NOT THINKING MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOU'RE SORRY

It is always mildly amusing to see the foundations of leftist thought exposed (I say "mildly", because it is also somewhat frightening); but here is one of the key components of their epistemology condensed into a pithy sentence or two by a commenter yesterday on this thread:

YOU, Dr. Insanity are the one who is paranoid and delusional. The polls prove that we are the ones who are in touch with reality.

The Anchoress noted with interest yesterday that the polls, never worth looking at before, have seemed to lately disappeared. Except that she spoke too soon. This morning we have two new polls that supposedly have something to do with reality:

1. From CBS: POLL: ZARQAWI DEATH HAS LITTLE IMPACT

2. From CNN: POLL: MOST THINK IRAQ WAR A MISTAKE

How comforting those two polls must be for Mr or Ms Anonymous comment! They soothe any disconnect his cognitive abillities might possibly experience when compared to his emotional being.

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies of what is meant by "knowledge". In other words, it asks: What does it mean to "know" something as opposed to merely having an opinion?

This issue has been at the core of Western philosophy since before Socrates, since--until it has been answered--all other questions become unsolvable. Mr. Anonymous seems to believe that the way to "know" something is to poll a bunch of people and see what they think. Majority rules obviously. If a majority think something is true, then it must be true!

This is, to say the least, taking democracy to the most irrational extreme. It may come as a surprise to Mr. or Ms. Anonymous and friends, but reality doesn't depend on a vote. Oh, you can try to pretend that it does, but reality has a way of coming back to sting you every time you ignore it.

Apparently, for some, not only is epistemology dependent on the polls, but ethics are too. It is no great stretch to conclude that Mr. Anonymous (and most of the left, for that matter) have come to the postmodern conclusion that as long as many people believe something is bad, then it must be bad. For them there is no objective right or wrong, independent of their own or others opinions; there is no objective reality; independent of their belief or ideology.

Reality is relative. Knowledge is relative. Morality is relative. Except....except....that their particular beliefs and/or ideology are absolute. If the polls go against those belief or ideology--the polls are then ignored.

It's a very convenient way of looking at the world, designed in fact, to never ever have to say you are sorry for being wrong or immoral.

Even if you happen to be both.