Gloss: Ps

Recreating Knatz.com ... Gloss

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Patriotism

Waving a flag with one hand and picking pockets with the other:
that's your patriotism.
Notorious

Fervent belief that the group translates (qv) sin, elevates it to exaltation, transforms bullies, thieves, liars, and genocides into heroes.

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Peace

Peace is the temporary interlude between wars.

"At peace," "peaceful" ... These may have meaning in the natural world. Peace as a political goal has meaning only in the world of competing kleptocracies.
I'll recreate my War & Peace: Annihilation or Control? at a blog ASAP.

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Proof, Prove

Proof was one of the first concepts discussed at the inauguration of my teaching directory. That treatment was rudimentary and I've added a module (at pkTools). Here I wish merely to highlight the disparate origins of the concept. In feudalism you proved something by combat: God would give the best blows to the right. You think we've left feudalism behind us? Look at what lawyers do in court. It's still a theoretically God directed combat.

When we hear the word though, we're more likely to think that decisions are based on reason, such as in mathematics or science. Now mathematicians can "prove" things: up to their ability to be rigorous within a tautology. Scientists know that they can't prove anything beyond doubt for the simple reason that the evidence is never complete. Time would have to end for anything to be proved: by which time it would be too late to be able to do it. Even then the evidence would be finite. Universe is over? So? It was still finite. One would have to have the evidence from all possible universes.

The alternative is to be humble, to say: "given the evidence as we know and understand it ..."