Critique Impure Reasoning

When I was a young little one in Hebrew school so long ago, there was a time when I was maybe 6 or 7, I don't remember how old I was.

Hebrew school met three times a week; twice after school and once on Saturdays.

They had us all around, and one of the teachers, who was a guitar-player with bangs and dark brown hair, maybe blackish in color, and sort of pinkish-pale skin; she went around the room, and there were dozens of us, I don't remember how many.

There were I don't know how many kids in the room, and we got into groups, and nobody knew what to say when this one lady asked the groups to come up with one wish.

So when the spokespeople were asked to represent the groups, of course I was selected. I don't remember the deliberation process, but I remember what I said.

One spokesperson for another group said that they wished they could cure world hunger, and another group wished for world peace.

I then spoke for my group and I said, "We couldn't decide on what to say, so we said we would wish for more wishes."

And then this idiot Hebrew School teacher said that I was wrong to say that, that that was not part of the game.

I don't know what else the Hebrew School teacher said but I remember what my older sister Raina said, who was old enough to know better. I remember Raina told me not to listen to the teacher, that the teacher was wrong. Thank the universe for my sister Raina.

***

Now, often times I will tell people a story about me and a wasp's nest from when I was very very young.

There was another time in High School where I would attack a very large paper wasp's nest, which was roughly the size of one of those red coolers in my basement.

This one was different, way back when I was really really young.

It goes like this: I had watched on television or heard from my parents that if you leave wasps alone, they will not bother you.

One day, assorted children and I were playing in the backyard when we came across a wasp hole. Those are holes in the ground where wasps fly in and out.

I said, "Don't worry guys, they won't hurt us if we leave them alone."

As I was saying this, I backed up toward the nest and eventually of course I got stung.

There's the no duh part of all of this, where if you go up to wasps, of course you're going to get stung.

But there's also the Tornado's responsibility. When a tornado goes through your village and wreaks havok, we know what was responsible: the tornado. But the best solution to the problem is not to yell at the tornado or break down crying. The best solution is to research meteorology, storm proof houses, build houses out of brick and not straw; and other relevant conclusions.

To some extent, the amount of scientific reasoning (in this case meteorology) we understand in a given situation is the amount of potential power, physical power and therefore moral.

You couldn't help but reacting in a certain way if you had computer programs predicting a tornado coming your way. Obviously this amount of control is very much proactive. Who lead you to learn about meteorology in the first place?

This is why Spinoza said, "Do not weep, do not wax indignant. Understand."


I'll leave you to apply the wasp story to some of the charlatans and shamans we've discussed on this blog.

Another way to spin morality is perhaps with the words of Galileo, that you could say anything you want, "But, it [the earth] still moves."