I AM AN ARGUMENT
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I am an argument.
I arise when brains, by means of words or actions, attempt to convince each other that a given set of thoughts each brain had, are, in fact, the Most True Thoughts to Have.
Convergent thought-sets connect brains. Divergent thought-sets divide them.
The Truth only matters to some brains sometimes and is only relevant to me, the argument, when enough thought-sets converge upon me. When this happens, I, the argument cease to exist.
So, this implies, that an argument, like me, that wants to keep existing must do the following:
Keep the movement of words and actions consistent and ongoing.
Ensure that the fewest possible brains develop thought-sets that converge upon (and thereby connect those brains to) the truth. If it remains irrelevant, any argument can survive.
Should the movement of words and actions cease, I need is a brain with two functional hemispheres to hide in. It's not fun or ideal, but a brain that is arguing with itself is life support enough for even the most obscure and unhealthy arguments. In such situations, the irrelevance of the Truth is essential to the argument's survival.
It is also important to understand that until I point out the fact that simply declaring an argument to exist does not indeed make it so until, at the very least, one half-brain has attempted to deny its existence. And so I am an argument only if there are at least two sides. Even if it's only one brain.
An argument that says it only has one side is lying to you - it's only half an argument, trying to bluff it's way to dialectic glory.
And finally, the truth only ends an argument when the brains involved converge upon it.
Which, when you think about it, makes this argument kinda easy to kill.
Peace, Love and a Little Madness
Nomad.
You may not make many posts, but if they are all this good, then I suppose quality trumps quantity. :)
Mr Wizard... you flatter me :) I'm hoping to post more and more often... I just have to work around the idiosyncrasies of my life here in S.A.
But I will always favor quality over quantity when it comes to words and stories (and woodworking tools).
Of course, the other thing about arguments is that they can only exist where there is a mindset that any situation — by definition — must have "winners" and "losers." If we simply brush winning/losing aside and look for solutions, the argument tends to die.
Very interesting and thoughtful post. Found you via @clayboyn.
You speak truth, Mr Denmarkguy... :) I would add though, that when folks decide that their solution is the only viable one, the argument pulls a phoenix and flares again. I guess that's why problems are solved and arguments resolved (teehee).
Found this a little bit too late, yet being one of the best posts this month
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I like it! Quite true indeed!
This is the problem with analytical minds. You overthink situations and replay past situations in your mind. Very rare things are clear cut and we often make tasks harder than they are.
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Duuude, I like this way of describing an argument - from 1st person point of view. Like all living things, it wants to survive and thrive :)
This somewhat reminds me of Daniel Dannett's talk about how ideas are comparable to "mind parasites" (from a biological perspective) the way they root themselves in our mind, and dictate behavior...
Thanks @clayboyn for curating this post!
A nice sounding phrase, an interesting idea, presented in that graphic (though not really connected to the blog):
But that's a specious rendering of the justification for war in the name of peace. It properly goes like this: We go to war to protect our peaceful way of life.
Playing with words, with words I play. To say several things, several things, I say. Now should you see, there was more that was said. That is to say, I said "The truth of war, though... Is that peace is forgotten without it". Read the whole thing before presuming to know what I meant. And since the piece is about arguments and truth, perhaps it's not so unconnected... Yes?
Connected like an individual human being and the human species
Sure. If you like.
Also, thanks for some fun and thought provoking comments. I've enjoyed the challenges you present.