Madam, – That Tony Allwright’s superficial article (“No need to take to the streets when logic is on your side”, Opinion, January 18th) could be published in Ireland’s paper of record is ample evidence of the need for some basic philosophy to be taught in our schools.
Mr Allwright concludes that the right is “rational” and the left “emotional”. Graduates from a school philosophy course would be able to tell him that both sides employ more or less adequate chains of reasoning, starting from different assumptions about such things as the way the world is and what people are really like.
Likewise, individuals are motivated in different ways by complex mixes of reason and emotion. It is the job of philosophy to analyse and reflect on these reasons and assumptions. Perhaps with greater public familiarity of this extraordinary history of ideas, we could envision a more sophisticated public discussion on these matters. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Tony Allwright suggests right-wingers have a monopoly on logic and intellectual rigour. There are two problems with this:
1. Mr Allwright’s poorly reasoned article fails to define adequately what left or right means any more. The distinction originally derived from the seating arrangement of the National Assembly after the French Revolution of 1789. The debate has moved on from these obsolete divisions. Many people’s views elude the corporate and statist pieties of either so-called side.
2. Fox News.
– Yours, etc,
Madam, – Only the left take to the streets? Who were those people demonstrating against Obama’s welfare Bill at every public rally in the US recently? Closer to home, I was unaware our entire police, medical and Civil Service workforce was composed of members of the left as they protested against the recent pension levies and other cutbacks. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Given that the conservative right in the US (under the banner of the Tea Party movement) has been taking to the streets since a few weeks after Barack Obama assumed the presidency, it may be that a disposition to public protest has more to do with distance from the reins of power than the logic or passion of the argument.
The evidence from the demonstrations that hastened the collapse of left-wing regimes across Europe 20 years ago might also suggest that it is the powerless of whatever political hue who are the most likely to engage in “shouty protests”. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – In very recent memory, the “logical” right has given us the ugly, hate-filled and reason-free Tea Party protests in the US, replete with guns, white supremacy and claims that Barack Obama is a socialist Muslim Manchurian candidate; last year’s anti-abortion rally in Dublin; and protests by hardline religious groups against anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the UK. Were those not “shouty” enough? – Is mise,
