Erotetic Logic

Erotetics

“There is nothing as deceptive as an obvious fact.” — Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr. (Scottish writer, creator of the detective Sherlock Holmes, 1859-1930)


Erotetics (Greek, erõtésis, that which pertains to questions) is a part of logic that is devoted to the logical and pragmatic analysis of questions and their answers. Erotetic logic evaluates the principles that guide the presuppositions at the root of questions such as … When does a proposition answer a question (correctly or incorrectly)? What’s wrong with questions that presuppose false propositions (such as “Have you stopped beating your spouse?”)? Do questions bear truth-values? Or the question I hear from abortion minded women only steps away from the door of an abortion clinic … Will you take care of me and my baby?

Erotetic Logic

“It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.” — Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS (15 February 1861 — 30 December 1947)


Erotetic logic starts with discerning whether or not the question … Will you take care of me and my baby? … is a syntactically proper question (i.e., a WFQ, meaning a “well-formed question”) or a syntactically improper question (i.e., an IFQ, meaning an “ill-formed question”). From here several linear paths can be taken in an attempt to understand why an abortion minded woman, only steps away from having the life of the baby in her womb terminated and the horribly dismembered body parts of her child sucked down into a biohazardous waste bag, is asking the question … Will you take care of me and my baby?

Are We Ergo an Erotetic Pro-Life Movement?

“Do the duty which lies nearest to you, the second duty will then become clearer.” — Thomas Carlyle (4 December 1795 — 5 February 1881)


As we enter the fortieth (40th) year of legalized abortion in America, the Pro-Life movement has been looking for ways to end abortion. For almost four (4) decades we have painstakingly devoted ourselves to logically and pragmatically analyzing ways to end abortion. We have employed the best minds in the world to carefully, diligently, meticulously work through the data to discover a way to end abortion. We have wrestled with the principles that guide the presuppositions at the root of the abortion debate and over the course of 14,245 days fought to elect Presidents, Representatives and Senators to hammer out a solution. As I look back at our efforts to end abortion and ponder why an abortion minded woman, only steps away from having the life of the baby in her womb terminated is asking the question … Will you take care of me and my baby? … I wonder if after all of our sermons, prayers and sacrificial giving, the reason why an abortion minded woman, is asking … Will you take care of me and my baby? … is simply because, she is in need of someone to care for her and her baby?  ¹

Brothers, we really need to talk.

Reference(s):
1. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) “the reasons women give for having an abortion underscore their understanding of the responsibilities of parenthood and family life. Three-fourths of women cite concern for or responsibility to other individuals; three-fourths say they cannot afford a child; three-fourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner.”, May 2010, “Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States” (http://bit.ly/9GH9ch).

Personhood: It’s Science With Boundaries

Personhood: It’s Science Fiction

"I am the best there is at what I do … but what I do best is not very nice." — Marvel Comic’s catchphrase for Wolverine debuted September 1982.

Science Fiction deals with imaginary but more or less plausible (or at least non-supernatural) content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities. Exploring the consequences of scientific innovations is one purpose of science fiction. Science Fiction is largely based on alternative possible worlds or futures. It is similar to, but differs significantly from fantasy in as much as the imaginary elements of the story are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature. As a child running in the streets of Detroit, Michigan, my favorite Science Fiction was Marvel Comics’ X-Men. ¹ The X-Men are a futuristic superhero team created by writer Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby that first appeared in September 1963 when I was seven (7) years old. The X-Men possessed the “X-Gene” (a gene normal humans lacked) that gave them their extraordinary mutant abilities. Over the years Wolverine became my favorite X-Man. Wolverine was literally part wolverine and part human. Wolverine possessed animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing factor that allows him to recover from virtually any wound, disease or poison at an accelerated rate. The healing factor also slowed down his aging process and enabled him to live beyond a normal human lifespan. Today, Wolverine has a near-indestructible metal alloy adamantium endoskeleton and claws. As a boy, Wolverine was my “super soldier.”

Personhood: It’s Not Science Fiction Anymore

"The term ‘creation’ is not just fanciful rhetoric: some of the research now underway involves actually altering the genetic code of soldiers, modifying bits of DNA to fashion a new type of human specimen, one that functions like a machine, killing tirelessly for days and nights on end. These mutations will ‘revolutionize the contemporary order of battle’ and guarantee ‘operational dominance across the whole range of potential United States military employments,’ the DARPA wizards enthuse." — Hunter Gatheress, Paranoia Publishing ·

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense and is responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military. ² According to Wired magazine’s Katie Drummond, “DARPA is looking to re-write the laws of evolution to the military’s advantage, creating “synthetic organisms” that can live forever — or can be killed with the flick of a molecular switch.” ³ According to DARPA’s 2011 budget, ⁴ the Pentagon is investing $6 Million into a project called BioDesign, ⁵ with the objective of eliminating “the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement.” ⁶ “The plan would assemble the latest bio-tech knowledge to come up with living, breathing creatures that are genetically engineered to “produce the intended biological effect.” ⁷ “DARPA wants the organisms to be fortified with molecules that bolster cell resistance to death, so that the lab-monsters can ‘ultimately be programmed to live indefinitely.’” ⁸ Of course DARPA is taking every precaution to create a “synthetic organism ‘self-destruct’ option (i.e., a ‘molecular kill-switch‘) to be implemented upon nefarious removal of organism.” ⁹ According to Thomson Reuters’ Kate Kelland, in November of 2009 “Britain’s Academy of Medical Sciences launched a study Tuesday to look at the use of animals containing human material in scientific research.” ¹⁰ Martin Bobrow, a professor of medical genetics at Cambridge University says: “There is a whole raft of new scientific techniques that will make it not only easier but also more important to be able to do these cross-species experiments.” ¹¹ In the same article, Kelland goes on to report “a row erupted in Britain over new laws allowing the creation of human-animal embryos for experimentation.” ¹²

"In a nutshell, the argument is that even though creating PostHumans may be a very dangerous social experiment, it is even more dangerous not to attempt it." — Assistant Professor Mark Walker, New Mexico State University, TransHumanism, Destroying The Barriers. ·

The worldwide race for technological military superiority is on. As we can plainly see now … Wolverine … my childhood “super soldier,” ^13,14 is not Science Fiction anymore.

Personhood: It’s Science With Boundaries

"All of the boundaries are up for grabs. All of the boundaries that have defined us as human beings, boundaries between a human being and an animal and between a human being and a super human being or a god." — Professor Leon R. Kass, former Chairman, President’s Council on Bioethics, TransHumanism, Destroying The Barriers. ·

Science without boundaries is madness. Just because we can do something does not mean we should. So to ensure we are always talking about “human beings” and not about cross-species experiments, human-animal embryos, living, breathing super soldiers, animals or those of us that can physically demonstrate “rational attributes” and “sentience” on demand, I inserted the word “only” in the 2012 version of the language for the California Human Rights Amendment. Personhood is not simply a Pro-Life tactic to establish legal rights for the child in the womb or a “no-holds-barred” uphill charge to the front door of the United States Supreme Court in an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade … No! … It’s about man being made in the image of God. It’s about God breathing into man His breath of life and man becoming a living soul. It’s about recognizing the inestimable value, the inherent dignity and the incomprehensible quality of all human life. It’s about equality, justice and freedom, regardless of the means by which a human being was procreated, method of reproduction, age, race, sex, gender, physical well-being, function, or condition of physical or mental dependency and/or disability. For once and for all time, it’s about the God given right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness for every human being.

Brothers, we really need to talk.

Note(s):
· Hunter Gatheress, “The DARPA War Fighter Enhancement Programs” (http://bit.ly/zsHB5Y).
· TransHumanism, Destroying The Barriers, with Tom Horn, an approximately 60 minute DVD (http://bit.ly/oChCoS).
Reference(s):
01. Marvel Entertainment, LLC a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years (http://bit.ly/bycopQ).
02. “DARPA’s mission is to maintain the technological superiority of the U.S. military and prevent technological surprise from harming our national security by sponsoring revolutionary, high-payoff research bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and their military use (http://www.darpa.mil).
03. Katie Drummond, “Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’ Molecular Kill-Switch Included”, Wired Magazine, Category: DarpaWatch, February 5, 2010 (http://bit.ly/bDhCJG).
04. “Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 President’s Budget” (http://bit.ly/w8OBzC).
05. Ibid., Page 264 (Search on “BioDesign“)
06. Ibid., Page 265 (Search on “BioDesign“)
07. op. cit., Katie Drummond
08. op. cit., Katie Drummond
09. op. cit., Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 President’s Budget, Page 265 (Search on “BioDesign“).
10. Kate Kelland “Scientists Want Debate On Animals With Human Genes”, Reuters, November 9th, 2009 (http://reut.rs/fquN9W).
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Moreno, Jonathan D. (2006). “Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense.” Dana Press, ISBN 1932594167.
14. Goldblatt, Michael (2002). “DARPA’s programs in enhancing human performance”. In Roco, Mihail C.; Bainbridge, William Sims. Managing Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno Innovations: Converging Technologies in Society (1st Edition). Arlington, VA: Springer. pp. 339-340. ISBN 1402041063.: cited in McIntosh, Daniel (December 2008). “Human, TransHuman, PostHuman: Implications of Evolution-By-Design for Human Security”. Journal of Human Security 4 (3): 4-20.

Personhood: Acknowledges I Am Somebody

Personhood: I Am Somebody

William H. Borders ·

“I Am Somebody.” is a poem written in the 1950s by Reverend William Holmes Borders, Sr. (1905-1993), Senior Pastor at Wheat Street Baptist Church and civil rights activist in Atlanta where he campaigned for civil rights and distinguished himself as a charismatic spokesperson for the city’s poor and dispossessed. ¹ In 1971, a bold and unapologetically Pro-Life Jesse Jackson ² recited his version of the poem on Sesame Street to emphasize the individuality and significance of all people, regardless of size, appearance, race, or economic status. The scene took place on the stoop of 123 Sesame Street, involving a large group of children of different colors, who together and in chorus joined in on the now legendary “I Am Somebody.” portions of the poem. ³

Here is the poem as we take a walk down memory lane:

"I am Somebody! I am Somebody! I may be poor, But I am Somebody. I may be young, But I am Somebody. I may be on welfare, But I am Somebody. I may be small, But I am Somebody. I may have made mistakes, But I am Somebody. My clothes are different, My face is different, My hair is different, But I am Somebody. I am Black, Brown, or White. I speak a different language But I must be respected, protected, never rejected. I am God’s child!" — Reverend Jesse Jackson recited this poem on Sesame Street in 1971. Yasmin Brown was featured in this episode.

Personhood: Understands I Am Somebody

PERSONHOOD IN BLACK AMERICA is not simply a Pro-Life strategy or tactic that establishes legal rights for all human beings at all stages of our development. There is a much deeper desire within the hearts of the disenfranchised to be accepted, approved, acknowledged, affirmed and have the attention of the supreme and highest law of the land as a person than there is a desire to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“I AM SOME BODY.”

PERSONHOOD IN BLACK AMERICA speaks to equal treatment under the law that without compromise or prejudice, recognizes all of us as human beings entitled to an equality, a freedom, a brotherhood, a type of justice that ensures access to entrepreneurship, full and fair employment opportunities, decent housing, integrated education and culture, health care, child care, clothing and three meals a day.

“I AM SOME BODY.”

PERSONHOOD IN BLACK AMERICA speaks to a day where men, women, boys and girls are “not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” ⁴ and “the tired, poor and huddled masses yearning to breathe free” ⁵ can look to a brighter future as they walk through the “Golden Door” of the American dream.

“I AM SOME BODY.”

PERSONHOOD IN BLACK AMERICA speaks to the heartfelt need for the highest and supreme law of our land to be amended with words so clearly defined that they are absent of “interposition and nullification” ⁶ so that a person is a person “regardless of the means by which they were procreated, method of reproduction, age, race, sex, gender, physical well-being, function, or condition of physical or mental dependency and/or disability” ⁷ unto death.

“I AM SOME BODY.”

PERSONHOOD IN BLACK AMERICA speaks to the need to have the words “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” ⁸ apply to all human life and not just some human life.

“I AM SOME BODY.”

PERSONHOOD IN BLACK AMERICA understands that “the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me” ⁹ and because we “think that is pretty important,” ¹⁰ seeks to ensure all human beings, from the child in the womb, to the senior citizen facing end of life decisions, to the disabled war veteran are protected by love and by law.

“I AM SOME BODY.”

I hope the Pro-Life movement is listening.

It’s not just about an “all hands on deck” effort to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Personhood: Acknowledges I Am Somebody

"I am a true Christian, for indeed, I practiced the religion of Jesus at points better than my master from whom I learned it." — Reverend William Holmes Borders. This is the last sentence in his poem “I Am Somebody” introduced in 1943. ·

Women in the 1963 March On Washington

Personhood is a movement working to respect the God given right to life by recognizing all human beings as persons who are “created in the image of God“ ¹¹ without exceptions. Personhood brings to light the internationally recognized and well documented truth regarding the beginning of our biological development, ¹² and by definition and design sets the stage for a complete victory. Personhood defines “winning” in a way that meets the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of men, women and children everywhere and for all time. Personhood understands I Am Somebody. Personhood gets it.

Women in the 1963 March On Washington

It’s time the Pro-Life movement stops fighting Pro-Lifers, recognizes that there are different Spiritual Gifts, but only one Holy Gift Giver ¹³ and stand together united for the greater good of all humanity. For one, I believe the Pro-Life movement can work together as we stand for life. Like Martin Luther King, Jr., “I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘isness’ of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘oughtness’ that forever confronts him.” ¹⁴ I may be poor. I may be young. I may be on welfare. I may be small. I may have made mistakes. My clothes may be different. My face may be different. My hair may be different. I may be Black, Brown, or White. I may speak a different language than you, but I Am Somebody. I must be respected. I must be protected. I must never be rejected. I am a child of God!

Brothers, we really need to talk.

Note(s):
· William Holmes Borders, first penned “I Am Somebody.” He introduced his poem to the world on Sunday, January 10, 1943. The African American Lectionary provides both the history and the full text of his original work (http://bit.ly/Ag6jt3).
Reference(s):
01. William Holmes Borders (1905-1993), (http://bit.ly/dc84Vo).
02. “How we respect life is the over- riding moral issue,” by Jesse Jackson; Right to Life News, January 1977 (http://bit.ly/n6O0n0).
03. Although the Reverend Jesse Jackson did not write the poem: “I Am Somebody” it became almost a calling card for him. He has recited the line in movies and other individuals in movies and songs have used his recitation of the poem. The full text was included in the book Sesame Street Unpaved.
04. “I Have a Dream” (1963) is the most widely known of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches and was delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 at the March for Jobs & Freedom, generally referred to as the March on Washington (http://bit.ly/mW7f5O).
05. The Message of the State of Liberty inscribed on the tablet that the “Mother of Exiles” is carrying (http://bit.ly/N6rhA).
06. op.cit. Dr. King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech.
07. The language of the California Human Rights Amendment (http://www.iamaperson.us).
08. In Congress, July 4, 1776, The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America (http://bit.ly/bPqF8f).
09. Martin Luther King, Jr., “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.” Quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 13, 1962.
10. Ibid.
11. Genesis 1:27 (KJV): “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (http://bit.ly/4oRJs6).
12. Carnegie Stages of Early Human Embryonic Development (http://1.usa.gov/uXOwVZ).
13. 1st Corinthians 12:4(KJV): “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” (http://bit.ly/e8OPks).
14. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Oslo, Norway, 1964, (http://bit.ly/p7Unnx).