Individualism

 I wrote a short book on Individualism vs Progressivism. First I defined individualism and laid out porgressivism. Then I discussed the elements of both and contrasted them. I am a strong supporter of individualism. It has been the strength of this country, individuals taking risks to created new businesses, new technologies.

Along comes a fellow in New York who states: 

 "We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism."  

Now this is the death knell of any society. I have seen collectivism. It is a form of slavery controlled by a limited class of overseers.  If anyone wants to see the clear fallacy of this statement, just read through my short book, written some fifteen years ago.

OK, Who Died?

 

 

In the old days, one studied the Trivium. Simply, the use of language, grammar and logic. Now if one looks at the above, it is a memorial to now two people, not just the one. Thus did someone pass away that we did not know of. I am truly amazed by the blatant ignorance of language. 

Happy New Year! The fun never ends! 

Ban AI?

 A few decades ago there was a ban on pornography. But what was pornography. The Supreme Court said you would know it when you saw it. Did not work well.

Now we are banning AI. Do we know it when we see it? Hardly.  As I had noted before we really cannot define AI. It can be a gimmick up large language model. You ask a question, the system cranks through billions of phrases and pumps out the probabilistically closest one or ones. It then continue with a conversation now learning from the originator. Perhaps it is an image recognition system collecting EHR data from millions of prior patients and coming up with a diagnosis and treatment plan. Albeit based on old records.

I hear "experts" opining on the dangers of AI without any attempt to define it. The logic they use befuddles me. Their approach is per-historic, and   if there were a Socrates they would be crushed in their ignorance.

So beware, the New York State legislature is composed of cro magnon  species who expertise is twofold: telling people how to think and act, and raising taxes to levels to suppress any human advancements.

Social Media

 I do not use social media, unless you consider my 20 year old blog one. But the blog is purely one way, I really do not care what anyone thinks, it just reflects current issues.

But I am being bombarded with Facebook stuff from family members. Frankly it is 99% advertising, selling stuff I would have no interest in. Then it includes the politically correct junk that must mean something to someone. 

What had struck me was that as I had projected years ago it is a psych profiling and psych motivation system. Why would anyone knowingly subject themselves.

The companies operating these useless and dangerous systems must be making a fortune on targeted ads. Why would anyone click on an ad on Facebook? Where would it take you, how would it profile you?

Try writing a letter, you know, paper and pen, then envelope, then mail it. No ads! 

A Midnight Visitor

 My local fox comes around late at night.

Beware the Bishops

 I just completed a first draft of a book on the period of Constantine I. He was the Roman Emperor who made Christianity the formal religion of the Empire. He was frankly a brutal ruler who even executed his oldest son for some less than credible accusations, then took after his then wife and had her boiled in steam. Not a person you would want to cross. 

So as he expends his domain to the East he inherits the Eastern Bishops. Unlike the Western ones, who he learned about Christianity, the Eastern ones were as ruthless as Constantine. This led to the Council of Nicaea, allegedly to agree on just what Jesus was. Was he God made man, man made God, or what. It was an issue that never arose in the West, not much any how.

But now Constantine, who had destroyed all of his competitors, slaughtered his son and wife, met his match. The Bishops were viciously divided on the question of just what Jesus was. It became a Greek definition battle, in words. It also led to street battles amongst the common folk in cities like Alexandria where fights were often to the death as to just what was Jesus.

Now we have US Bishops taking similar stands, politically divisive one. As the NY Times notes:

 The statement, passed at the bishops’ annual conference in Baltimore, did not call out President Trump by name, but the context was clear. The bishops said they “oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and “pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.” “We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity,” the statement said. “For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.” The bishops, who were often divided by American politics in the Pope Francis era, showed a united front in standing behind Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, who has spoken out for immigrants and urged U.S. bishops to do the same. The statement, called a special message, is a rare pastoral document that the bishops can issue only at their annual meeting, in order to address pressing circumstances of the day.

 Now we are not inferring that the President is Constantine, not even slightly, but we see the Bishops are asserting domain over things which is not their purview. Bishops have been doing this ever more so and perhaps they should take a look at the history of Bishops and politics. 

Of all the battles Constantine fought, with hundreds of thousands of opponents, the most difficult one was that with the bishops!  Beware the Bishops!