Like I Care (People Become Egomaniacs on the Web)

Washington Post ^ | 28 November 2006 | Michael Kinsley

[StarCMC]

See ya in a few!! ;-)

[Aquinasfan]

Ahhhh... the WaPo misses the days when the only way you could be an anonymous, self-serving, drivel-spewing blithering egomanic was to be an editorial writer for one of the big papers.

You beat me to it. Nevertheless, navel-gazing seems to be rampant on the web.

[StarCMC]

Precisely!

[Aquinasfan]

He was/is an extreme and devout liberal. Figures that someone of his mindset would believe in his own self-importance in claiming nothing exists but for what he says exists.

Solipsism follows necessarily from atheism. Most atheists don't do the legwork though, and are generally content with selective fits of solipsism.

When a relativist is cheating on his taxes or fooling around with someone else's wife, morality becomes a product of his imagination. But when the IRS short-changes him, or when his wife cheats on him, he becomes very angry about these very real injustices.

This is why great sinners (i.e., Nietsche, Marx) make very bad philosphers. Philosophy becomes one long exercise in rationalization.

[SoldierDad]

Solipsism follows necessarily from atheism.

Funny that you mention atheism relative to my post. This professor is also an avowed atheist. Now it all makes sense.

[LexBaird]

When a relativist is cheating on his taxes or fooling around with someone else's wife, morality becomes a product of his imagination. But when the IRS short-changes him, or when his wife cheats on him, he becomes very angry about these very real injustices.

[Lorianne]

Cute column.

[Aquinasfan]

Now it all makes sense.

8-)

Nominalism, Realism and Conceptualism.

This essay directly addresses the error of Nominalism, the great error of modern philosophy. It's brief, considering the subject matter, a bit technical, but worth spending some time with.

You'll see from this article that the decline of the West began with William of Occam's proto-nominalism of the 14th century.

[SoldierDad]

Bookmarked for later reading.

[MNJohnnie]

Oh I don't know. The Democrats have spent the last 6 years being all out nasty right out in Public. Seems once again an example of the Democrat Party as the Hive of Hypocrise. How dare we Right wingers shoot back! Don't we know we are just supposed to take what ever our betters like Mikey dish out?

[Alkhin]

There is something about the Web that brings out the ego monster in everybody. It's not just the well-established tendency to be nasty. When you write for the Web, you open yourself up to breathtakingly vicious vitriol. People wish things on your mother, simply for bearing you, that you wouldn't wish on Hitler.

This statement is SO VERY TRUE - you'd be aghast at the number of big fish in little ponds who become shrieking harpies ready to tear your heart out because you didnt give them proper obesience, yet will turn around and take privately shared information that you entrusted them with and spread it around to mock you and use against you in vicious verbal attacks. Yes, I say this as someone who has been the subject of such vitriol. And you'd be amazed at how PROUD they are of their 'cutting edge' work.

Having said that, I am rather amused that this author's real intent is so predictable. Who are the vicious people he's talking about? All those paeons who have the audacity to set up their own little tent in the marketplace of journalism and news and information sharing and SUCCEED. He just sounds like hes mad because he opted for the Old Media...the Old, Worn Out, Proven Hypocrisy of the Old Media.