Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Finals

I'm busy going through finals, but it's not so bad. I just haven't had any time to sleep.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Getting My Shit In Line

I'm starting to get some direction as to what I want to do after college (or my undergraduate, more specifically). I want to study memes which are pieces of information that are passed by imitation which change over time. A classic example is the urban legend about the guy who gets drugged and wakes up in a bathtub without his kidneys. It has been passed around countless times, and has slowly changed over time. There's a lot more to it than that (hence the Wikipedia link), but it is a really new field with plenty of fields to be worked in.

But to get there, I have to do stuff to make a graduate school application look good (it's how things work), so I've been doing all that stuff to help. That's resulted in a shortage of free time, elevated stress levels, and never enough sleep. I can't wait for break, I am ready for it.

David

Friday, October 28, 2005

Life at 900 MPH

Lately, it feels like my life has been flying by at an incredible rate. I'm not complaining, but I haven't had a lot of downtime. That's probably why I haven't updated my blog lately. When I do have time, I don't really feel like it. It doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon either. I'll try making more frequent posts, as I am doing some reading in some pretty interesting subject areas.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Ironic Quote

This one is just too good:

However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in "A," "B," "C," and "D." Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of "conservatism."
-- Senator Barry Goldwater, Congressional Record

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Is it just me or...

Does it seem like that the middle class is struggling more to keep in the middle class? It just feels like the job market for middle class jobs in America are slowly disappearing. If it is really happening, the long-term implications are pretty scary. It would most likely mean the future economic viability of those who are not already pretty wealthy is disappearing. But even more importantly, a lot of industries depend on the spending of the middle class, such as entertainment and automotive industries, which could cause more job losses, and more downward mobility. It's all kind of scary to think about, being that I will be entering the job market, looking for a career in the next few years.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Quickie

Don't sleepwalk through life.

Monday, September 19, 2005

So much of nothing

I haven't posted in a while, partially due to a lack of a functioning internet connection, partially because I haven't had anything compelling to post. I will figure out something worthwhile to post soon, so check back in a few days. Hopefully there will be something new to read.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Positivity

I haven't been posting much since I got back to school. It's largely due to a hectic schedule with plenty of time commitments coupled with sleep deprivation. I'm going to post yet another thing from my notebook, so you have something new to read. It's about positivity. And by positivity, I mean good stuff.
It is simple: positivity begets positivity. If you try hoarding it, you lose it. If you give it away freely, it comes back tenfold. If you aren't giving out some sort of positivity, you give out negativity. It ranges from mere apathy to downright malice. And that will also come back tenfold. It is up to you to determine what you give, and therefore, what you get.
Just something to think about. Hopefully, I'll get used to my new schedule soon, so I'll have the energy and inspiration to post more.

David

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Back in FoCo

I'm finally back at school, and my computer is fixed! Unfortunately, I've been sleep deprived due to a hectic schedule. So I'm probably not very coherent right now. I'll post again once I get my mind back.

David

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

School

In a couple days, I will be moving back to Fort Collins, so I don't think I'll be able to blog very often until I get my computer fixed or I get settled in (I don't know what'll happen first). Either way, I'm not going to make any promises about when my next post will be. So I will leave you with some lyrics from one of my (many) favorite songs that I think are both encouraging and fitting. They are from the song Phoenix Ignition by Thrice

Like a phoenix ignition
like a crematorium
Like a swelling volition
from the barrel of a gun
From the ashes and the embers
like a rocket I'll ascend
Like a cry gone up for a fallen friend
I'LL ASCEND!

Everyday tear down the walls
till cornerstones remain
Coming ONE STEP CLOSER ALL THE TIME
And although we'll never reach perfection ALWAYS PERSIST TO TRY!

No regrets, just rebirth
move forward, and ignite.
Incandescent Reinvention
a new renaissance
A NEW FIRE EACH DAY!

I still think that is one of the most uplifting songs ever written. I will have time to check my email and stuff, so don't think I'll be completely incommunicado.

David

Saturday, August 13, 2005

This blog

Now that I have established this blog a bit, I'm going to try to shift the purpose of this blog away from me talking about my life, and towards ideas. As a step in that direction, I am going to post something out of my personal notebook that I like. No one has read it, except myself, until now. It's entitled Unity Prayer. It's written in such a way that it is not specific to any belief.
To whoever is listening
I pray for humanity, that they may grow together as one
I pray for my brethren
For those who keep the faith: that they remain strong
For those who lost the faith: that they return
For those who never understood: that they see the light
I pray that malice will be overcome with kindness
Hatred overcome by friendship
Poverty overcome with bounty
I pray that people will not judge each other
But that they will accept each other for who they are
I pray for everyone, that life will be good
For those who came before, and those who are yet to come
For people who share my beliefs, and those who believe otherwise
But ultimately, I pray for
UNITY

I wrote this as something positive for everyone. It doesn't require belief in anything except good intent for everyone. One word that could be misinterpreted is faith, which within the context of the prayer is faith in humanity. Also, when I say brethren, I mean humanity as a whole, but addressed in a brotherly way. It is simply my expression of hope for everyone.

David

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

I'm outta here

Tomorrow I am leaving, and I won't be back for a few days. Unfortunately, I won't be able to blog, check email, etc. So don't complain about the fact that I fell off the face of the world wide web.

I need to fall asleep earlier than 5 tonight, so I am going to stop writing, and go to bed. Peace.

David

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Stuff

I've been bad about posting songs of the day. So I'm no longer going to post a song of the day. Instead, I will start posting the song of the whenever the fuck I feel like it (SOTWTFIFLI). My first SOTWTFIFLI is No Cigar by Millencolin.
MP3
Lyrics

One thing I've been doing this summer is watching a lot of anime. Most of what I like is the ones that have a very elaborate story with lots of philosophical themes. My favorites are Trigun, Gundam Wing, Reign The Conqueror, and Full Metal Alchemist. I've found many people don't like anime, and my theory about that is that some people don't have the patience to get into them. For example, Reign The Conqueror is 13 episodes, and it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense until the last episode, which puts everything into context, along with one of the most insane twists I've ever seen. Others, such as Gundam Wing, have dramatic changes left and right, so if you miss 3 episodes, you'll be lost. If you like epic stories, check it out, but be patient.

I've been cooking a lot lately, and it's really cool to see what I can make. I really want to get some really fresh tuna, because if cooked properly (rare), it tastes so good. Unfortunately, it's hard to get and pretty pricey in Colorado. Mostly I've been trying out new recipes or new flavor combinations. Hopefully, I'll be one of the best amateur chefs around in a few years. I am determined to avoid the bachelor diet of microwave food and ramen when I move out of the dorms.

School is coming up fast, in fact I'll be moving back to Fort Collins on the 18th. I'll be glad to get out of the limbo I've been in all summer. Plus I'll get to corrupt...er...I mean be a role model for the freshmen.

I need to fix my computer, my motherboard is shot (the capacitors in the CPU power reg circuit are fried). Hopefully I'll have it replaced within a month.

I need to stop blogging late at night. Maybe I'll make more sense.

David

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Moshing and other randomness

One thing that is practically synonymous with Punk music is moshing. I ran across an excellent article on Wikipedia about moshing (Link). I was especially impressed with the tips and rules. I'm glad to see someone actually write up the previously unwritten rules of moshing.

The reason I capitalize "Punk" is the same reason I capitalize "Buddhism". They are both ways of life.

I like putting up random thoughts. I separate them by treating them all as separate paragraphs.

If you want to talk to me, and not just comment on my blog, email me at djmark@simla.colostate.edu. Then you might actually get a real response.

Thanks to everyone who posted comments. I will no longer try to provoke them, but I encourage you to comment if you actually would like to comment on something.

If you want a blog like mine, go to http://www.blogger.com/. It's designed to be really easy to use, so there's no reason not to, unless you don't feel like it.

If you need more reading material, go to my friend's blog. He is going to medical school, and has post interesting things about that, among other things.

I'm pretty tired, so if you think this post is disorganized or whatever, I agree. I should sleep now.

David

Friday, August 05, 2005

In response to comments

The reason I was trying to provoke people into commenting is to see how many people read my blog. I know about counters, and they are always horribly inflated because of automated web access (mostly search engines). Thanks for the feedback. As far as comments regarding lyrics, I know people read into them way too much. That is why I use quotes that are pretty clear in their general idea, regardless of whether you recognize them or not. I know that they are not the only part of music with meaning, they are just the easiest to talk about. There is a reason I try to link to MP3s for my songs of the day. But your points are well taken.

Now I feel like pimping some of my favorite causes. Downhill Battle is an organization pushing for a fairer music industry and participatory culture. In essence, they are trying to make the artists more important than the corporations in culture. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an organization that defends freedom in the digital world. They are the ones trying to keep filesharing legal for legitimate purposes. Finally, I would like to urge people to use free/open source software when it meets their needs, as opposed to resorting to proprietary solutions. The most common one is Mozilla Firefox, a web browser that is a great replacement for Internet Explorer. I've been using it for years, and love it.

I'm going to watch some anime now
David

Thursday, August 04, 2005

|o| <-- Tie Fighter

I held off on posting the last few days, because I wanted someone to post a comment on my last post. As of the writing of this post, no one has. I know at least 6 people have read my blog at one time or another. Since I started to post with some level of frequency, my level of comments has pretty much flatlined. So if you haven't already, read the last post, and post a comment. I'm curious how many people actually read this (I'm hoping for at least one post from someone who hasn't said anything about my blog to me yet).

I am refraining from another substantial post until I get a comment, but I won't leave you without a song of the day. It is Alien by Pennywise.
MP3
Lyrics

David
P.S. I'm serious

Monday, August 01, 2005

I think I should explain the little pieces of paper...

One of the things I have done recently at Punk shows is pass out pieces of paper that had lyrics of songs on them, along with a link to this page. I passed out ~550 at the Warped Tour (7/17) and ~150 at Alkaline Trio/Rise Against/Death By Stereo concert(7/29), along with the one the following night.
The one from the Warped Tour read:
Come together and fight together, unite together as one. -– Pennywise
All so different yeah, I say we're all the same. All caught, you know, in the division game. - Operation Ivy
Make some new friends today. Talk to people who are different. It could change your life. -– Me
punkideas.blogspot.com


The one from the other shows read:
Tell me what is worth dying for? Would you give up everything to make one lasting point? -– Strung Out
Is this human freedom hedonistic excess? Junky consumerism, mass-production, toxic sickness - Rancid
I wonder how many people really listen to the lyrics when they hear a song?
http://punkideas.blogspot.com/ djmark@simla.colostate.edu


But what I haven't really explained very well is why I did it. I did it for a few reasons. First, those lyrics mean something to me, and probably did to some of the people received them. I simply put them with a positive thought, and hoped people actually read them and thought about them, whether they recognized the lyrics at all. Furthermore, people who did recognize the lyrics would immediately recognize we have something in common, and something that is a big part of who I am. I believe Punk is something very positive, but at the same time very abstract, and lyrics are used as a way of expressing it. I want to meet people who want to discuss Punk, both lyrically and ideologically, regardless of whether it was a major part of their lives as well as those who had never thought about it.

I know that it is accomplishing these goals to some extent just from talking to people. I ran into a few people each night at the shows who received flyers at the Warped Tour. One guy(sorry, I forgot your name) had put it on his bulletin board. I know that at least some band members and roadies got them each time. I have met countless people through them, and hopefully will continue talking to all of you who wind up here.

So now I came up with an idea to get people to start posting some comments and get some discussions started. Post a favorite song lyrics quote. Feel free to comment on why. I have my blog set to allow anonymous posting, so you don't have to register. I would also like to encourage people to post comments on older posts if they feel so inclined. I would like to discuss any of my ideas. I will make the post, since it's only fair that I do it first.
Try to describe to the limit of my ability:
Its there for a second
Then it's given up what it used to be
Contained in my music somehow more than just sound
This inspiration coming and twisting things around
Because you always know that its gonna have to go
You always know that you'll be back in the cold.
Point of depatrure sublimated in a song
Its always coming to give me that hope for just a second
Then its gone but
Sound system gonna bring me back up
One thing that I can depend on

I think that's one of the best ways to describe what the music means to me.

I won't post a song of the day, just because I've already blown an hour doing this blog post, and really should go to bed.

David

Saturday, July 30, 2005

Life is good

The last couple of nights were really awesome. Aside from the awesome performances put on, there were a few things that I won't soon forget. At the show Thursday, there was a time where a fight almost broke out. I say almost because the only reason punches weren't thrown was because half a dozen people threw themselves in between before anything could happen. What was cool was the people who broke them up talked some sense into them, and a couple minutes later, they were completely cool with each other. Second was all the people I seem to keep running into at concerts, sorry I suck with names, but you know who you are. Third was Gretchen, who I run into every show I go to in Denver. You are truly amazing. Finally, meeting Death By Stereo at the show on Friday. You guys are awesome, have a great time touring all over the world.

This song of the day feels kind of appropriate right now. Sorry, no MP3 this time, but they do have a music video. It's Wasted Words by Death By Stereo. Be sure to read the lyrics.
Video:56K DSL
Lyrics

Ok, now I feel like I should plug my essay on what I think Punk is. Read it, and give me feedback. There is a good chance you could be the first person to tell me what you think about it. Also if you use Myspace, check out my profile.

Peace,
David

Friday, July 29, 2005

I'm beat

I had a great time at the concert, but it really wore me out. I enjoyed talking to all of the people there. I really don't have a whole lot to say right now, so here's the song of the day: Violins by Joey Cape (This is an acoustic version of a Lagwagon song)
MP3
Lyrics

Peace,
David

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Life

I've come to realize some of my fears in the last few days. One of my own fears is in my ability to meet my own expectations. It sounds kind of strange, but in many ways it was holding me back. I was reminded of a short scene from the movie Waking Life. If you haven't seen it, it is a bunch of monologues and dialogues on philisophical, political, and life in general.
The quest is to be liberated from the negative, which is really our own will to nothingness. And, once having said yes to the instant, the affirmation is contagious. It bursts into a chain of affirmations that knows no limit. To say yes to one instant, is to say yes to all of existence.
This can be taken many ways, but in a way my fear was just me being afraid to say yes to some of the opportunities that come my way. But it wasn't just fear, it was apathy that had come along with the feeling of lacking direction in the short term. This summer I felt a lot of the time as if I really had nothing worthwile to do. But while I was in Hawaii, I had a fair amount of time to just reflect on a lot of things. While I was in Hawaii, I made a friend who just talked to me about life, and it was one of the best conversations I had in a long time.

Since I've been back, I feel reenergized, and really want to put some of my ideas in essay form. Expect a lot more like the one I already wrote. Or even an update to that (I'll let you know if I do that).

As promised I have a song of the day for all of you. It is Too Close To See by Strung Out.
MP3
Lyrics

I'm going to be at a concert tomorrow night (Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, and Death By Stereo, for all of you who were wondering). I don't know if I will post or not, but there is a good chance I will. Maybe I'll see some of you at the show.

Embrace what is good
David

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Back from Hawaii

The reason I haven't posted in a week is because I went to Oahu with my family. It was a great reminder that some of the best thing that happen to me are completely unexpected. The scenery and beaches were beautiful. Also, I had several Strung Out songs stuck in my head the entire time (not that it was a bad thing). One thing I get a kick out of is the souviniers I got, which is issues 1&2 of the Second Stage Turbine Blade comic book. Every place in Colorado was sold out, but I found them in a mall in Hawaii, so I got them. If you don't know what they are, they are the comic books that go along with Coheed and Cambria's CDs. They are awesome.

I don't have a song of the day, but I will get one for tomorrow, once I am a little better adjusted. Also, I've been spending some time updating my myspace.com profile. Here is a link if you want to check it out: http://www.myspace.com/punkideas

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Warped Tour '05

The Warped Tour was great this year, and the bands were fucking awesome. The four that stand out in my mind are Strung Out, Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold, and Atreyu. They all completely had not only a great performance, but the audience was awesome too. Also, I met a whole bunch of people, handed out 550 little strips of paper advertising this blog, and had a great time. If you didn't see the strips of paper, here is a link to the file I used to print them off. Several people came up to me later in the day saying how they appreciated what I had done. I had a great time, and will be back again next year.

David

Sunday, July 17, 2005

I'm beat

I went to the Warped Tour today. It was awesome, but I have no energy left. I was thrilled to meet a bunch of people. If you came here because of a little slip of paper, please leave a comment or email me at djmark[at]simla.colostate.edu. I'm too tired to come up with anything good to write, and I'll talk about Warped Tour tomorrow, once I get some rest. Also, check out my essay on Punk if you haven't already.

David

Saturday, July 16, 2005

A piece I've been working on

It's gonna be a short post tonight, because I finished an essay on what I think Punk is that is actually decently long. So check that out instead.
http://rogue.darktech.org/~markham/

Your song of the day is Nowhere Fast, by Pennywise
MP3
Lyrics

David

Friday, July 15, 2005

Something I've been thinking about...

Lately, I've been pondering whether or not it is possible for me to achieve my goals without compromising my ideology. Are my goals and ideology in indirect conflict due to mutually exclusive obligations? I have no way of knowing without actually trying to achieve my goals by acting consistently with what I believe. Actually, my beliefs obligate me to assume that they are not mutually exclusive, but it doesn't stop me from wondering if this path is futile. Needless to say, I have too much time on my hands for contemplation of my life, where it has been, and where I will go with it.
Song of the day: Darkness Surrounding By Avenged Sevenfold
MP3
Lyrics

I need to listen to things other than my own head more.
David

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Sometimes life hurts

I ran across a very interesting and powerful story about a band I listen to, Death By Stereo. They played a concert, where at the very end an accident killed a fan and severely injured 3 others. Despite it tearing them up, they feel compelled to keep making music. Several of the songs of their latest album are about that incident. For a more complete story, go to Epitaph repost of MTV.com story. Even though it is MTV.com, they did do the story justice. The song of the day is Forget Regret by Death By Stereo
MP3
Lyrics

David

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Today's Post

I couldn't think of anything to write about today until I listened to a CD by Operation Ivy. I was reminded of many life lessons that are beautifully expressed in their music. So instead of a normal song of the day, I was just going to link you tio a bunch of sites where you can get their music, lyrics, history, etc.
Operation Ivy.com - Lots of rare songs, lyrics, band history
Lookout Records - Their record label, some mp3s.

That band truly demonstrated what it is to be Punk.

David

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Today's Post

In many ways we are lucky to be alive here in this day and age. We have access to countless examples of amazing technology, and more are constantly coming out. We can depend on these for our everyday lives. But there are some major problems. Our generation is plagued by depression and apathy. Culturally, the majority of people are given their identity via marketing, and those who fight against these things are constantly battling blind conformity and fear of the unknown. To quote Louis Mackey Which is the most universal human characteristic: fear or laziness? Either way, it is best not to be afraid or lazy.
Song of the day: Heaven Knows by Rise Against
MP3 download
Lyrics

Later all
David

Monday, July 11, 2005

I've upgraded my computer

I spent all night installing and setting up Ubuntu Linux to replace my knoppix setup that I have been running. So far it runs well, but I still need to get a lot of software going. It's been a pretty long night.

The Song of the Day is Idiots Are Taking Over by NOFX
MP3 download
Lyrics

Sorry about the short and boring post. I promise I'll make up for it tomorrow.

David

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Another random post

How much of who we are is determined by the environment that we were raised in? An interesting theory that I have run across, is that there are certain traits we are born with, but those traits will affect the environment that we are raised in. For example a child who is taller and more agile might be encouraged to play basketball, so therefore he plays more and is better, while another child may have a predisposition to math and wind up working in physics. Just something to thing about. Unfortunately, I can't find the original source of the theory.

Now for the song of the day: Yesterday's Headlines by Good Riddance
Legal MP3 Download
Lyrics

Later,
David

Friday, July 08, 2005

Don't get too excited

It's just another post from yours truly. One thing I've been thinking about lately is what counterculture could learn from the Religious Right. Counterculture groups are so concerned with not being the establishment, no one rises upto rally the troops. Everyone who rises to the occasion is another opinionated person who wants to be heard. So what does this have to do with the Religious Right? They use various communications mechanisms to repeat certain ideas, like how Roe v Wade needs to be overturned so we can restore the moral fabric of our country. These messages affect the actions of the individuals who would be considered conservative christians. No one in the counterculture is willing to do what Karl Rove does for Bush and the Republicans. No one has successfully packaged the messages of the various counterculture sects in a manner that provokes action. There is nothing wrong with marketing and PR if it is used for the right reasons.

So, now on to my song of the day. It is Suffer, by Bad Religion. It is a true punk rock classic that never gets old.
Legal MP3 Download
Lyrics

I'll talk to all of you again tomorrow.

David

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Like I said...

I will post every day if possible. The only problem is that I have no idea what to post about, so instead of a well thought out, coherent post, I will ramble aimlessly.

The one thing I can think of talking about is why I am posting songs of the day. I do it because Punk is one thing that I know. Currently, my music playlist is over 80 hours. That's my playlist, not my collection. I've decided to try my best to post songs that can be downloaded for free legally off of official websites (either band or record label. The song of the day today is Unstoppable by Death By Stereo.
MP3 Download
Lyrics

I guess I'll start rambling about my summer...oh wait, I haven't done much. I went to Syracuse, NY for the NACURH 2005 Conference. I've been to a few small concerts, a bunch of local bands that are actually pretty cool. Otherwise, I've been hanging out with friends or wasting time in front of a CRT or 3.

I am trying to learn some real web design, beyond the basic links, images and formatting, and hopefully I'll pick that up pretty quick. I spend way too much time trying to have conversations over IM, so if you have my screen name, please feel free to IM me if I am here. It is always greatly appreciated.

This is a random link to something I found. Click if you dare

Comments are appreciated, and no registration is required.

David

I'M BAAAAAAAAACK!!

Hey everyone, I'm back from my dry spell of not posting. Since school has been out, I've had nothing to do, and I have found that having nothing to do makes you feel like doing nothing. It's no fun either.

One thing I've realized in the last couple of days is that I have useful, constructive things I could be doing, but haven't had the motivation to get off the couch and do them. When I actually get up and do them, I feel great and get a lot of stuff done. I will try to post every day, just so I have one more thing to do, and to make sure, I am going to post a song of the day every day I post. If you know how to get a hold of me, I can help you find them. My song of the day today is Analog by Strung Out.
Here is a link to a (legal) download.
Here are the lyrics.
Check it out, and I hope you come back tomorrow for another post.

Friday, April 15, 2005

Read a free book!!!

There are plenty of media resources on the internet. One thing that is becoming more common is people publishing books online for free, usually because they feel that people reading them is more important than making money off them. Here are a couple good ones: Free Culture and The Cluetrain Manifesto. Also, if you want to read public domain works, most of which predate modern copyright law, check out Project Gutenberg

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

A shortie

You can never count on what will happen. Sometimes the strangest and most wonderful things happen at the most unexpected of times.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

A Quickie

Due to comments indicating people actually do see this page, I will continue to make posts. Here's a quick one:
I've been incredibly busy this semester with school and other obligations, and I have found I am more satisfied with what I am doing, as a whole, when I am keeping myself occupied with worthwhile things.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Does anyone actually read this?

I haven't heard about anyone reading this blog in a while. So if you do, please post a comment to this post.

David (please)

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Reasoning

In formal logic, there are are two different types of reasoning, deductive and inductive. Deductive is coming to a conclusion by using evidence to eliminate all other conclusions. Inductive reasoning is making a valid conclusion based on the evidence. Deductive reasoning is more powerful, but is possible in fewer situations. Most reasoning we do on important things, such as politics and religion, is inductive. This has some important implications. First, and most importantly, multiple correct conclusions that are contradictory may occur. More importantly, people cannot validly say that a conclusion that contradicts their own is wrong, in an absolute sense.