As we await tomorrow's election day in the Empire, it's clear that we have a choice between a person whose lies have deteriorated to the point where the truth can be seen behind the decaying facade, and a person whose lies might hold the world together for another four years or so. If, as Freud indicated, civilization itself is a lie, we folks depending on civilization for our comfort and sustenance might want to vote for the more credible liar. It's not like the truth is going to set us free in this case.
The irony is that we have, in the scientific method, a reasonably reliable way of determining small truths that can eventually accumulate into a workable world-view. You can go further if you look at the chapter on critical thinking in Carl Sagan's great work, The Demon-Haunted World. I used to teach it in my writing classes, and if it didn't make my students better writers, it at least made them better thinkers.
That brings me to the real reason I am writing today. It is about the relationship to words and language if you are an individual with autism spectrum disorder. Yesterday I read the attached article about Orwell's fear that language will be corrupted by the state/those in power. I immediately associated with Wittgenstein and his philosophy of language, which I believe is related to his very probable autism disorder/Asperger syndrome.
That brought me to the concrete question, How does a person with autism spectrum disorder / Asperger syndrome relate to Trump and the American election? In my experience, people with autism have an inability to lie and are at the same time very sensitive to dissonance in communication, both verbal and non-verbal.
I interpret that as the background to Wittgenstein's famous conclusion: "What can be said at all can be said clearly, and if one cannot speak, one must be silent.".
To me, politicians' way of communicating is the direct opposite of this and I began to think about how a person with autism spectrum disorder deals with this.
Ugo--
As we await tomorrow's election day in the Empire, it's clear that we have a choice between a person whose lies have deteriorated to the point where the truth can be seen behind the decaying facade, and a person whose lies might hold the world together for another four years or so. If, as Freud indicated, civilization itself is a lie, we folks depending on civilization for our comfort and sustenance might want to vote for the more credible liar. It's not like the truth is going to set us free in this case.
The irony is that we have, in the scientific method, a reasonably reliable way of determining small truths that can eventually accumulate into a workable world-view. You can go further if you look at the chapter on critical thinking in Carl Sagan's great work, The Demon-Haunted World. I used to teach it in my writing classes, and if it didn't make my students better writers, it at least made them better thinkers.
John
Civilization requires Trust.
Trust leads to Complacency,
...leads to Corruption,
...leads to Distrust,
...leads to Investigation,
...leads to Confirmation (Truth),
...leads to Trust.
It's a cycle. I think we are stuck in step 2.
George Orwell famously argued that clear language in politics can be a bulwark against oppression.
https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/10/orwell-exception-clear-language-donald-trump/680464/?utm_source=native-share&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
That brings me to the real reason I am writing today. It is about the relationship to words and language if you are an individual with autism spectrum disorder. Yesterday I read the attached article about Orwell's fear that language will be corrupted by the state/those in power. I immediately associated with Wittgenstein and his philosophy of language, which I believe is related to his very probable autism disorder/Asperger syndrome.
That brought me to the concrete question, How does a person with autism spectrum disorder / Asperger syndrome relate to Trump and the American election? In my experience, people with autism have an inability to lie and are at the same time very sensitive to dissonance in communication, both verbal and non-verbal.
I interpret that as the background to Wittgenstein's famous conclusion: "What can be said at all can be said clearly, and if one cannot speak, one must be silent.".
To me, politicians' way of communicating is the direct opposite of this and I began to think about how a person with autism spectrum disorder deals with this.
This is what happens when you chronically fail to audit the vote effectively.
Cassandra herself wouldn't call this election ;-/