Zeus Almighty

I've just finished reading Sam Harris' very brilliant book, The End of Faith. Harris very clearly and persuasively argues against religious faith and documents clearly where it goes wrong on many levels from the physiological to the personal to the matter of international discourse. Though excellent and clever, I can't say I'm convinced. I fall back on the Dostoevshky quote, "For those with faith, no explanation is necessary. For those without faith, no explanation is possible." Harris, though, brings to this topic a depth I haven't read before choosing to include the older Eastern spiritual traditions- traditions he believes can be freed from the constraints of organized religion and archaic rituals. I have to admit, he explains the Eastern tradition with more clarity than I've ever encountered leading me to further buy into the belief that Western and Eastern traditions must be combined to see the whole picture. Western tradition ends at thinking, hopelessly captive to the Cartesian ideal. Eastern traditions lack intellectual rigor resulting in sloppy and weak assertions. Harris applies an Aristotlean eye for detail to the Eastern spiritual tradition giving it a depth and a grounding I've haven't experienced in 29 years of training. I'm impressed though unconvinced. Harris, I believe, falls victim to the educated elite's belief that intellectual ability is a matter of training and not of genetics. To quote Voltaire: "If all men were philosophers, there would be no need for religion. But all men are not philosophers so religion is necessary so my wife, banker and cobbler cheat me less." Is religion necessary for ordered human interaction at a base level? I believe that it is and intellectual gymnastics notwithstanding, I haven't seen or experienced anything to the contrary. P.J. O'Rourke once wrote that the problem is not how to get government to work but how to get it to stop. I feel the same about organized religion. How do we keep it in its box? We can't of course because it involves men and men have their own motivations whether they be conscious or not. This, of course, leads me to Mosca's Iron Law: "For no matter what reason an organization has been started, it will sooner or later serve to further the goals of it's leaders." I'll stop here because now I'm just showing off.

But one section sticks with me forcefully even now. Harris asks how ridiculous would it sound if you replaced "Zeus" for "God" in any of our President's speeches. In terms of actual data, one has as much validity as the other. However, I am tremendously offended by this and pray that Zeus Almighty shows mercy and does not smite Harris with a righteous thunderbolt. Zeus is Great. All praise be to Zeus.

Kicked out of Cambodia

What does one have to actually do to get kicked out of Cambodia? Seriously. This is the country where for a nominal charge, you can rent a RPG and blow up a cow. This is SE Asia where a major portion of the economy is based on sexual tourism. Hell, there are few places in the world where they cater more graciously to dirty old men. That being the case, what in God's name did Paul Francis Gadd aka Gary Glitter do to get thrown out of Cambodia and arrested in Vietnam? It truly boggles the mind. I can't imagine the Vietnamese government would arrest Glitter for having sex with two women under the age of 18. 18 is a Western idea, not an Eastern one. He had to do something truly debauched to get the hammer dropped on him. Having spent time in that area of the world (but not Vietnam specifically), I can't imagine what that would be. My imagination just isn't that good.

Dr. Barnett has a Big Brain...

A little while ago, my friend Dave introduced the term 'complexity horizon' to me. He was reading a book on string theory and the author offered that there may be a single formula that explains the universe but it might simply be beyond the complexity horizon of humanity as we exist now. This elegant term rang true to me immediately. I had often tried to explain that truly understanding U.S. Foreign Policy was simply beyond the ability of most folks, Congress included. USFP decisions are informed by so many subjects: political science, economics, history, philosophy, psychology to only hit the high points. Most people excel at one specific subgroup of each major topic of study. Some may truly understand the entire subject with some depth. Fewer still had a working knowledge of all the broad topics that fuel the actions and reactions of our Country in relation to the world at large. But truly rare individuals understand all the various facets and much more importantly how they affect each other. Dr. Barnett is one of those dudes. Whether you agree with him or not, there's no denying that Blueprint for Action provides a logical, coherent framework that encompasses all the various forces that clash, collide and yank us around in this global pinball game. His section on China is worth the price of the book alone.

Basically, Dr. Barnett divides the world into two major groups: the Functioning Core and the Non-Integrating Gap. The Core is defined by a high degree of 'connectivity' with each other while the Gap remains weakly connected. He believes that all USFP decisions should be set against the larger goal of shrinking the Gap by adding its members to the Core. He covers this in depth in The Pentagon's New Map. Whereas that brilliant book put a round in the chamber, this one shows you how to pull the trigger. Dr. Barnett issues shattering indictments of the defense industrial complex and refuses to capitulate to populist social theories. Rarely have I been more excited by a book and I haven't felt this intellectually inadequate since the first time I picked up the Republic. You can buy the book by clicking here. Dr. Barnett mentions that he was interviewed by the WSJ's Greg Jaffe. I was once as well (about a completely separate issue) and this connection was the only thing that kept my from banging my barely viable brain into a hard wall. But don't let that dissuade you. If USFP interests you or you do business internationally, I believe you'll find this book informative and thought-provoking.

Aloha!

Welcome to my new blog. Here I will discuss things of interest to me and hopefully some of you.