I am deeply appreciative of the feedback received, both positive and not so positive, from my friends and acquaintances that have been following my new blog. As I value your opinions highly, I totally hear you that the blogs tend to run a little long (ok, way long). The reason for that was force of habit, as I was writing in an Op-Ed format which is typically about 850 words long. So I will attempt to keep these shorter and sweeter moving forward.
I am aware that my posts are controversial, particularly for my liberal-leaning friends. But what I ask is that you evaluate my arguments based on their own merits, even though you may disagree with my premises and ultimate conclusions. I don’t allow comments on the blog because it is amazing how much vitriol people will spew when they can do so anonymously, and I’m not particularly fond of others lobbing hate bombs at me from the privacy of their corner of the internet, hidden from view. However, for those who know me on FaceBook or communicate with me via e-mail, please feel free to open a dialog and express yourself. This is not warfare, but good natured debate. I only ask that if you take a position, be able to defend it in a cogent, logical, and consistent manner (and yes, I know some of you feel that I don’t do that, but I digress).
For those unfamiliar with the German word Weltanschauung, it may be translated as worldview, and it is something that we all have. According to Wikipedia, worldview “refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an individual interprets the world and interacts with it.” So if I have an idea of your basic worldview, I can, with great certainty, know how you would respond to a great variety of situations, because worldview is pervasive. We all, to some degree, can feel out, or sense, what opinions various people may have through acquaintance. But understanding worldview provides deeper insight than we can glean from our senses alone, because the added ingredients are rational thought and analysis through the study of first philosophy.
So now you may be thinking that all we need is more philosophy, and even more, another dry philosopher. Fair enough. My promise to you is this won’t be a dry tour, but a dynamic introduction to the philosopher within you, underpinned by your most basic of beliefs for which no proof is required. These basic beliefs are brute facts that you have accepted, becoming the presuppositions that support your overall belief system. In posts to come, we will explore worldview, particularly as it relates to liberal versus conservative thought. And one thing in particular we will learn is that all politics and ideologies have their basis in worldview and underlying presuppositions. So anyone who criticizes another for being “political” or “ideological” must tread lightly, as their own politics and ideology are inseparable from their worldview. In essence, we should not expect politics or ideology to be inconsistent with worldview. More concretely, there will be certain things that we should never expect Republicans and Democrats to agree on, since certain aspects of their respective worldviews are simply incompatible (unless of course, you are Arnold Schwarzenegger, but that’s another story).
Again, thank you for your feedback. I look forward to our journey moving forward.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldview
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