The Sage Forge

Continue reading "On "Christian" Leaders" »

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Lee Emmerich Jamison

Descartes said "I think, therefore I am." Well, he said it in French but that's what he meant. How we deal with the singular way humans are that is different from the way we see every other animal being is really quite remarkable. We do seem very different. It’s an important enough point to us one might think we were a little insecure about it. The fact of the matter is, though, that a lot of our behaviors are modeled pretty well in a number of other animals, particularly in chimpanzees. The behavior of small human tribes, or small groups in large tribes (you might call them "cities") is really remarkably like that observed in chimps. These animals and some others, such as dogs and horses, may lead solitary lives but they usually do not. As a matter of fact they seem to derive a tremendous sense of purpose from the communal context of their existence. So, indeed, do we. Is thinking really the essence of being, or is there something to the jostling we experience among these inconvenient other humans that is important to being? Smart as Descartes was, and believe me he gets a lot of credit in that area, was he right?

Continue reading "Thinking of Being" »

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Lee Emmerich Jamison

Yesterday I wrote of a world led with prejudice and the danger of being outside the dominant mindset.  This is an important issue because of a simple fact, crucial to understanding how politics and culture are shaped. 

Nobody, well, no human being, lives in the "real" world.

Continue reading "Reality" »

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Lee Emmerich Jamison

When a group is outside of society's philosophical "comfort zone" they need to be very cautious about seeming to have a high N.Q.  What is that?, you may ask.

It's the "Nut Quotient".

Continue reading "The "N.Q."" »

Posted by emmerichjamison at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (862) | TrackBacks (0)

Lee Emmerich Jamison

Re:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070124/bs_afp/useconomybudget_070124203818

The report referenced above shows the budget deficit narrowing dramatically in spite of huge increases in Federal spending and what the Democratic Party once referred to as catastrophic reductions in revenues (i.e., tax cuts).  How does this happen?  It's not hard to understand, really. 

People who worship false idols can't comprehend reality.  Now, there is a perfectly rational explanation for their picture of the world.  One can trace all the dots and make the picture come out the same way every time.  If the founding premise of their world view is false, however, the whole structure will be wrong.  No matter how compellingly logical it may seem.

The false idol of the Democratic Party is money.  If you can pass out money you have something.  If you can take money home from some organization, government program, job, or criminal enterprise you have self respect.  Listen between the lines and you will hear this idol being extolled left and right by Democrats.

Soon you will be hearing of the efforts of Democrats to raise taxes on "the rich" to "increase government revenues".  When they are successful at raising taxes there will be a short term increase in revenues soon offset by slowdowns in the economy- which will be blamed on "the rich".

Continue reading "The Mammonites" »

Posted by emmerichjamison at 08:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lee Emmerich Jamison

I have been poring over a group of articles in the most recent Time magazine on the confluence of mind and brain.  This has been an area of particular interest for me for all of my life, starting when I was less than eight years old.  Life-long interest can sharpen the mind on many issues and this is one of them.  Over the next several weeks I will be addressing this growing interest in the mind, how it illuminates who and what we are, and how in some areas it is seriously flawed.  First, though, the reader should understand the foundation of my insight into the one mind and brain I know best, the one in which I reside.

Continue reading "Dichomaton" »

Posted by emmerichjamison at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The following column (hereinafter referred to as "The Column") may contain elements of humor and/or serious commentary. The reader is under no obligation to read this product. As a voluntary user of this product the reader is advised that he/she proceeds at his/her own risk. No warranty is made or implied as to the universal appeal of elements intended as humor, or those intended as serious commentary, nor is any warranty made or implied as to distinct divisions between elements intended as humor and elements intended as commentary. Failure on the part of the reader to detect disernable differences between humorous and serious passages and/or elements shall not be deemed a defect in this product for legal purposes. Nor shall such failure be deemed to imply a defect in the reader.

Continue reading "Author's Disclaimer" »

Posted by emmerichjamison at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lee Emmerich Jamison

It occurred to me someone might ask the question, "What do you mean by 'Sage Forge'?"

First of all the name has a great feel to it.  Second, it runs deep.

Last night President Bush announced a revision of his strategy in Iraq.  He's had to do this because what he has been doing has not worked as he had hoped it would.  That is because he has been trying to prove that he was better than his enemies, not enemies in Iraq, enemies here at home.

From the first days of "compassionate conservatism", back in 1998 the people he has been trying to beat have been so-called "Liberals" and their perceived opinion of so-called "Conservatives".  From that day to this the thing that, above all other things, George Bush the younger has seemed totally convinced of is that there was little use in having a heartfelt discussion with all the American people on how our values are better served by his philosopies.  The press is a bunch of liberals.  Why discuss anything with them?

Continue reading "Sage Forge Blog 2" »

Posted by emmerichjamison at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Sage Forge is a totally new endeavor for me and will be marked by some clumsiness to begin with. 

Initially we will start with themes drawn from a collection of my columns for the Huntsville (TX) Item.  These will be updated to conform with current events where necessary and will provide a foundation of my thoughts on the wide variety of subjects on which it has seemed important to comment over the years.

Certain areas of discussion, such as general philosopies on subjects like science, religion, politics, and culture don't really change all that much with time.  Others, like the current events that illuminate these philosophical positions, change rapidly.  In this blog I will try to deal with all of this.

I actually have to make a living.  I am a professional artist, a career that demands I produce art -- a time-consuming process.  Updates may not be a daily event, but I have managed to write a column on a weekly basis and anticipate that posts will be made three to four times weekly as I get used to this format.

Lee Emmerich Jamison

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