Name:     SquareFool
IP:       131.94.145.150
Subject:  How observant....
Email:
Website:  http://
Article:
I had never thought of intentionally using argument as a tool to ... well, force people into
other beliefs that you would like them to have. Gone are the days of my childhood innocence, but
so must we all become adults.
Then again, would a child be willing to compromise between good and evil to keep us as a whole
alive? Perhaps Ayn Rand and for that matter any idealist simply creates a reality in which there
doesn't have to be a painful compromise, where you don't have to lie to keep from hurting, where
the lives of the few never have to be sacrificed for the many. Seems like the world I live in,
though, has lies, death, choices, and politics. So much for idealism. But come tomorrow I'll be
my bright happy idealist self again, so worry not.
grr....--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
                    Replying to Original Article:Article:
Lots of danger in what you just described, Keenon.  There are a million times I've seen people
who don't really believe something get backed into believing it just to hold their own against
someone who's arguing the opposite.
Take the childhood example of myself and Garret G.  I guess none of you are really familiar with
our background, but we fought all the time.  Enemies and the whole bit.  His ultraconservative
attitude PUSHED ME into an ultraliberal attitude for much of the time.
Eventually I stepped back and realized that I was being changed by my arguments.  Once anyone
realizes this, it's then perfectly okay to argue a point (even in the negative barfight or
Republican sense of the word) from ANY viewpoint, because you are concscious of the possible
changes it could bring about in you.  Thus, you can choose to accept or reject those changes,
and arguing anything from any viewpoint can become a learning experience.
However, without the knowledge that arguing a point can solidify beliefs that maybe don't need
solidfying can be a very bad thing.  Evil men can use it as a tool - stupid people can use it on
themselves to become even stupider.  Watch out.
I hate fucking cold rainy days!  Arghh!--ZAPP