Always Ask, “Why?” The Deletion of Counterpoints
Always ask, “why” if you want to know the reasons people do what they do. First, you have to know that logic drives behavior. Sure, you can argue that lust often drives behavior beyond logical bounds, but that truth is grounded in what people believe about lust in general. In other words, what people believe about feelings will determine how they react to them.
So, a very common trend in social media discussions follow: when someone is clearly losing an argument, they merely delete the thread, or block the one winning the argument. Why does that happen? What is the logic behind that action?
First, you have to understand that most, if not all, social media discussions are fencing with the thoughts of experts instead of swords. For the most part, individual reason is excluded as a valid epistemology. Has it come to the point where people who use personal logic to argue a point are deemed out of touch with reality if not outright mentally ill? Yes, I think it has come to that point.
Again, don’t confuse the use of logic in a debate with individual logic. I am not saying logic isn’t used; I am saying individual logic is not used because it breaks the epistemological caste system. What’s that? Commoners can’t know reality, and must depend on the “authority” of experts. A good example is the video below.
In this video, we hear John MacArthur Jr. clearly state that individual epistemology is insanity. We hear him state clearly that the knowledge of reality must be found in some authority outside of the individual. But this is also clear: all individuals who have ever lived will be judged individually and not by some authority outside of them that they submitted to. Many religions claim they are the one saving authority, so, one must ultimately make a decision based on inner reason or make a lucky guess and hope they win the eternal lottery. Yes, you can say Christ is that one authority, and that is fair enough if not the truth of the matter, but the problem follows: many religions claim that Christ has appointed His authority to them. Therefore, one must evaluate Christ based on their own individual understanding.
Let me close with the main point at hand. Contributions to online debates are going to be deleted if you argue from a standpoint of personal reason. Your ideas are considered to be without merit based on that alone. Furthermore, you will be considered mentally ill and out of touch with reality. Online debates are fencing with thoughts of experts outside of us that have been granted authority by God, god’s, the universe, or some other powers that be because some authority says that they have been given their authority. Because they say so on behalf of the authority.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
among the many rational tragedies in this interview Johnny Mac’s assurtion that you can’t get to morality through reason is at the top. Reason IS the root of morality so if reason can’t get you to it man has no hope of ever knowing morality at all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had to read that twice! So what are the categories for authority? Moral, Expert, Positional, Pastor, Government and so on. It’s dizzying for us peasants. The moral authority at Apple, CEO Cook, just said not banning hateful people on social media is a “sin”. This is a guy who works with China and their censoring social credit system.
The other day, the thought occurred to me that explains some of what I am seeing in Christian circles about social justice. Presumption of innocence is anti Calvinist. It’s anti determinist. It’s anti Protestant in many ways. Ergo, the moral authority we see thrown around from their Puritan Sin sniffers from #believeallwomen to McArthur above. Guilty! They are more alike than different. Both claim moral authority.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You stated: “But this is also clear: all individuals who have ever lived will be judged individually and not by some authority outside of them that they submitted to.” That is so true! I have thought the same thing myself on many occasions. If my pastor will stand before the Lord at the Bema in my place then by all means I will think what he tells me to (that’s impossible anyway). Otherwise all bets are off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is…in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”
Theodore Dalrymple
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey gang, sorry for the delay in passing these through. Things have been pretty busy around here.
LikeLike
John is absolutely correct. I picked up on that particular bit of nonsense as well. If you can’t say WHY something is good or evil-which automatically excludes “mystery” or contradiction or mere absolute prima facia (“it just is”), because, none of these are an explanation of anything—then you cannot know the difference at all. Ever.
What JM is saying is that man is entirely insufficient to moral choice, which makes him insufficient to knowledge, which means his mind cannot be trusted. Which makes his whole life a lie.
LikeLike
John I. is absolutely correct. I picked up on that particular bit of nonsense as well. If you can’t say WHY something is good or evil-which automatically excludes “mystery” or contradiction or mere absolute prima facia (“it just is”), because none of these are explanations of anything—then you cannot know the difference at all. Ever.
What JM is saying is that man is entirely insufficient to moral choice, which makes him insufficient to knowledge, which means his mind cannot be trusted. Which makes his whole life a lie.
LikeLike
Thanks for commenting Anon though it is really moderation policy not pass anonymous comments. And apologies to all for the slow moderation process of late…thanks for contributing to our efforts. We don’t have a lot of comments, but I firmly believe they are the most intelligent well informed comments on the net.
LikeLike
Sorry, Paul. That comment was from me, Zach (Argo). Something screwy with my wordpress login or something…I’m computer illiterate. My avatar didn’t pop up…I was not intentionally hiding.
LikeLike
Good comment so even though it came through as anon we are not under law, so…
LikeLike
https://sbcvoices.com/the-forgotten-theology-of-rights-revolution-ken-hamrick/
This “scholar” disagrees with JMac and still gets it wrong! The others in comments who used to love jmac now despise him because he came out against “social justice”. Not much deep thinking on any sides of the issues. But one thing that screams out to me is how Protestantism keeps people in total cognitive dissonance. They aren’t getting at the root or the foundation of the real problem. It doesn’t occur to them to even question it!
LikeLike