Contrary to Appearances ...
Contrary to appearances ... I am not a contrarian. What I am trying to do is to think through rational arguments in a world controlled by group think.
Rational thinkers will often appear as contrarians in societies driven by a herd mentality as the person who is trying to discuss underlying issues will often be at odds with current fashions or manufactured fears.
A contrarian is a person who randomly spouts forth with contrary opinions.
True contrarians are often driven by a dislike for a particular person or group. A contrarian sees the person he dislikes and automatically disagrees with the things the person says.
Contrarians are often partisan. A partisan dislikes the opposition and immediately forms arguments counter to the expressed position of the opposition.
Professional contrarians, and their counter part the apologist, exist on both sides of the political spectrum. Readers of my blog will realize that I am driven to distraction by both the left and right. I fear that both parties have given up on rational discourse and simply engage in base partisan bickering for the soul purpose of partisan bickering.
Attempting to stand for truth in the modern age entails standing against both the left and right. People trying to discuss issues at a foundational level often appear contrarian despite the fact that they are the least contrarian of the lot.
The partisan ideology of the modern age has created a paradoxical world in which the people who are committed to sound rational thinking tend to appear as contrarians while those who are undermining our ability to engage in discourse cloak their misdeeds in apologetics.
One can judge intention by demeanor. The term contrarian simply provides another example of the paradoxical thinking which defines the world in the modern age.
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A lot of us are on both sides of the divide. We all think we are rational, but we really are just contrarians depending on the issue at hand
Unfortunately people are quick to play the hypocrate and are ok with lying even to themselves. I think within this "information age" people have the desire to be more intelligent than others but are to lazy to come up with their own ideas. Hence the hypocratic role being played by so many.
Who Are You Human!? Lol
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Well, I think you are wrong ...
... Hey, wait a second ...
Maybe I am just a contrarian!?
A person who disagrees with a decision appears intelligent without ever having their ideas put to test.
There are many ways that things can go wrong. I was the first to disagree; then I must be intelligent.
BTW I have found myself making counter arguments just to appear intelligent. That desire to appear intelligent is a strong motivational force. I suspect that people in authority often make counter arguments to subordinates just to assert authority. I can see numerous motivations for people who just automatically disagree before assessing an argument.
I have caught myself in the same mess.😆
I've heard that even the dumb can sound intelligent by keeping their mouth shut. Lol
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Brilliant!
I wish there were more people who would take this advice.
In a similar vein to contrarian, I like to play devil's advocate in many arguments.
I will argue a point that I may not even believe - and the purpose is to better understand both sides of the debate.
Sometimes mistakes can also be avoided by thinking i these terms - similar to rhinki g outside the box. (In this case, outside the group-think or mainstream box).
😂 I've done that same thing! Just don't start manipulating people ok?😆
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I find that as I get older, I get more optimistic. There are so many more unconscious safeguards in the human spirit than I realized when I was younger. I find that my optimism lends itself to a more pragmatic outlook. I don't feel that the world needs to be fixed in a radical way. It just needs to be gently nudged in the right direction. For that reason, these days I'm actually very optimistic about the right. Not because I think it's perfect in terms of principle, but because I think what they represent is superior to what we have now. A move to the right, at this point, is a step in the right direction. Of course, once we're in a better place, we should reassess and see what the best way forward is. I envision a future with 3 co-equal parties: the left, the right, and the classical liberals. This third party will be comprised of a combination of people who at present come from both the left and the right, and will be represented by the LP. But this will not happen until the right is even more dominant, because in a two party system where one party is insane, people will overwhelmingly choose the imperfect but sane option. Once the DNC is really forced to acknowledge defeat, then there will be an opportunity to split the right and have a three party system.
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