Category: Reason | Just Right Media

856 – ATHEISNT—Fallacies And Realities About Atheists

Apr 172024

Atheist Richard Dawkins recently sparked a controversy that challenges fundamental assumptions about both atheism and faith-based belief. Referring to himself as a “cultural Christian” he has been criticized by both atheists and religious believers alike.

Unfortunately, too many self-described atheists are being unfairly criticized and maligned by those who, on the one side, equate atheism with an absence of morality, while on the other equate the sharing of some religious beliefs with unprincipled atheism.

One dictionary we consulted incorrectly defines ‘atheism’ as “the belief that there is no god.” The problem with this definition is that atheism is not a ‘belief’ system at all. Nor is atheism a philosophy or code of morality. It is merely the non-acceptance or a rejection of the concept of a literal supernatural ‘deity’ – nothing else. Atheism does not require ‘belief’ as its base of justification. Atheism is primarily a response to theism, which does rely on ‘faith’ and ‘belief.’

The fact that many atheists abide by a moral code that mirrors that associated with Christianity is less about atheists borrowing from Christian values than it is about Christians and atheists alike borrowing values from other shared philosophical sources. This includes many writers and philosophers throughout history setting out the principles of Western culture over time – from the early Greeks through the Age of Enlightenment and to the present day.

Those who blame atheism as being the source of our current tyrannical zeitgeist – or who blame the Soviet Union’s past tyrannical history on its ‘officially atheist status’ are arguing a contradiction. One cannot judge any individual or national actions on what is ‘not’ believed and practiced but on what ‘is’ believed and practiced. In both cases, the cause of the tyranny was (and is) the ideology of collectivism.

Today’s WOKE ideology is merely the latest label given to yesterday’s Marxist ideology – and religious affiliation or lack thereof has little to do with the support of such ideologies. The same principle holds true for freedom.

Whether atheist or religious, if one accepts and respects the principles of individualism, individual rights and freedom, then it is possible for people of every belief and non-belief to share the ideals and blessings of a society that’s Just Right, with the understanding that freedom of religion also includes the right to be free from religion.

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855 – Do you mind?—thinking about thinking

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Apr 102024

There has recently been a growing concern and much discussion about why so many people are still not awake, but just remain WOKE in the face of a pending civilizational collapse. “The WOKE mind virus is the greatest existential threat faced by humanity,” concludes Gad Saad, and Elon Musk apparently shares his alarm.

Among other causes cited for this sad state of affairs are the inability to have an inner monologue, the effect of the Covid spike protein, fear mongering, bacteria, chronic infection, the fake news media, intelligence guided by irrational bias, and of course the WOKE ideology, to name but a few.

Missing from most of the discussions is the ‘means’ by which people actually think: through the use of concepts and language. Because the human mind is essentially ‘programmable,’ and because words and concepts are the ‘software’ on which each mind functions, humans in the exercise of free will have the capacity and choice to think and behave either rationally or irrationally.

An irrational concept is one that does not conform to reality or reason. And significantly, irrational concepts can be held by highly intelligent people. How is this possible? Continue reading »

850 – The spoken to—Censorship’s true target

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Mar 062024

Once again, Canada’s politicians are on the ‘banning hate speech’ bandwagon, this time in the guise of a piece of legislation being introduced into parliament as Bill C-63.

The proposals contained in Bill C-63 are so bizarre and outrageous that most would dismiss them outright. Like something out of a science-fiction horror fantasy, the bill allows the government to convict, fine, and imprison ‘for life’ people who have not committed any speech offense, but who may do so in the future. Seriously.

How are such people to be identified? Through a ‘complaint’ system in which the identity of the complainant is kept a secret. The complainant can be anyone. As explained by Ezra Levant, “a person may lay an information if he fears that another person will commit a speech offense in the future.” And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of Bill C-63’s unconscionable and immoral proposals.

But more frightening than the contents of the bill itself are the people who would even allow themselves to entertain such evil. Former Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, who drafted the law, has announced that the government also has a “nuclear option” by being able to make it impossible to access any specific website in the country.

The Trudeau government’s obsession with regulating and censoring the internet suggests that he and his government greatly fear the truth. Truth is, after all, what is being eliminated from any allowable public discussion.

The real immorality of censorship is not just in the fact that it violates the fundamental right of someone to speak freely (which it does) but also because it violates the fundamental rights of those who wish to hear and listen freely. Censorship is less about the speaker than it is about the ‘spoken to’. The speaker is already in possession of the truth; the ‘spoken to’ may not be aware of the truth, and that’s how the politicians of the Left want to keep it.

Given that the Left is always unable to defend its ideology on intellectual or moral grounds, censorship is a great way to avoid that responsibility: “When persuasion fails, just use force.” Censorship is the perfect weapon of violence for those consumed with irrational hatreds that they do not wish to have exposed.

This should not be surprising because when it comes to ‘hate,’ the Left hates individualism, freedom, free speech, private property rights, justice, capitalism, and anybody or anything that is Just Right.

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842 – Stupidity—Socialism’s moral defect

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Jan 112024

“When you’re dead, you don’t know you’re dead. The pain is felt by others. The same thing happens when you’re stupid.” And to explicitly conclude the thought of that popular meme: “When you’re stupid and you don’t know it, the pain is felt by others.”

The truth of that statement strikes at the heart of what was experienced in Nazi Germany, thanks to the seemingly willing support that so many German people gave to Hitler. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor theologian and anti-Nazi dissident, believed that this was a not a consequence of malice, but of widespread stupidity.

While in a German prison during the Hitler years, he formulated a theory arguing that we must seek to understand the nature of stupidity as stupidity is not an intellectual defect, but a moral one. Stupidity, therefore, is a much more dangerous enemy than malice because one can expose malice and argue against it and even use force to stop it, but this is not possible when dealing with stupidity.

One has but to look at all of the utterly stupid ideas and causes (and quite demonstrably so) being supported in today’s zeitgeist. From Covid to climate change, these stupid fictions continue to be believed by a significant number of people who, as a result, become a danger not only to others but to themselves as well. But having chosen to be stupid, they are oblivious to this reality.

Moreover, this phenomenon of stupidity, observed Bonhoeffer, is most predominant among people living in groups and collectives, and very rare in independent individuals or those who generally live alone. This suggests a strong psychological force at play, and goes a long way towards explaining why the collectivist Left (communism/socialism/fascism) promotes so many genuinely stupid and immoral ideas, policies and ideologies.

Upon a review of the evidence, it would appear that Bonhoeffer’s theory that stupidity is a moral defect turns out to be Just Right.

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835 – Evil is not a mental illness

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Nov 162023

Steven Crowder’s disclosure of the manifesto by Audrey Hale, the Covenant School shooter, has prompted some to label such heinous acts as the very definition of mental illness. However, categorizing evil solely as a mental disorder or abnormal dysfunction serves as an excuse rather than a proper understanding.

Evil deeds stem from a deliberate suspension of one’s consciousness and a rejection of critical thinking. Every individual has the potential for wrongdoing, influenced by their upbringing and the circumstances that shape their moral compass.

The Hamas Massacre on October 7 in Israel highlights that the conditions for evil exist in all people. It is only through a conscious decision to think and an act of will can we overcome the inclination to react violently to those we disagree with or those we’ve been conditioned to hate.

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816 – Proof—that ideas matter

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Jun 222023

Ideas matter. Those that are false can lead to tragic consequences while those that are valid can lead to great opportunities and well-being. But how can we reliably prove which are true and which are false?

In our search for truth, demanding “proof” for everything we know and experience in life is perhaps less an asset than a handicap caused by living in a scientific age. “Blinded by science” is a great expression describing an irrational demand for proof. It is also a good way to describe those who are fooled by demands that we “follow the science,” little realizing that the “science” they are actually following is “political science.”

Fortunately, the road to truth is less about requiring “proof” than it is about articulately and consistently expressing ourselves using ideas based on valid concepts and definitions. Armed with such concepts, it not only becomes much easier to identify the truth, but also easier to reveal those who would change and alter definitions to hide the truth. Such people know that truth is knowledge and knowledge is power.

Naturally, the power of truth represents a threat to those who maintain power through falsehoods and lies. For them, the best way to prevent people from discovering the truth is by controlling or prohibiting freedom of speech. And this is exactly what is being done.

When it comes to validating truth, the “proof” as they say, “is in the pudding.” History has demonstrated that freedom emerges when people express their ideas defined in a way that is Just Right, but the truth is that there’s no way to “prove” it – despite the evidence.

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815 – Just Left—the ideology of irrationality

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Jun 152023

Being labeled “right wing extremist” still seems to paralyze many on the Right into submission – to the Left.

In reaction, some attempt to dismiss both political labels of Left and Right on the grounds that there are no distinguishing differences between Democrats and Republicans, long identified as being the Left and the Right. Unfortunately, in so doing they have blinded themselves to the enemy while also preventing themselves from using a valuable label in the war of ideas.

Yes, it is true that Democrats and Republicans are essentially the same – because both are on the Left (collectivism), not because the labels of Left and Right have become obsolete. In fact, these labels are needed more than ever before. It is ideas and ideologies that determine what is Left and Right, not political parties or organizations.

Left and Right represent opposite polarities on a political compass that is essential to pointing us in the Right direction towards individual freedom. The necessity of having such a political compass is beginning to dawn upon those involved in various political discussions. As they attempt to explain how we have “suddenly” found ourselves living under tyranny, they discover that all roads lead to the Left. However, they have not yet communicated that individualism and freedom are to be found exclusively on the Right.

The Left has long been operating on a well-organized ideology which, though irrational, has been successful for the lack of any effective rational ideology responding from the political Right. That’s because many on the Right have mistakenly dismissed ideology itself as simply being a manifestation of Leftist intellectual and moral dysfunction. For those on the Right, this is tragic because it is important for the Right to be seen as the polarity that represents an ideology based on reason. Continue reading »

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