Five-Minute Essay

Introduction to Objectivism
Five-Minute Essay
7/8/94
Last Modified: September 9, 1995

The following is the five-minute essay I would most like to give to every college student about to take his or her first Philosophy course.

I truly hope each of you develops a passion for Philosophy. If you have ever wanted to be able to argue persuasively, understand the meaning of life, or even just be a better person, Philosophy is the discipline that can help you. Philosophy includes such areas as the nature of the universe, the nature of beauty, the nature of knowledge and how man can acquire and verify it, ethics, and theoretical aspects of politics.

Perhaps what you need to learn most is the art of ``Philosophical Detection.'' When a person makes a statement or claim, you need to analyze it like a detective, look for clues, and reason out what they imply. I hope to teach you, in less than five minutes, the basics of this important skill.

When a person elects to hold a conversation with another person, he commits to a certain context, namely that in which conversation is possible. If you are not conscious, conversation with you is not possible. Because of this, the question of whether either or both of the two debaters actually have conscious minds cannot ever be a subject of debate.

The existence of a common reality shared by two debaters cannot itself be debated. If there were no common reality whose properties were the subject of debate, there would be nothing to debate in the first place. There would also, of course, be no place in which to hold the debate.

If someone tells you that a person can never be certain of anything, ask him if he is certain about that. If he is to be consistent, he must say ``no.'' Then ask him if he is certain that ``no'' is the correct answer to the question you just asked him. He is in an inescapable bind.

If someone tells you that men can never perceive reality accurately, ask him how he figured this out and whether this claim constitutes accurate perception of reality. If someone tells you that you can never be certain that other people have minds, tell him you would think about what he said but you can't be sure that anyone actually said it.

If we cannot argue that man can never be certain of anything, what is the alternative? Doubt must arise contextually. A person cannot cast doubt on some conclusion you have logically argued by saying that you are a person and people are capable of error. He must give some reason to suspect that you erred in this particular case, otherwise he is arguing that no one can ever be certain of anything, and we saw what that leads to.

What if someone argues that free will is only an illusion and men have no power of choice? Then he argues that he is not free to test his claims against reality; he argues that he believes true and argues for whatever he is so `constructed' or `determined' to believe or argue. To argue against free will is to argue that man can never be sure of anything.

It is also important that you don't let a person's choice of words confuse you. Always look for the meanings people employ. If you are discussing the existence of god with someone, be sure to agree first on what is meant by the term ``god.'' Don't let someone get away with, ``Well everyone knows what that word means;'' tell him you don't. If he says men can't understand god, tell him that if that were true, they couldn't believe in him either; what exactly would they be believing in?

Even a simple word like ``true'' can be easily misused. We call something ``true'' when we have verified it. We call something a ``fact'' when we establish it. When someone makes an assertion, say ``2+2=4'', he is really using shorthand, the full assertion is, ``the statement 2+2=4 is meaningful, verifiable, and I know it.''

What if a person asks you to prove that you exist? Tell him that the term ``prove'' refers to a process of reasoning performed by a conscious entity beginning with certain basic facts and deriving other facts. Tell him that he is misusing the word ``prove.'' Proof is only one method of verification; there must be things that are already known before anything can be proven. Remind him that if he is to converse with you at all, he must first admit you exist. Don't let someone pretend they retain solid footing as they chisel the ground out from under their feet.

A coherent understanding of Philosophy will convince you that you are competent to understand the universe and achieve the human values that make life meaningful. You will know when you know something and when you don't, when you understand something and when you don't, and why. You will also realize why morality and ethics are too important to be left to anyone but yourself. You will learn that there are no shortcuts to truth, no authorities you can follow blindly, and perhaps most important, that nothing at all exists except reality. In sum, you will know what human existence means and implies.

If you do not get a taste of these things, then Philosophy has not helped you. If you come away with the impression that man has no control over his life or that man has no rational way to choose his goals, you have done worse than wasted your time. If your passion for life and desire for achievment is not awakened or heightened, then Philosophers are not doing their jobs.

I see I still have about one minute left. Any questions?

Copyright (C) 1993,95 by Joel Katz djls@gate.net

It Is NOT Too Late

With the never-ending assaults on our constitutional liberties by the wanna-be fascists . . .

With the constant manipulations of the economy by the powers-that-be . . .

With the mountain of horrific crimes committed by the mega-corporations in Iraq and America . . .

With the constantly-increasing blizzard of psyops and snow-jobs by the corporate media . . .

It is easy to lose hope.

Or to have the fire of righteous anger doused by the dampness of fatigue.

Or to ease up on trying to fix things.

A Little Perspective

It is vital to put things in perspective:

* We are (still) able to share real news on the Internet

* We are (still) not locked in prison camps set up for those who criticize the government

* We have (still) not bombed yet another country for oil

* There has (still) not been a nuclear or bio false flag

* We are (still) able to access food and other necessities

Therefore, we still have resources to work with . . .

NOW Is the Time

Indeed, while the forces of darkness are perhaps greater than ever before, we also have more awareness and more resources than ever before. More people understand the history of false flags than ever before. More people understand than ever before that wars are fought for the financial interests of the few. More people can access uncensored information on the Net than ever before. More people see the big picture than ever before.

I'm not saying everything is okay and we should relax. I am saying that the battle isn't over yet. Liberty and justice and sanity can still prevail.

NOW is the time to stand up and insist on our freedom.

NOW is the moment to seize victory away from those who want to manipulate us.

NOW is the window of opportunity when the people can throw off the yoke of the tyrants.

We still have everything we need to win.

It is (still) not too late

NOW is the perfect time to take action!

(courtesy of George Washington's Blog)

'Second Thoughts about Fluoride,' Reports Scientific American

NEW YORK, Jan. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Some recent studies suggest that over-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland," reports Scientific American editors (January 2008). "Scientific attitudes toward fluoridation may be starting to shift," writes author Dan Fagin.

"Fluoride, the most consumed drug in the USA, is deliberately added to 2/3 of public water supplies theoretically to reduce tooth decay, but with no scientifically-valid evidence proving safety or effectiveness," says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.

Fagin, award-wining environmental reporter and Director of New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program, writes, "There is no universally accepted optimal level for daily intake of fluoride." Some researchers even wonder whether the 1 mg/L added into drinking water is too much, reports Fagin.

After 3 years of scrutinizing hundreds of studies, a National Research Council (NRC) committee "concluded that fluoride can subtly alter endocrine function, especially in the thyroid -- the gland that produces hormones regulating growth and metabolism," reports Fagin.

Fagin quotes John Doull, professor emeritus of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, who chaired the NRC committee thusly, "The thyroid changes do worry me."

Fluoride in foods, beverages, medicines and dental products can result in fluoride over-consumption, visible in young children as dental fluorosis -- white spotted, yellow, brown and/or pitted teeth. We can't normally see fluoride's effects to the rest of the body.

Reports Fagin, "a series of epidemiological studies in China have associated high fluoride exposures with lower IQ."

"(E)pidemiological studies and tests on lab animals suggest that high fluoride exposure increases the risk of bone fracture, especially in vulnerable populations such as the elderly and diabetics," writes Fagin.

Fagin interviewed Steven Levy, director of the Iowa Fluoride Study which tracked about 700 Iowa children for sixteen years. Nine-year-old "Iowa children who lived in communities where the water was fluoridated were 50 percent more likely to have mild fluorosis... than [nine-year-old] children living in nonfluoridated areas of the state," writes Fagin. Levy will study fluoride's effects on their bones.

Over 1200 professionals urge Congress to cease water fluoridation and conduct Congressional hearings because scientific evidence indicates fluoridation is ineffective and has serious health risks. Support them; write your representative here:
salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2477/t/2782/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=21960

Contact
Paul Beeber, Esq.
www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
www.FluorideAction.Net
tinyurl.com/6kqtu
516-433-8882
nyscof@aol.com

SOURCE NYS Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation