and Their Meaning
There is a space between words and their meaning: Poetry and politicians frolic in that space. Puns reveal it. Truth seekers explore it with reverent interest. Bigotry and hate corrupt it. Evil abuses it. Love cherishes it. Librarians worry about it. Lexicographers live on it. Lazy thinkers crash and burn in it. As humans, our minds give us a space…Continue reading The Space Between Words and Their Meaning
The Blog and the Book
The writing of the book, Church and State, A Citizen’s Guide, is the main thread of this blog that I’m using to hone my comprehension and articulation of the issues – and some relevant history. Meanwhile, as an interesting or difficult issue comes to mind, I may treat it here. I like to delve deeply, sleuth out the fundamentals and understand whats behind…Continue reading The Blog and the Book
Believer – Nonbeliever: The False Dichotomy
One of the tragedies of our time is a flawed perception of a chasm between believer and nonbeliever. The fact is we are all brothers in the same boat. Neither believer nor nonbeliever can prove his opinion is the right one and that makes us all equals and brothers. In that context we are all believers because our opinions are…Continue reading Believer – Nonbeliever: The False Dichotomy
Logical Thinking for Better Understanding
As Terry Rankin says, “… it is actually quite impossible to make any decision without logic. More to the point, it is exceedingly difficult if not impossible to even have an “everyday life” without constantly making decisions, from the trivial and mundane to the urgent, critical, and cataclysmic — and everywhere in between.” [Emphasis his] I would just add that those decisions are either…Continue reading Logical Thinking for Better Understanding