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Essay:Liberal Intellectualism

2009-03-26T23:06:02Z

Shininglight:

[[Liberal]] ideology, and [[liberal]] arguments, have their greatest appeal with intellectual wannabees: people who are long in academic degrees but short in intellectual achievements of their own. Perhaps they genuinely fall for the superficial, fallacious [[liberal logic]], or perhaps they just enjoy the attention and extra income in being pseudo-intellectuals and media-promoted experts.

Examples of not-quite-intellectuals who promote [[liberal]] arguments include:

*[[John Kerry]]
:*privileged youth, weak student at [[Yale]], no original work
*[[Al Gore]]
:*privileged youth, poor graduate student, claimed to help with the creation of the [[internet]]<ref>Al Gore bragged, "I took the initiative in creating the Internet." [http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/03/09/president.2000/transcript.gore/]</ref>
:*does not understand that [[correlation is not causation]]
*[[Bill Clinton]]
:*may have virtually flunked out of the pre-med program at [[Georgetown University]], never released his grades, failed to earn a degree at [[Oxford]], no original work or ideas
*[[Richard Dawkins]]
:*lasted only 2 years teaching at [[University of California, Berkeley]], a mere lecturer at [[Oxford]] until a wealthy patron donated a "[[professorship]]" for him
*[[Stephen Jay Gould]]
:*[[Antioch College]] graduate (geology major), his work is riddled with contradictions
*[[Laurence Tribe]]
:*dropped out of a graduate math program, passed over initially for Law Review, passed over for [[Solicitor General]] in 1993,<ref>Tribe admitted he was being considered, but he was not nominated. "Under Clinton, Crimson tide washes over Washington," The Boston Globe (Mar. 4, 1993).</ref> [[plagiarism]] later found in his work<ref>"Joseph Bottum, books and arts editor of the Weekly Standard, presents overwhelming evidence to support his claim that Tribe's 1985 book, God Save This Honorable Court, was largely copied from a 1974 book called Justices and Presidents by the University of Virginia's Henry J. Abraham. Bottum's case rests on the relentless citation of example after example where it is clear that Tribe has copied both the substance and, in many cases, the exact wording of Abraham's text. Most damning is Tribe's repetition of errors, like slight misquotations of original sources, in Abraham's book."[http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/007975.php]</ref>
*[[Robert McNamara]]
:*described as a "whiz kid," he wrote or did nothing of significance, mishandled [[Vietnam War]]
*[[Henry Kissinger]]
:*fluent in relatively few languages for a diplomat, had no insights or noteworthy work, mishandled [[Vietnam War]] and [[Soviet Union]]
*[[J. Robert Oppenheimer]]
:*repeatedly passed over for the [[Nobel Prize]] due to a lack of achievement, allowed multiple leaks from [[Los Alamos]]. Noted Communist.
*[[Jon Stewart]]
:*overrated comedian who primarily makes fun of Conservatives to hide that he has no productive ideas of his own. He often makes fun of Christians and Christmas, but then claims to be Jewish as a way of protecting himself from criticism.
*[[Noam Chomsky]]
:*famous for making a few guesses about [[linguistics]] some of which turned out to be partially correct. He has not done any work in linguistics in 30 years and just spends his time promoting left-wing politics outside his supposed area of expertise.
*[[John Maynard Keynes]]
:*dropped out of [[math]] to pursue the less rigorous [[economics]], but was unable to earn a doctorate even in that
*[[Michel Foucault]]
*[[Rachel Carson]]
:* Started the [[environmentalist]] movement with her book [[Silent Spring]] which was found to be full of errors, exaggerations and disregard for actual [[science]].
*[[Bertrand Russell]]
:*claimed to be proving the completeness and consistency of math, a goal [[Godel]] proved was impossible. Advocated unilateral nuclear disarmament.
*[[Ward Churchill]]
:*Offended millions of Americans by comparing those that died in 9/11 to Adolf Eichmann, notorious organizer of the [[Holocaust]]. Had the gall to sue the University that terminated him.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jul25/0,4670,EmbattledProfessor,00.html</ref>
*[[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr.]]
:*privileged youth, rise to the top based upon family name and inherited connections. Currently publisher of the ''[[New York Times]]''.
*[[Charles Darwin]]
:*poor student
*[[Carl Sagan]]
:*insisted that there must be life in outer space
*[[Hillary Rodham Clinton]]
:*flunked the [[D.C.]] bar exam; worked on the House Judiciary impeachment staff investigating [[Richard Nixon]]. Hillary's work was so poorly conceived and drafted that a member of the Committee, [[William Dixon]] said Hillary "paid no attention to the way the [[Constitution]] works in this country, the way politics works, the way Congress works, the way legal safeguards are set up."<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=foWUM2R1K0wC&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121&dq=hillary+nixon+olson&source=web&ots=06xJC-jwnM&sig=P6LflOsDROMR16cn_WGvXg4iZHU#PPA122,M1 Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton], By Barbara Olson, Regnery Publishing, Inc, 2001, pp. 122-123.</ref>
*[[Al Franken]]
:*Puerile jokester turned politician wannabe
*[[Ernest Hemingway]]
:*Supported [[Socialists]] in the Spanish Civil War. Overrated writer. Went insane and killed himself.
*[[Linus Pauling]]
:*Proponent of Vitamin C cure-all [[junk science]]
*[[Oscar Wilde]]
:*Mostly wrote silly comedies, little of substance. Sexual deviant.
*[[Jesus Christ]]
:*Privileged youth, advocated liberal doctrines of pacifism/tolerance/love for one's enemies. Confirmed bachelor. Socialist/anarchist. Associated with prostitutes and other sinners, revolutionaries. Blasphemer. May not even have existed.

Please add other examples.

== Praised Heaped by Pseudo-Intellectual [[Liberals]] on Each Other ==

It is remarkable how pseudo-intellectual [[liberal]]s praise each other as geniuses. Examples include:

*[[Bertrand Russell]] declaring that the most intelligent man he ever knew was [[John Maynard Keynes]]<ref>http://www.hwkhelp.com/node/43</ref>

*[[Laurence Tribe]], who saw the best law students for several decades, insisted that fellow [[liberal]] [[Barack Obama]] was the "best student I ever had" and the "most exciting research assistant."<ref>http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]</ref>

Please add other examples.

== Motivation ==

There are two primary motivations for the [[liberal]] advocacy by pseudo-intellectuals:

* it is easier for them to obtain acclaim from the liberal press than from real intellectuals

* they genuinely fail to understand certain abstractions, such as:

:* how cutting taxes often increases government revenue ([[Laffer Curve]])
::* it should be noted that many economist also fail to understand this <ref>Blanchard, O. ''Macroeconomics, 4th edition''. 2003, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall (p. 430-431, 500)</ref><ref>Begg, D. Fischer, S. & Dornbusch, R. ''Economics, 8th Edition''. 2005, Berkshire, United Kingdom: McGraw-Hill (p. 289-290)</ref>
:* how guns save more lives through deterrence and prevention than they harm
:* how childbirth has a positive effect on health, and thus [[abortion]] harms health
:* how cease-fires always help a determined opponent in war
:* how arms limitations treaties always helps a dishonest adversary

* they expect superficial, flawed logic to persuade others, such as:

:* claiming that inequality in outcome implies discrimination
:* demanding equal treatment for genders in all situations
:* claiming that the [[gay agenda]] is like the civil rights struggle by African Americans
:* insisting that government can reduce poverty with more programs

Please add to these lists.

== Superiority Complex ==
The liberal believes they are superior to others. Not in a physical sense but mentally, they have their high ground and nobody dare challenge. If you challenge Liberal Intellectualism thinking and beliefs, you risk being ridiculed. A good example is the classic Democrats versus Democratics statement. Liberal Intellectualism will say that it is not proper to use the sentence with the word Democrats, it must be proper, so it must be Democratics. However, 'Democrats' will suffice rather well and the reader understands regardless. There are many instances where Democratic politicians use the word Democrats. Howard Dean says "Democrats have a lot of work to do among seniors." The nation's liberal newspapers use the word Democrats. Google's spellcheck prefers Democrats. The website for congress is addressed 'democrats.senate.gov' Excuses for insisting are endless and a part of Liberal Intellectualism thinking.

== References ==

<references/>
[[Category:Essays about Liberals]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

Essay:Liberal Intellectualism

2009-03-26T23:04:09Z

Shininglight:

[[Liberal]] ideology, and [[liberal]] arguments, have their greatest appeal with intellectual wannabees: people who are long in academic degrees but short in intellectual achievements of their own. Perhaps they genuinely fall for the superficial, fallacious [[liberal logic]], or perhaps they just enjoy the attention and extra income in being pseudo-intellectuals and media-promoted experts.

Examples of not-quite-intellectuals who promote [[liberal]] arguments include:

*[[John Kerry]]
:*privileged youth, weak student at [[Yale]], no original work
*[[Al Gore]]
:*privileged youth, poor graduate student, claimed to help with the creation of the [[internet]]<ref>Al Gore bragged, "I took the initiative in creating the Internet." [http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/03/09/president.2000/transcript.gore/]</ref>
:*does not understand that [[correlation is not causation]]
*[[Bill Clinton]]
:*may have virtually flunked out of the pre-med program at [[Georgetown University]], never released his grades, failed to earn a degree at [[Oxford]], no original work or ideas
*[[Richard Dawkins]]
:*lasted only 2 years teaching at [[University of California, Berkeley]], a mere lecturer at [[Oxford]] until a wealthy patron donated a "[[professorship]]" for him
*[[Stephen Jay Gould]]
:*[[Antioch College]] graduate (geology major), his work is riddled with contradictions
*[[Laurence Tribe]]
:*dropped out of a graduate math program, passed over initially for Law Review, passed over for [[Solicitor General]] in 1993,<ref>Tribe admitted he was being considered, but he was not nominated. "Under Clinton, Crimson tide washes over Washington," The Boston Globe (Mar. 4, 1993).</ref> [[plagiarism]] later found in his work<ref>"Joseph Bottum, books and arts editor of the Weekly Standard, presents overwhelming evidence to support his claim that Tribe's 1985 book, God Save This Honorable Court, was largely copied from a 1974 book called Justices and Presidents by the University of Virginia's Henry J. Abraham. Bottum's case rests on the relentless citation of example after example where it is clear that Tribe has copied both the substance and, in many cases, the exact wording of Abraham's text. Most damning is Tribe's repetition of errors, like slight misquotations of original sources, in Abraham's book."[http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/007975.php]</ref>
*[[Robert McNamara]]
:*described as a "whiz kid," he wrote or did nothing of significance, mishandled [[Vietnam War]]
*[[Henry Kissinger]]
:*fluent in relatively few languages for a diplomat, had no insights or noteworthy work, mishandled [[Vietnam War]] and [[Soviet Union]]
*[[J. Robert Oppenheimer]]
:*repeatedly passed over for the [[Nobel Prize]] due to a lack of achievement, allowed multiple leaks from [[Los Alamos]]. Noted Communist.
*[[Jon Stewart]]
:*overrated comedian who primarily makes fun of Conservatives to hide that he has no productive ideas of his own. He often makes fun of Christians and Christmas, but then claims to be Jewish as a way of protecting himself from criticism.
*[[Noam Chomsky]]
:*famous for making a few guesses about [[linguistics]] some of which turned out to be partially correct. He has not done any work in linguistics in 30 years and just spends his time promoting left-wing politics outside his supposed area of expertise.
*[[John Maynard Keynes]]
:*dropped out of [[math]] to pursue the less rigorous [[economics]], but was unable to earn a doctorate even in that
*[[Michel Foucault]]
*[[Rachel Carson]]
:* Started the [[environmentalist]] movement with her book [[Silent Spring]] which was found to be full of errors, exaggerations and disregard for actual [[science]].
*[[Bertrand Russell]]
:*claimed to be proving the completeness and consistency of math, a goal [[Godel]] proved was impossible. Advocated unilateral nuclear disarmament.
*[[Ward Churchill]]
:*Offended millions of Americans by comparing those that died in 9/11 to Adolf Eichmann, notorious organizer of the [[Holocaust]]. Had the gall to sue the University that terminated him.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jul25/0,4670,EmbattledProfessor,00.html</ref>
*[[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr.]]
:*privileged youth, rise to the top based upon family name and inherited connections. Currently publisher of the ''[[New York Times]]''.
*[[Charles Darwin]]
:*poor student
*[[Carl Sagan]]
:*insisted that there must be life in outer space
*[[Hillary Rodham Clinton]]
:*flunked the [[D.C.]] bar exam; worked on the House Judiciary impeachment staff investigating [[Richard Nixon]]. Hillary's work was so poorly conceived and drafted that a member of the Committee, [[William Dixon]] said Hillary "paid no attention to the way the [[Constitution]] works in this country, the way politics works, the way Congress works, the way legal safeguards are set up."<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=foWUM2R1K0wC&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121&dq=hillary+nixon+olson&source=web&ots=06xJC-jwnM&sig=P6LflOsDROMR16cn_WGvXg4iZHU#PPA122,M1 Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton], By Barbara Olson, Regnery Publishing, Inc, 2001, pp. 122-123.</ref>
*[[Al Franken]]
:*Puerile jokester turned politician wannabe
*[[Ernest Hemingway]]
:*Supported [[Socialists]] in the Spanish Civil War. Overrated writer. Went insane and killed himself.
*[[Linus Pauling]]
:*Proponent of Vitamin C cure-all [[junk science]]
*[[Oscar Wilde]]
:*Mostly wrote silly comedies, little of substance. Sexual deviant.
*[[Jesus Christ]]
:*Privileged youth, advocated liberal doctrines of pacifism/tolerance/love for one's enemies. Confirmed bachelor. Socialist/anarchist. Blasphemer. May not even have existed.

Please add other examples.

== Praised Heaped by Pseudo-Intellectual [[Liberals]] on Each Other ==

It is remarkable how pseudo-intellectual [[liberal]]s praise each other as geniuses. Examples include:

*[[Bertrand Russell]] declaring that the most intelligent man he ever knew was [[John Maynard Keynes]]<ref>http://www.hwkhelp.com/node/43</ref>

*[[Laurence Tribe]], who saw the best law students for several decades, insisted that fellow [[liberal]] [[Barack Obama]] was the "best student I ever had" and the "most exciting research assistant."<ref>http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]</ref>

Please add other examples.

== Motivation ==

There are two primary motivations for the [[liberal]] advocacy by pseudo-intellectuals:

* it is easier for them to obtain acclaim from the liberal press than from real intellectuals

* they genuinely fail to understand certain abstractions, such as:

:* how cutting taxes often increases government revenue ([[Laffer Curve]])
::* it should be noted that many economist also fail to understand this <ref>Blanchard, O. ''Macroeconomics, 4th edition''. 2003, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall (p. 430-431, 500)</ref><ref>Begg, D. Fischer, S. & Dornbusch, R. ''Economics, 8th Edition''. 2005, Berkshire, United Kingdom: McGraw-Hill (p. 289-290)</ref>
:* how guns save more lives through deterrence and prevention than they harm
:* how childbirth has a positive effect on health, and thus [[abortion]] harms health
:* how cease-fires always help a determined opponent in war
:* how arms limitations treaties always helps a dishonest adversary

* they expect superficial, flawed logic to persuade others, such as:

:* claiming that inequality in outcome implies discrimination
:* demanding equal treatment for genders in all situations
:* claiming that the [[gay agenda]] is like the civil rights struggle by African Americans
:* insisting that government can reduce poverty with more programs

Please add to these lists.

== Superiority Complex ==
The liberal believes they are superior to others. Not in a physical sense but mentally, they have their high ground and nobody dare challenge. If you challenge Liberal Intellectualism thinking and beliefs, you risk being ridiculed. A good example is the classic Democrats versus Democratics statement. Liberal Intellectualism will say that it is not proper to use the sentence with the word Democrats, it must be proper, so it must be Democratics. However, 'Democrats' will suffice rather well and the reader understands regardless. There are many instances where Democratic politicians use the word Democrats. Howard Dean says "Democrats have a lot of work to do among seniors." The nation's liberal newspapers use the word Democrats. Google's spellcheck prefers Democrats. The website for congress is addressed 'democrats.senate.gov' Excuses for insisting are endless and a part of Liberal Intellectualism thinking.

== References ==

<references/>
[[Category:Essays about Liberals]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

Essay:Liberal Intellectualism

2009-03-26T23:02:17Z

Shininglight:

[[Liberal]] ideology, and [[liberal]] arguments, have their greatest appeal with intellectual wannabees: people who are long in academic degrees but short in intellectual achievements of their own. Perhaps they genuinely fall for the superficial, fallacious [[liberal logic]], or perhaps they just enjoy the attention and extra income in being pseudo-intellectuals and media-promoted experts.

Examples of not-quite-intellectuals who promote [[liberal]] arguments include:

*[[John Kerry]]
:*privileged youth, weak student at [[Yale]], no original work
*[[Al Gore]]
:*privileged youth, poor graduate student, claimed to help with the creation of the [[internet]]<ref>Al Gore bragged, "I took the initiative in creating the Internet." [http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/03/09/president.2000/transcript.gore/]</ref>
:*does not understand that [[correlation is not causation]]
*[[Bill Clinton]]
:*may have virtually flunked out of the pre-med program at [[Georgetown University]], never released his grades, failed to earn a degree at [[Oxford]], no original work or ideas
*[[Richard Dawkins]]
:*lasted only 2 years teaching at [[University of California, Berkeley]], a mere lecturer at [[Oxford]] until a wealthy patron donated a "[[professorship]]" for him
*[[Stephen Jay Gould]]
:*[[Antioch College]] graduate (geology major), his work is riddled with contradictions
*[[Laurence Tribe]]
:*dropped out of a graduate math program, passed over initially for Law Review, passed over for [[Solicitor General]] in 1993,<ref>Tribe admitted he was being considered, but he was not nominated. "Under Clinton, Crimson tide washes over Washington," The Boston Globe (Mar. 4, 1993).</ref> [[plagiarism]] later found in his work<ref>"Joseph Bottum, books and arts editor of the Weekly Standard, presents overwhelming evidence to support his claim that Tribe's 1985 book, God Save This Honorable Court, was largely copied from a 1974 book called Justices and Presidents by the University of Virginia's Henry J. Abraham. Bottum's case rests on the relentless citation of example after example where it is clear that Tribe has copied both the substance and, in many cases, the exact wording of Abraham's text. Most damning is Tribe's repetition of errors, like slight misquotations of original sources, in Abraham's book."[http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/007975.php]</ref>
*[[Robert McNamara]]
:*described as a "whiz kid," he wrote or did nothing of significance, mishandled [[Vietnam War]]
*[[Henry Kissinger]]
:*fluent in relatively few languages for a diplomat, had no insights or noteworthy work, mishandled [[Vietnam War]] and [[Soviet Union]]
*[[J. Robert Oppenheimer]]
:*repeatedly passed over for the [[Nobel Prize]] due to a lack of achievement, allowed multiple leaks from [[Los Alamos]]. Noted Communist.
*[[Jon Stewart]]
:*overrated comedian who primarily makes fun of Conservatives to hide that he has no productive ideas of his own. He often makes fun of Christians and Christmas, but then claims to be Jewish as a way of protecting himself from criticism.
*[[Noam Chomsky]]
:*famous for making a few guesses about [[linguistics]] some of which turned out to be partially correct. He has not done any work in linguistics in 30 years and just spends his time promoting left-wing politics outside his supposed area of expertise.
*[[John Maynard Keynes]]
:*dropped out of [[math]] to pursue the less rigorous [[economics]], but was unable to earn a doctorate even in that
*[[Michel Foucault]]
*[[Rachel Carson]]
:* Started the [[environmentalist]] movement with her book [[Silent Spring]] which was found to be full of errors, exaggerations and disregard for actual [[science]].
*[[Bertrand Russell]]
:*claimed to be proving the completeness and consistency of math, a goal [[Godel]] proved was impossible. Advocated unilateral nuclear disarmament.
*[[Ward Churchill]]
:*Offended millions of Americans by comparing those that died in 9/11 to Adolf Eichmann, notorious organizer of the [[Holocaust]]. Had the gall to sue the University that terminated him.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jul25/0,4670,EmbattledProfessor,00.html</ref>
*[[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr.]]
:*privileged youth, rise to the top based upon family name and inherited connections. Currently publisher of the ''[[New York Times]]''.
*[[Charles Darwin]]
:*poor student
*[[Carl Sagan]]
:*insisted that there must be life in outer space
*[[Hillary Rodham Clinton]]
:*flunked the [[D.C.]] bar exam; worked on the House Judiciary impeachment staff investigating [[Richard Nixon]]. Hillary's work was so poorly conceived and drafted that a member of the Committee, [[William Dixon]] said Hillary "paid no attention to the way the [[Constitution]] works in this country, the way politics works, the way Congress works, the way legal safeguards are set up."<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=foWUM2R1K0wC&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121&dq=hillary+nixon+olson&source=web&ots=06xJC-jwnM&sig=P6LflOsDROMR16cn_WGvXg4iZHU#PPA122,M1 Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton], By Barbara Olson, Regnery Publishing, Inc, 2001, pp. 122-123.</ref>
*[[Al Franken]]
:*Puerile jokester turned politician wannabe
*[[Ernest Hemingway]]
:*Supported [[Socialists]] in the Spanish Civil War. Overrated writer. Went insane and killed himself.
*[[Linus Pauling]]
:*Proponent of Vitamin C cure-all [[junk science]]
*[[Oscar Wilde]]
:*Mostly wrote silly comedies, little of substance. Sexual deviant.
*[[Jesus Christ]]
:*Advocated liberal doctrines of pacifism/tolerance/love for one's enemies. Confirmed bachelor. Socialist/anarchist. Blasphemer. May not even have existed.

Please add other examples.

== Praised Heaped by Pseudo-Intellectual [[Liberals]] on Each Other ==

It is remarkable how pseudo-intellectual [[liberal]]s praise each other as geniuses. Examples include:

*[[Bertrand Russell]] declaring that the most intelligent man he ever knew was [[John Maynard Keynes]]<ref>http://www.hwkhelp.com/node/43</ref>

*[[Laurence Tribe]], who saw the best law students for several decades, insisted that fellow [[liberal]] [[Barack Obama]] was the "best student I ever had" and the "most exciting research assistant."<ref>http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]</ref>

Please add other examples.

== Motivation ==

There are two primary motivations for the [[liberal]] advocacy by pseudo-intellectuals:

* it is easier for them to obtain acclaim from the liberal press than from real intellectuals

* they genuinely fail to understand certain abstractions, such as:

:* how cutting taxes often increases government revenue ([[Laffer Curve]])
::* it should be noted that many economist also fail to understand this <ref>Blanchard, O. ''Macroeconomics, 4th edition''. 2003, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall (p. 430-431, 500)</ref><ref>Begg, D. Fischer, S. & Dornbusch, R. ''Economics, 8th Edition''. 2005, Berkshire, United Kingdom: McGraw-Hill (p. 289-290)</ref>
:* how guns save more lives through deterrence and prevention than they harm
:* how childbirth has a positive effect on health, and thus [[abortion]] harms health
:* how cease-fires always help a determined opponent in war
:* how arms limitations treaties always helps a dishonest adversary

* they expect superficial, flawed logic to persuade others, such as:

:* claiming that inequality in outcome implies discrimination
:* demanding equal treatment for genders in all situations
:* claiming that the [[gay agenda]] is like the civil rights struggle by African Americans
:* insisting that government can reduce poverty with more programs

Please add to these lists.

== Superiority Complex ==
The liberal believes they are superior to others. Not in a physical sense but mentally, they have their high ground and nobody dare challenge. If you challenge Liberal Intellectualism thinking and beliefs, you risk being ridiculed. A good example is the classic Democrats versus Democratics statement. Liberal Intellectualism will say that it is not proper to use the sentence with the word Democrats, it must be proper, so it must be Democratics. However, 'Democrats' will suffice rather well and the reader understands regardless. There are many instances where Democratic politicians use the word Democrats. Howard Dean says "Democrats have a lot of work to do among seniors." The nation's liberal newspapers use the word Democrats. Google's spellcheck prefers Democrats. The website for congress is addressed 'democrats.senate.gov' Excuses for insisting are endless and a part of Liberal Intellectualism thinking.

== References ==

<references/>
[[Category:Essays about Liberals]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

Leo Tolstoy

2009-03-20T00:14:28Z

Shininglight:

[[Image:Tolstoy.jpg|right|thumb|Leo Tolstoy]]
Count '''Lev (Leo) Tolstoy''' (Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой)(Yasnaya Polyana, [[Russia]] 1828 - Yasnaya Polyana, Russia 1910), Russian novelist, [[writer]], essayist, agrarian [[anarchy|anarchist]] and [[philosopher]]. He is one of the greatest of all novelists. Tolstoy's major work, ''War and Peace'', appeared between the years 1865 and 1869.

In 1862 he married Sonya Andreyevna Behrs who bore him 13 children. In 1901 the Russian [[Orthodox Church]] excommunicated him. After leaving as a wandering ascetic, Tolstoy died of pneumonia on November 20 in 1910.

== The Kingdom of God is within you ==

Tolstoy's great philosophical/religious tract, The Kingdom of God is within you, summarised the development of his thought and reflections on Christianity. At its heart is the explanation of Tolstoy's belief that to truly call one's self a Christian one must abide simply by the teachings of Christ, as expressed in the New Testament. For Tolstoy, this meant, above all, pacifism, as expressed by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. Tolstoy viewed any person or authority that violated this precept as having rejected Christ's teachings and, thus, as not being Christian. Tolstoy himself did not accept attempts by non-contemporary followers of Christ to re-interpret and de-contextualise the message of the gospels to permit certain forms of violence. This led him into direct conflict with the Orthodox Church and the Russian authorities. As such, The Kingdom of God is within you was banned in his home country, and was first published in Germany.

Tolstoy's philosophy has had a major impact on Christian pacifist movements, such as the Quakers, and on those committed to non-violence generally. Mahatma Gandhi is reputed to have greatly admired his work.

== Writings ==
Some of his works:

*[[War and Peace]]
*[[Anna Karenina]]
*[[The Death of Ivan Ilych]]
*Sebastopol
*Father Sergius
*Forged Coupon, The
*God Sees the Truth but Waits
*Godson, The
*How Much Land Does a Man Need
*Imp and the Crust, The
*Ivan the Fool
*Kingdom of God is Within You, The
*Master and Man
*Repentant Sinner, The
*Resurrection
*Three Hermits, The
*What Men Live By
*[[Where Love Is, God Is]]

<blockquote style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: .3em;">

''After finishing Anna Karenina Tolstoy renounced all his earlier works. "I wrote everything into Anna Karenina," he later confessed, "and nothing was left over." Voskresenia (1899, Resurrection) was Tolstoy's last major novel.'' <ref> [http://www.booksfactory.com/writers/tolstoi.htm Tolstoy, Leo] </ref>

</blockquote>

==See also==
[[Image:Crimean war.jpg|right|thumb| During the Crimean War Tolstoy commanded a battery, witnessing the siege of Sebastopol.
]]
*[[William Shakespeare]]
*[[Vladimir Nabokov]]
*[[Nikolai Gogol]]
*[[P.G. Wodehouse]]
*[[Author]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/ Literature Network » Leo Tolstoy]
*[http://tolstoy.classicauthors.net/index.html On line books] ClassicAuthors.net
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1399 Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy] Project Gutenberg
*[http://amsaw.org/amsaw-ithappenedinhistory-090903-tolstoy.html Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy]

== References ==

<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolstoy, Leo}}
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Literature]]
[[category:Slavic Authors|Tolstoy, Leo]]

Buddhism

2009-03-20T00:06:08Z

Shininglight:

[[Image:China B.jpg|right]]
'''Buddhism''' is classified as the fifth largest religion in the world. It is a belief system which teaches that desire causes suffering and if desire is eliminated, enlightenment and [[Nirvana]] are attained. Buddhism is a [[Dharmic religion]] and is often viewed as a philosophy more than a religion because gods are not necessary or primary in Buddhist thought. Much of modern Buddhism is atheistic or agnostic in practice. The term Buddha means "the enlightened one."

==Founder==

Buddhism was founded by an [[India|Indian]] prince, [[Siddhartha Gautama]], who, after being sheltered from coming into contact with suffering due to disease, poverty and death until adulthood, finally observed the suffering of his people during his first walk outside the palace grounds. After that he worked to discover the reason for suffering and pain. He studied a number of the disciplines of the day, seeking ultimate truth. After finding other approaches to understanding lacking, he went into meditation for 49 days, vowing not to move until he had attained enlightenment. After great personal struggle he achieved enlightenment, and began to teach the principles that are now associated with Buddhism.

The philosophy has its roots in [[Hinduism]] and Vedic religion, to which Gautama belonged until the foundation of Buddhism.

==View of God==
[[Image:Mandala of Prajnaparamit.jpg|thumb|Mandala of Prajnaparamit, [[Tibet]].]]
Some Buddhist scriptures and some sects, like the Mahayana school, acknowledge that gods exist,<ref>[http://wri.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/buddhism.html Buddhism]</ref><ref>[http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/budgod.html Do Buddhists Believe in God?]</ref> but do not consider that knowledge crucial to an individual's practice of Buddhist teachings. The Buddha taught that we should not speculate about what we cannot know, and that speculation about [[God]] is pointless. Buddhists' priorities are release from suffering (by learning to cease striving after objects of desire and avoiding objects of discomfort) and direct experience of the true nature of reality. Many modern strains of Buddhism are [[atheist|atheistic]] in nature, thus creating a paradox as to why they are called a religion. They can be considered to be philosophies of life. Certain denominations, such as the Mahayana tradition, believe in [[Bodhisattvas]], or quasi-divine cosmic beings that seek to benefit others by remaining in a state of [[Samsara]], or eternal rebirth. These are prayed to, for advice and spiritual guidance, and often venerated.

{{Clear}}

==Teachings==

The highest ideal for a Buddhist is the state of Nirvana, or release from eternal rebirth, a state beyond conceptual thought. This descibes a state that is achieved through meditation and practice that is beyond the categories and conditioning that are a result of our education, experiences and the limitations of language. This state has been described by the Buddha as follows:
<blockquote>''"There is O monks, an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed. Were there not, o monks, this Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, there would be no escape from the world of the born, originated, created, formed. ~ Udana, 80-81"''</blockquote>

Adherents claim that Buddhism is a very practical [[philosophy]], which teaches us to focus our attention on personal experience, to determine what is the cause of our discontents ("dukkha") and to find a way to liberate ourselves from these, all the while expressing "metta", which is universal, unconditional love, and "karuna", which roughly translates to "compassion", towards others. These teachings are encapsulated in the [[Four Noble Truths]].<ref>[http://www.parami.org/buddhistanswers/four_noble_truths.htm Four Noble Truths]</ref>

Buddhism is commonly held to be a relatively peaceful religion, due to its less "absolutist" view of morality and the fluid nature of thought that encouraged not just acceptance of other faiths and ideas, but also examination of those ideas and, if necessary, applying them to ones life. This also allows people to follow Buddhism as a philosophy, and Islam, Judaism or Christianity as a faith, without contradicting any principles of either following.<ref>http://buddhism.about.com/</ref>

It should be noted that the ideals of tolerance and introspection among the Buddhist faithful were often ignored by the leaders of Buddhist nations (much like the leaders of most other nations often disobeyed their own religions fundamental laws in the in the interest of what was practical) <ref>http://buddhism.about.com/</ref> and persecution of Christians in predominantly Buddhist nations does occur today.<ref>http://www.persecution.org/whitepapers/vietnam-2002-03.html</ref><ref>http://www.christianpersecution.info/news/new-evidence-of-religious-persecution-in-vietnam-despite-release-prisoner/</ref><ref>http://persecution.org/Countries/laos.html</ref> It is important to note that only around 55% of Vietnam is Buddhist (see below), and that Buddhist monks took an active role in protesting the the corrupt Diem regime and the Vietnam War.

==The Eightfold Path==

The Noble Eightfold Path is a teaching in Buddhism used to enlighten the individual, helping them to see the ultimate truth behind things like greed, suffering, and hatred.
:* Right View - Is the way of looking at the world as it really is, to understand how it really works.
:* Right Intention - The purging of qualities the person knows to be wrong or immoral from themselves. Right View helps to identify which intentions are good and which are not. Exemplified by a commitment to nonviolence against other living beings.
:* Right Speech - Instructs the practitioner of Buddhism in how to speak to others. Emphasizes telling the truth, avoiding gossip and idle chatter, and speaking in a polite, pacifying manner. This path also scorns against hateful, divisive speech.
:* Right Action - This path instructs the practitioner in how to act in a morally upright manner, abstaining from violence, stealing, taking a life, and sexual misconduct.
:* Right Livelihood - This instructs the practitioner to not engage in trades which, either directly or indirectly, result in harm to another living thing. These include Arms dealing, Human trade, working with animals raised to be slaughtered, or selling alcohol or drugs.
:* Right effort - This is the teaching of ridding oneself of all harmful thought, words, and deeds, and prevent new ones from emerging.
:* Right Mindfulness - This teaches the practitioner to be focused on their own mind and aware or changes and phenomena affecting them, never to act or speak in error due to inattention or forgetfulness.
:* Right Concentration - This path teaches the practitioner how to meditate, calming the body and mind through measured breathing and repetition of a word or phrase. Using this practice allows the person to focus on what they have learned, and through dwelling on those teachings, gain knowledge of the world around them.

==Buddhism in Antiquity==

Buddhism has been an important part of the culture in many eastern countries, such as [[Cambodia]], [[Thailand]], and [[India]]. It has endured active persecution when conflicting with older beliefs such as [[Hinduism]], and led in many countries to the rise of Buddhist warrior-dissidents, as well as such interesting anomalies as ''shinshi'' (transliterated from the Khmer), a form of torture wherein strips of flesh are removed slowly from the forehead. <ref>Schlesinger, Robert. ''Schlesinger's History of the East'', 2nd ed. New York: Camport & Sons, 1986.</ref>

==Buddhism Today==
[[Image:Nara.jpg|thumb|Great Buddha at [[Nara]]]]
Buddhism is currently the majority religion in the following states:

Country Percent

Thailand 95%

Cambodia 90

Myanmar 88

Bhutan 75

Sri Lanka 70

Tibet * 65

Laos 60

Vietnam 55

Japan ** 50

<nowiki>*</nowiki> [[China]]: Is the country with the most buddhists, with an estimated 100 million adherents.

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Tibet is an estimate, as there has never been a reliable survey. Furthermore, it is debatable whether Tibet should be considered an independent nation.

<nowiki>**</nowiki> [[Japan]] is an "odd" case, as surveys of adherence are conducted rather differently. Firstly it is debatable at what point various Japanese beliefs shift from being traditions to being religions. This is indicated by the fact that "85% of Japanese claim Buddhism as their preferred religion", yet "75% percent claim to practice and believe in no religion" -a more accurate estimate may be 20%.
<ref>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_buddhist.html The Largest Buddhist Communities]</ref>

[[Image:Obon.jpg|thumb|Obon remains one of the most important Buddhist observances]]

<blockquote>
The Obon Festival is one of Japan’s oldest Buddhist celebrations; it marks the time that it’s believed the spirits of dead ancestors return to the Earth. The gathering included the Bon Odori dance, which remembers Japanese ancestors by imitating motions of picking cherries and mining coal. [http://www.culturesdiary.com/]
</blockquote>
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== See also ==

*[[Kamakura]]
*[[Nara]]

== External links ==
*[http://wri.leaderu.com/wri-table2/buddhism.html#intro Buddhism]
*[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism]
*[http://www.kalachakranet.org/buddhism/history_japanese_buddhism.htm History of Japanese Buddhism]

==References==

<References/>

[[Category:Buddhism| ]]
[[Category:Dharmic Religions]]