Aristotle's law petition confounds blase Berkeley

The San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Tuesday, August 13, 2002 | Meredith May

[Revolting cat!]

Berkeley, the first city to ban Styrofoam and wood-fired pizza ovens, could become the first to enact Aristotle's ancient law of logic -- that every entity is equal to itself. In a philosophical effort to come up with a city law that no one could ever break, conceptual artist Jonathon Keats wants Berkeley to legally acknowledge Aristotle's law, commonly expressed as A=A.

[Revolting cat!]

Finally, some sense and wisdom out of Berkeley.

[ClearCase_guy]

More people need to read Ayn Rand. The A = A formulation is central to Atlas Shrugged. It refers to the fact that truth can be known objectively.

It is true to say that "a lying politician" is "a lying politician". It is false to say that "a lying politician" is "a good person who wants to help children".

While both statements might be true, they are in no way equivalent (no more moral equivalence).

[pabianice]

A communist is a communist?

[bert]

The Bankers will never accept it.

With Bankers, today is not today. After 2:00pm today is tomorrow. They cheat you out of 3 hours today by placing it in tomorrow.

[LouD]

The nose of the objectivist camel under the tent of irrationality. Cool!

[narby]

It's been too long since I read "the speech" in Atlas Shrugged. But if A=A, doesn't Liberal=Idiot?

[Fraulein]

More plainly put, it means a table is a table. A blade of grass is a blade of grass.

It all depends on what the definition of "is" is.

[DAnconia55]

"I think A=A is a basic truism..."

Sigh.

[Revolting cat!]

The Mexicans illegals who gather in the morning at the corner of Hearst and 4th Streets in Berkeley looking for day jobs will never accept it. Manana is, oh, whenever...

[Dr. Frank fan]

Michelle Grisat, who has a doctorate in philosophy, signed. "I think A=A is a basic truism, and it's interesting to have him out here arguing with people."

The funniest line in the whole thing.

[Mike Fieschko]

This isn't a 'law'; it's an axiom.

[Revolting cat!]

It turns out that one of the most subversive things you can do to a post-modern civilization is to "legally acknowledge Aristotle's law, commonly expressed as A=A." Go figure! Let's see how this thing plays out...

[That Subliminal Kid]

Ayn Rand sucks.

[colorado tanker]

What's this? I thought Berkeley was declared a logic-free zone years ago?

[Revolting cat!]

Well, note the dude is from San Francisco. (There is a Jesuit university there, University of San Francisco.)

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Mayor Shirley Dean was dumbfounded. "I haven't a clue what that means," Dean said of Keats' proposition.

So the mayor admits he doesn't understand basic logic.

[diotima]

Its nice to see the principle of non-contradiction getting some face time.

"A=A" is a good thing.

[tet68]

AA is a good thing if you're on the ground.
AA is a bad thing if you're in the air.

[ClearCase_guy]

Ayn Rand sucks.

Nice argument. Very cogent.

[gcruse]

Ayn Rand sucks.

You are confusing being with doing.
What Ayn Rand does is not identical
what objectivism is, notwithstanding
Frank Sinatra felt that to do is to be,
and to be is to do, leading to his
infamous "do be, do be, do."