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"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
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Author:  Shannon Andrew Walsh
Bio: Shannon Andrew Walsh
Date:  September 27, 2011
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Topic category:  Secession - Formation of a New Constitutional Republic

Meditation on Subject and Object

As far back as Francis Bacon it was observed that what an investigator discovers is usually affected by what they are looking for. This idea, known as intentionality, was worked out in greater detail by the phenomenological school, including Edmund Husserl. The basic idea can in some ways be related to the old linguistic distinction between subject and object; doer and that to which is done. The harsh reality of life is that while every man is a subject to himself, he is usually an object to everybody else. This brings about a certain respect for the thoughts and feelings of our peers, as our imaginings must be balanced against their reactions.

Politicians, however, have the mental distortion of thinking that somehow they should regard the public as objects, but never themselves be regarded as objects. This leads to the arrogance of thinking of criticism as irrational or morally defective. Thus, President Obama can fail miserably as a leader and claim racism as a motivation for such criticism. The President is always properly a subject, and regarding him as anything but a doer of action (preferably actions he likes to admit to) can only be based on malevolence. Thus, accountability, a bastion of republican government, is made into something unfair or disrespectful. As a consequence, the aversion to objective modes of thought allows a total disregard for the thoughts and feelings of President Obama's detractors.

Shannon Andrew Walsh
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Biography - Shannon Andrew Walsh

Shannon Walsh holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master's degree in History from Western Illinois University. A lifelong Catholic, Mr. Walsh is a student of philosophical history.


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