Subj : The Game
To   : P.E.G.
From : Frank Masingill
Date : Mon Oct 23 2000 07:40 am

 FM> I need to clarify one small matter that may be suitable for a
 FM> Philosophy echo.  I learned about the Melian Dialogue, NOT
 FM> from a history book or even initially from the reading of
 FM> Thucydides but from a PHILOSOPHY book.

 P > For what it's worth:  The questions about history curriculum
 P > recommendations, which you cited in your reply, were asked in
 P > response to Johnson's gibe "at the low level of the knowledge
 P > base of the participants here regarding classical texts or
 P > recent history."  By _recent history_, we think he's referring
 P > to Roosevelt and Churchill's "Four Freedoms" program, though
 P > he could be talking about the history of Fleetwood Mac.

        I appreciate your clarifing the point that it was certainly
not "I" who talked about the "low level of the knowledge base of the
participants here...." I consider it foolish to make such
assumptions.  

        It would probably be nice, also, if such words as
value, value judgement, subjectivism, objectivism, conservatism,
liberalism, pessismism, optimism and the like could be dispensed
with here but ideology has a strong hold on the moderns who love to
use nonsense, meaningless words, substituting them for analysis amd
saying as carefully as possible what one means.  Many of these words
had points of definite origin in the early 19th century vogue of the
positivist and still have immense popularity.  Substituting
"altruism" for "love" gives the positivist a scientistic high that
is almost comparable to a spiritual event!

        What is "recent history" to some would be "ancient" history
to others.  It is difficult for the determined progressivist to
imagine the truth that a Cicero, e.g., had a panoply of "ancient"
history within HIS horizon, just as we do.  What, also, is the
difference between the "ancient" history of the Athens of Plato and
the Sumerian cultural area of, say, 2,000 B.C.?  Often it is almost
as if Christianity ruled the horizons of the world and, for the
atheist, ruining those horizons UNTIL the positivist came along to
make the correction!!!!

        I know little of this is clear.  I'm just lumbering along in
my awkward style, bereft of writing and thinking skills but knowing
enough touch typing to get along (grin).

Frank

--- PPoint 2.07
 * Origin: Maybe in 5000 years (1:396/45.12)

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