Falling into the Racial Trap

As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to gain momentum, we are beginning to see the formation of armed black militias. Such groups have been seen in Georgia, and more recently in Kentucky, where they were met in counter protest by so called patriot militias. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees all citizens have the right to keep and bear arms to protect from government tyranny. Furthermore, the Declaration of Independence states that the citizenry has the absolute right to dissolve any government that becomes destructive to the pursuit of happiness and the unalienable rights of man, and institute new government to secure those ends.  Black Live Matter is claiming they are oppressed victims of a tyrannical society. Are they not then, exercising their rights? Patriot militias have been forming in response to threats of gun confiscation and loss of American sovereignty under the rights secured by the constitution. If we believe that all men are created equal, does Black Lives Matter not have the same rights to secure their own happiness?

The answer to that question is that they do, of course. We cannot deny them the rights that we ourselves hold dear. Can we? According to the book Political Tolerance and American Democracy, this is exactly what Americans tend to do. The authors make the claim that a large part of the American electorate tend to support the suppression of political and civil rights of minority groups since they are perceived as threats. Furthermore, the book Crisis in Civility: Political Discourse and its Discontents, elaborates on this claim by suggesting that this is largely a Republican phenomenon. The authors here state that authoritarians who tend to view minority groups as a threat have tended towards the Republican party, and, those that seek to integrate minority groups into society are largely, Democrats. They claim that Democrats are more likely to prioritize the protection of minority communities compared to Republicans.

That is an outright lie as the history of the Democrat party largely proves that they are the racists as they have been the ones responsible for the KKK, segregation, slavery and eugenics. The current state of the black community in the inner cities is mostly due to Democrat policies and can, in large part, be traced back to Lyndon Johnson’s great society program. Most conservatives remember Johnson for saying “I will get those ni**ers voting Democratic for the next two hundred years.” Johnson’s welfare state destroyed the black family and arguably, their incentive to improve their lives as big government became their primary caretaker. This is not unique to black people; the loss of incentive is a common characteristic to anyone who receives sustenance without having to work for it.

Historically speaking, racism itself can be attributed to Darwinist thinking as blacks were viewed as inferior by those subscribing to the theory of evolution. According to the report Creating Racism: Psychiatry’s Betrayal by the Citizen’s Commission on Human Rights, Francis Galton, a psychologist and relative of Darwin, coined the term eugenics. This is a word recognized today as being associated with the modern abortion industry. The term itself means the creation of better stock and was derived because Galton believed black people had no independent will of their own and preferred a life of servitude. Given the fact that the Democrat party is largely known for being anti-God, it could be legitimately argued that this is what drove the idea that black people needed welfare and could not compete in modern society. This is what Democrats argue today. This is what Joe Biden meant when he said if you do not vote for him, you are not black.

Looking at things from this perspective, black people are oppressed. Their initiative has been subdued and their families destroyed not by free market capitalism, but by a welfare system that exploits them for votes and power. There is some evidence that suggests that this is an agenda designed to not only enslave the black community to welfare, but to use them as a revolutionary army with the goal of eradicating capitalism itself. For years now, the Democrat party, being in firm control of education, has been teaching minorities that they are oppressed victims of a system that only favors white people. This of course, only fuels hate and discontent. According to the book Color, Communism and Common Sense, by Manning Johnson, the Communist party was directing an agenda aimed at making black people believe that white men were primarily responsible for all of their grievances. Who was Manning Johnson? He was a black communist who had made it to a high-ranking position in the Communist apparatus, taking orders directly from the Kremlin. The following is from Chapter 8 of Johnson’s book.

Moscow’s Negro tools in the incitement of racial warfare place all the ills of the Negro at the door of the white leaders of America. Capitalism and imperialism are made symbols of oppressive white rule in keeping with instructions from the Kremlin.

To one familiar with red trickery, it is obvious that placing the blame for all the Negroes’ ills at the door of the white leaders in America is to remove all responsibility from the Negro.

Johnson claims that the communist agenda revolved around making black people blame white people for their problems, ignore the opportunities around them, expect that the white man take care of him and look for quick, easy solutions opposed to dealing with the harsh realities of a competitive, free market system. This sounds remarkably inline with the belief that black people have no will of their own.

Truth is self-evident for those who choose to see. Much of what we see developing in today’s racially driven political scene is surprisingly like what Johnson describes. Groups like Black Lives Matter are being encouraged to riot and challenge the system by the very same people who have historically, been supporters of segregation, slavery abortion and the Klu Klux Klan. There obviously is a larger agenda at work, and if Manning Johnson had any credibility, that agenda is the destruction of America as we know it. From that perspective, it can legitimately be argued that black people are indeed oppressed and exploited.

As stated earlier, a claim is made in the book Political Tolerance and American Democracy that Americans are likely to support the suppression of political and civil rights of minority groups. Not only is this claim made by a political partisan, it is not entirely true. Many second amendment supporters believe, for example, that black Americans have the same rights to keep and bear arms as anyone else does. They are after all, Americans. It is, however, something that is being used to fuel the divide. There is little doubt that this is being taught in today’s social studies classes along with white privilege and other racially divisive concepts. It is an idea that is believed. Keeping this in mind when considering the formation of black militias, the left is pulling an Alinsky tactic to make the right look hypocritical. Alinsky says making the enemy live up to its own book of rules is the most effective way to destroy them. “They can no more obey their own rules than the Christian Church can live up to Christianity.

The website Thetruthaboutguns.com ran a story exposing the black militia in Atlanta Georgia as being actors in costumes. Staging events is not a tactic the left is afraid to engage in. If this is true, it gives more credibility to the idea that we are being set up. Particularly, considering that they are doing it with the expectation that this action will be opposed by the right based on the research in Political Tolerance and American Democracy. It could theoretically be argued that opposing their right to keep and bear arms is just another issue which proves systematic racism. Which is their main objective, presenting America as racist. In other words, when you oppose a black militia, or run out in counter protest, you are only aiding in the left’s “America is racist” narrative. They are baiting you into it. Furthermore, they are showing that you do not believe in the ideals in which you claim to stand. If we have the right to form militias and bear arms in defiance of tyranny, so do all Americans. The point is not that they have a right to destroy our communities or start a war, but that the left is using them to not only destroy capitalism, but prove that we cannot live up to our own book rules by making us look like hypocrites.

A name without a face, I stand without a place. A voice lost in an incessant plea for sanity.

Forced to live a lie, forget the truth just comply. All to amuse, societies worthless vanity.

Rhetoric of Science and the Consequence of Men's Godless Reasoning

Abstract

This paper attempts to draw correlations between the rhetoric of Ramus, Bacon, and some of the cultural issues our nation faces today. Science has come to dominate public policy discourse and the governing of our nation. Decisions are being made that affect the lives of all Americans. These decisions are often made based on scientific inquiry derived from the knowledge of corruptible men, and often, flawed scientific studies. Science itself, has become Godless as those pushing its theories seem to be defining truth on their own terms while ignoring the moral and ethical implications of doing so. This paper does not attempt to make the claim that the rhetoric of Ramus or Bacon is responsible for anything, only that ideas have consequences and that there are interesting correlations. Taking the writing to learn approach, this writer focused on what captured his interest, noting the similarities between the rhetoric, modern sciences like psychology, and philosophies like humanism.

Introduction

We are living in an interesting time. A time where one could argue the consequences of ideas are catching up to us. America ̶ once thought of as a Christian nation is spiraling out of control in a cesspool of twisted logic that has turned society on its head, and people not knowing which direction to turn. A belief that our nation is founded on racist principles, that man is an animal and that gender is a fluid concept has taken over scientific inquiry. The results are disastrous as riots, violence and general feeling the nation is losing its principles is becoming the new normal. How did we get to this point?

Francis Bacon argued that developing a reliance on man’s reasoning could have consequences (Bizzell & Herzberg, 737). In a system he developed called the Idol System (Bizzell & Herzberg, 737), he focused on the consequences of false ideas that result from relying on man’s understanding, and the classifications of philosophical systems of thought. While he warns that man’s reasoning can lead to warped views of reality, his development of such systems seems to rely on his own ideas opposed to God’s wisdom. Peter Ramus seemed to believe that men had an inherent ability to reason (Bizzell & Herzberg, 675) and vehemently opposed Quintilian’s assertion that a moral, philosophical outlook was necessary in developing rhetorical discourse (Bizzell & Herzberg, 678).  Ramus allegedly, according to Bizzell & Herzberg (676), was attracted to Protestant Christianity as it emphasized a personal relationship with Christ. This, however, contradicts the assertion that he denies the need of a moral doctrine in rhetoric.

To what degree has the ideas of men in pursuit of their own reason contributed to the problems we face today? Are we living in the consequence of rejecting God’s wisdom in favor of man’s own understanding based on his own pursuits of knowledge and science?

Rhetoric of Science

Rhetoric can be defined as a means of developing reasoned arguments, through the written word, for the purpose of persuading others to accept a certain viewpoint (Libguides.berry.edu).  The art of rhetoric was once thought to be a study of culture ̶ a reflection of society and human nature (Gaonkar, 1993). Later, rhetoric turned towards the interpretation of scientific texts and development of arguments that pushed the development of scientific theories forward (Gaonkar, 1993). Many have tried to establish the art of rhetoric as a standard for grammar and the study of language however, it failed to take root (Gaonkar, 1993). Rhetoric instead became institutionalized and found itself no longer useful in the study of culture, but as Gaonkar (1993), says, better suited for the training of bureaucratic statesman (259). Rhetoric, in its contemporary sense is now more concerned with what ancient rhetoricians referred to as Rhetorica Docens (Gaonkar, 1993). It could be argued that this is when rhetoric turned towards the justification of scientific arguments and ideas. The art of persuading others to one’s ideas as defined by Libguides.berry.edu. “Practical reasoning, figurative language, compositional structures and strategies, psychology of audience and sociology of opinion” (Gaonkar, 1993) became the main concern. This became known as more of a clinical/ interpretative rather than a practical approach to the study of rhetoric (Gaonkar, 1993).

There is an undeniable connection between rhetoric and scientific inquiry which has come to be referred to as the rhetoric of science (Gaonkar, 1993). This rhetoric generally explores topics such as the effectiveness of scientific discourse on decision making and public policy, how accessible scientific knowledge is, and how studies from the natural and social sciences are often times translated within the premises of each other’s purviews (Gaonkar, 1993).

Writing in “The Rhetorical Turn: Invention and Persuasion in the Conduct of Inquiry” Tullio Maranhao suggests that once rhetoric lost its connection to philosophy, logic, and poetics it became nothing more than a supplementary way of appealing to what people wanted to hear, opposed to a method of pursuing truth. Maranhao argues that the “the triumph of science” (118) caused the traditional rhetoric to be disregarded, and eventually to be viewed as unethical. Science itself, is largely Godless and people have come to trust science more so than they trust God (Lindsey, 2005, p. 11). Science has given birth to theories like Darwinism and has placed human behavior under the microscope to be studied like an animal instead of a free-thinking human being. Maranhao also notes that the advent of psychoanalysis, which began with Freud’s theories on human behavior is partially responsible for the destruction of religion because of its close association with medicine. Placing trust in science and rejecting God has also led to the dehumanization of man, and theories like Communism which justifies the mass elimination of people who do not fit into what science can describe as ideal human beings. To what extent has rhetoric contributed to modern day science? That would almost be impossible to determine; however, there are some important connections that can be made.

 In another article on the rhetoric of science, a correlation is drawn between rhetoric and its relationship to truth by drawing on the conflicting ideas of Socrates and Plato. Plato argued that there two types of persuasion (Crick, 2014), one that persuades without any knowledge to back up the argument, and one that can prove a point through the providing of facts (Crick, 2014). Socrates on the other hand seemed to hold the view that rhetoric was manipulative in the sense that it only had the ability to, as Crick (2014) says, persuade people on subjects they know nothing about. Like science for example. In the book Starring the Text: The Place of Rhetoric in Science Studies, Allan Gross says that the idea of rhetoric being useful in explaining science rests on the idea that science is the only way of knowing. While on one hand he acknowledges that science is best explained through rhetorical processes, he suggests on the other that classical rhetoric is an empty vacuum lacking any real intellectual prowess (Crick, 2014). This suggests that he believes man defines truth in his own terms. The ultimate goal of Gross, according to Crick (2014), was to assign the qualities of classical rhetoric such as pathos, ethos and logos to the rhetoric of science so as to give scientific argument, once only based on speculative opinion, the weight of truth.  

Peter Ramus

Peter Ramus was a rhetorician who had a long-lasting influence on science. He was believed to be a reformer in scientific thinking as many viewed his methods as a challenge to traditional scholasticism (Bizzell & Herzberg, 675). According to Bizzell & Herzberg (675), he believed men did not need a classical education, or a moral, philosophical foundation (678) to reason. The ability to reason, Ramus argued was an innate human characteristic (675). It was much better, according to Ramus, to learn how to reason and to then “set off on one’s own pursuit of knowledge” (Bizzell & Herzberg, 675). This resulted, according to Bizzell & Herzberg (675) in a watered-down rhetoric focused mostly on style and delivery and lacking any philosophical or moral qualities (Bizzell & Herzberg, 675). This coincides with Goankar’s explanation of rhetoric described above where practical reasoning and sociology of opinion became the focus (Gaonkar, 1993). While Bizzell & Herzberg claim Ramus was attracted to protestant Christianity as it focused on a personal relationship with Christ, his rhetorical methods have little to do with religion and revolve around discovering knowledge of self and, institutionalizing a “Renaissance, humanist course of study in the liberal arts” (Triche & McKnight, 2006).

According to Triche and McKnight (2006) Ramus’s methodologies are responsible for much of the modern way education presents problem solving, and for the accepted methods of organizing and presenting instructional materials. Ramus’s dialectal method, however, was a little confusing. Citing the book, The Influence of Petrus Ramus: Studies in sixteenth and seventeenth century philosophy and sciences, Hamilton (2003) notes that Ramus was often looked upon in a negative way because he broke away from an Aristotelian way of thinking. Aristotelian logic formed the base of humanist thinking before Ramus because it revolved around “argumentation, reasoning, logic and truth” (Hamilton, 2003). Bizzell & Herzberg (675) also acknowledge that Ramus shunned Aristotle’s work in pursuit of his own reasoning. Again, Ramus believed there was no need for a moral, philosophical foundation in the development of effective rhetoric (Bizzell & Herzberg 675).

Lack of moral clarity in Ramus’s dialectical method, and the rejection of a system of logic that pursues truth has had its consequences. For instance, Triche & McKnight describe Ramus’s theory of dialect by saying that “Ramus asserted dialectic (logic) provided the necessary laws for defining what should and should not be included in a particular art or science.” What logic is Ramus referring to? This is an example of Ramus pursuing his own knowledge and understanding because it lacks any solid foundation. It assumes that truth is a relative concept and left to the whim of man to define. Science itself, is supposed to lay groundwork for discovering truth. When man decides what elements to leave out or what to add, truth becomes diluted.

Ramus’s influence on humanism, and his philosophies on dialect are evident in modern humanism as well. Modern humanists are largely atheistic and believe as Ramus did, that man’s achievements are due to his own innate wisdom and abilities to create, not what they would refer to as an imaginary God. Humanists admit that the truths they cling to arise from their imperfect methods of discovery and that their moral and political philosophies are influenced by such truths (Edwards, 1984). Furthermore, Edwords (1984) says that the moral and political implications of humanist thought are “subject to the continual revision in light of both the fallible and tentative nature of our knowledge and constant shifts in social conditions.” This could be compared to Ramus’s description of dialect. It suggests a fluid, relative nature of truth based on man’s assertions and not, a universal standard of morality.

The implications of this type of thinking are numerous and evident in today’s world. Science, based on man’s fallible knowledge and rejection of God, tells us that gender is a fluid concept, for example, and that it can be expressed at will by those who may be suffering from gender confusion. Applying the humanist concept of “continual revision in light of both the tentative and fallible nature of our knowledge,” this type of thinking is leading many to believe that men can identify as women and compete in women’s sports, as women.

Rejection of sound moral doctrine based on God’s word opposed to man’s reasoning has also led to theories like Critical Race Theory which asserts that all white men are inherently racist. This is based on a revisionist history seen through the lens of those practicing critical theory itself. Critical Theory is a doctrine of men, who relying on their own reasoning sought to change the society in which they live through criticizing popular culture (Bohman, 2019). Bohman claims that critical theory seeks to free men from enslavement, but because its precepts are Marxist in origin (Bohman, 2019), the definition of enslavement has many interpretations. Marx sought to destroy capitalism and viewed it as a system that exploited people, not one that lifted them from poverty. Marx’s rhetoric led to the rise of communism because it denied God’s truth of human nature.

The problem with doctrines like Critical Theory, and the idea that people can randomly choose their own gender is that they deny God’s truth; they are based on personal perceptions and opinions ̶ the reasoning of men who were in pursuit of their own knowledge. The results have been disastrous. Our nation is facing many controversies because a segment of the population believes it is oppressed based on the rhetoric of those who define history on their own terms, not truth. The traditional view of family, marriage, men, and women is also destroyed because people have been infused with Godless science based on men’s ideas that gender is fluid and can be chosen on a whim based on feelings.

Goankar (1993), noted how the Rhetoric of Science affected the discourse of the natural and social sciences. Ironically, and this goes back to the description of Ramus’s dialectic described by Triche and McKnight (2006), there is evidence of severe bias in scientific journals which according to Simundic (2013), “creates false impression in the literature and may cause long-term consequences to the entire scientific community.” Simundic (2013) also writes that it is not uncommon, particularly in scientific journals, for evidence to be left out, or articles to be left unpublished, if they do not support the findings the study sought to obtain in the first place.

It would be difficult, if not impossible to prove that Ramus’s ideas on reason, and his rejection of moral philosophy in rhetoric had a direct influence on the doctrines discussed and even science today. It is known however that he was considered a reformer by those who also rejected the traditional views of the time. His explanation of dialect suggests that men define truth and decide for themselves what logic should or should not be included in the pursuit of scientific inquiry. His rejection of Aristotelian logic, which is based in the pursuit of truth as it is, not man’s own interpretation of it, and his insistence that man can reason without an absolute morality, can in theory be connected to the modern views of humanism which also posits the idea that men can reason without God and that truth is a relative, fluid concept. The rejection of truth as an absolute is leading to many problems in society today.

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon, according to Bizzell and Herzberg (737), had a long-lasting influence on psychology. This is interesting in the sense that Bacon also argued against developing a reliance on the doctrines of men suggesting, as discussed in the previous section, and that there are consequences for doing so (Bizzell & Herzberg, 737). This would also suggest that Bacon believed in the existence of an absolute truth however, his influence on psychology and the rhetoric he developed contradicts this because psychology, just as humanism and critical theory, is a doctrine of man that largely rejects the truth of God.

One of Bacon's contributions to rhetoric according to Bizzell and Herzberg (737) was what he referred to as the Idol system. This system focused on the consequences of false ideas and argued that men’s perception of reality is distorted by systems of logic which rely on their own reasoning (Bizzell and Herzberg 737). This is where Bacon’s ideas had the long-lasting influence on psychology mentioned by Bizzell and Herzberg (737). Ironically, it is very contradicting because the Idol system is a doctrine of Bacon’s making which is not based on a universally accepted notion of Biblical morality, but Bacons own ideas and his insistence that men had become too “slavishly submissive to Aristotelian logic,” which he argued was creating madness in the minds of men (Weeks, 2019). Bacon, according to Weeks (2019) believed that all men were insane until purged of, and this is based on the above quote, classical and traditional thought which enslaved them. This is also a common belief in psychology. Many theorists base their beliefs on the idea that man has no soul, which can be traced to Darwinism, which is another doctrine of man’s own making. Weeks (2019) suggests that Bacon knew people would only accept his theories of the mind if they understood how serious the problem was. Again, we are talking about his theories on the human mind, not a Biblical truth of human nature.

Bacon’s theory of idols is broken down into four categories: inquiry and invention, judgment, memory, and delivery (Bizzell and Herzberg 737). Weeks (2019), describes inquiry and invention as imagination. Bacon, Weeks argued, believed that imagination was the root of all human error. He believed that the human mind altered reality by confusing the nature of things as they are with the nature of the individual (Weeks, 2019).  The grand deception of  the senses was a term Bacon used to describe the idea that men had a habit of relating their senses and experiences to only to their own limited sense of reality, that their senses represented the true measure of things, not a universal standard (weeks, 2019). Bacon’s theory is very confusing and contradictory in the sense that on one hand, he argues that all human actions, thought memory, imagination and even the ability to reason (Weeks 2019), were the result of a “material vital spirit” (Weeks, 2019). Is he using the word spirit in the same sense that Christian doctrine would? That is difficult to determine. It could be more related to the idea that men’s behavior is governed not by free choice but by evolutionary processes. Bacon argued, according to Weeks (2019) that “nothing really exists in nature besides individual bodies, carrying out pure, individual acts according to law.” According to what law? If nothing exists in nature, he cannot be referring to natural law which is an extension of God’s creation. This belief is more in line with B.F. Skinner’s view on human behavior, which of course is derived from Darwinism. Skinner argued that human behavior was not controlled by our free wills, but by evolutionary instincts ̶

"In what we may call the pre-scientific view (and the word is not necessarily pejorative) a person's behavior is at least to some extent his own achievement. He is free to deliberate, decide, and act, possibly in original ways, and he is to be given credit for his successes and blamed for his failures. In the scientific view (and the word is not necessarily honorific) a person’s behavior is determined by a genetic endowment traceable to the evolutionary history of the species and by the environmental circumstances to which as an individual he has been exposed. Neither view can be proved, but it is in the nature of scientific inquiry that the evidence should shift in favor of the second. As we learn more about the effects of the environment, we have less reason to attribute any part of human behavior to an autonomous controlling agent. And the second view shows a marked advantage when we begin to do something about behavior. Autonomous man is not easily changed: in fact, to the extent that he is autonomous, he is by definition not changeable at all. But the environment can be changed, and we are learning how to change it. The measures we use are those of physical and biological technology, but we use them in special ways to affect behavior." (Skinner, 1971, p.101)

The view that Bacon’s theories somehow contributed to Darwinist thought, or the development of Skinners beliefs about behaviorism is not unique to this writer. Macdonald (2008), also argued that Bacon influenced the study of human behavior and in fact, his study revolved around the idea of learning how to “predict and control human behavior” (Macdonald, 2008). Macdonald makes a direct correlation between Bacon's beliefs in empiricism and the idea that psychology is a natural science based on “observation and experiment” (Macdonald, 2008),  and its findings are largely subjective, meaning they are open for interpretation. This concept has many implications. For example, humans are indeed motivated by certain stimuli to behave in a certain way. Skinner as mentioned earlier, would be inclined to believe that a person’s behavior is not the result of free thinking, but forced by environmental circumstances stemming from our evolutionary history. People arguing from a religious perspective on the other hand would argue that people are responsible for their actions, not their environment. The implications are larger still as blaming behavior on the environment allows people to make excuses and not be held accountable.  

Macdonald (2008) also cites Skinner's theories as being directly relatable to Bacon. Psychology also attempts to predict and control human behavior through stimulus response mechanisms. According to Macdonald (2008) Skinner said that human beings should not be viewed as doers or originators of action because our behavior is controlled by whatever stimulus is motivating us to act. Finally, Macdonald (2008) also cites Skinner as being motivated, or inspired by Bacon's work drawing a direct correlation from Bacon's rhetoric to the Godless views held by behaviorists who have in their power, the ability to influence policy and politics based on their understandings of human behavior.

While Bacon believed there was an objective truth in the world (Bizzell and Herzberg 737) this is different from the idea of absolute truth; it leaves truth up for interpretation of those studying it. To his credit he argued against the idea of relying too much upon “narrow empiricism” (Bizzell and Herzberg 737), which meant an individual’s senses constituted reality. Unfortunately, this cannot really be held up to any scrutiny because Bacon's system of idols, while designed to warn of the consequences of the relying on human understanding, was also a system of false logic. Nowhere in it was the idea of truth being based on Biblical morality. God to Bacon was a god who created a mystery (Macdonald, 2008) where only few could decipher the great wonder when in fact, truth is self-evident and God, accessible to all.

Darwin

Darwin’s theory of evolution, which posits the idea that men are no more significant than any other animal is, as author of the book “The Rhetorical Turn: Invention and Persuasion in the Conduct of Inquiry” Herbert Simons explains, a product based not on a standardized system of logic, but on the rhetorical logic of the day. Is this another example of man deciding what should or should not be included in scientific inquiry, as Ramus described in his dialect? Darwin’s theory of evolution, according to Bergman (2001) was viewed by Marx, Stalin, Lenin, and other atheistic dictators as a replacement of the Biblical story of Genesis as man’s origins. It was Darwin’s work, according to James Perloff, which enabled Marx to give communism a scientific justification. Marx’s view of class struggle is based on Darwin’s evolutionary idea of survival of the fittest. Ironically, the modern debate revolving around racism can also be tied to Darwin’s theory of evolution. According to The Citizens Commission on Human Rights, the modern view of racism can be traced back to a man named Francis Galton, who was a half cousin of Charles Darwin and a subscriber to his theory of evolution. Galton, believing in the survival of the fittest mentality, thought of Africans as being inferior and being incapable of living independently because they lacked free will. This is the result of evolutionary thinking which is taught in America’s public schools.

Locke and Classical Rhetoric

John Locke argued that natural religion is something that is not easily misunderstood (Bizzell & Herzberg, 825) and that men should be careful to observe God’s natural laws (Bizzell & Herzberg, 825). What did he mean by this? Traditionally, there has been no rhetorical method for interpreting Biblical texts (Joosten, 2016). Not surprisingly Joosten (2016), points out the fact that perhaps the most effective method that could be helpful would be that of classical rhetoric. Classical rhetoric is almost the exact opposite of that of Ramus and Bacon. It is clear and easy to decipher. Classical rhetoric follows a commonsense approach to persuasive speech by starting with an introduction, a narration of facts, a demonstration of what justifies the facts being discussed, and a conclusion (Joosten, 2016). It is simple and easy to follow.

The classical authors—Aristotle, Quintilian, Cicero, and many others—understood that the crucial concerns of a speech lie not within the discourse, but without it, in reality. Thus, classical rhetoric develops the notion of ‘ethos’: the capacity of orators to project of themselves the image of someone who is wise, just, and likeable; it develops the notion of ‘pathos’: the capacity to awaken the feelings of the audience and to harness them to the persuasive enterprise. (Joosten, 2016)

Ramus rejected the works of Quintilian on the grounds that moral arguments were not needed in pursuit of knowledge and that man should pursue not the classical rhetoric, but his own understanding. While classical rhetoric addresses the same ideas of persuading an audience, what matters most is not what is said in the argument but what the consequences will be (Joosten, 2016). This is clearly not the case with Ramus or Bacon, or other rhetoricians for that matter. There main concern seems to be gaining recognition for their contributions and changing the discourse to reflect their viewpoints. To dominate the world of rhetoric not necessarily search for truth. That is just this writer’s humble opinion. It is hard to deny however, that a turn away from classical rhetoric, which was based on something deeper than an individual’s own interpretation, has had dire consequences. 

 Conclusion

Both Bacon and Ramus had lasting influences on science and psychology. Ramus, because he was considered a reformer whose dialect almost allowed the rejection of an absolute truth in favor of choosing on our own accord what constituted concepts of reality. It was man’s own reasoning and logic which dictated what ideas should be used in scientific inquiry, not truth. Bacon, while seemingly more grounded in his insistence that man be careful to become reliant on human understanding, did the exact opposite through the creation of his idol systems. This opened the door, theoretically, according to Macdonald (2008), for behaviorists like B.F. Skinner to justify their attempts to predict and control human behavior. The rejection of truth as an absolute and the lack of Biblical morality in the rhetoric of science has led, arguably, to atrocities committed by men who were able to offer scientific rationale for the elimination of millions of human beings. Darwin’s theory of evolution, which is Godless in its origins, led to the creation of atheistic communism and Nazism, rationalizing that men, because they were only animals, had no special significance and that their behavior could be molded to fit the views of those who rejected God and accepted science. Are these philosophies consequences of rejecting Aristotelian logic, or even a Biblical based morality?

This writer was motivated to write this paper because of correlations he saw pertaining to the concepts of Darwinism, behaviorism, and authoritarianism which he is already interested in, and the rhetoric of Bacon and Ramus. It stood to reason that their rhetoric eventually led to the rejection of the classical sense of morality and classical thinking that there would be connections between these rhetoricians and the Godless science which seems to govern our world today. The rhetoric of science posits the idea that rhetoric itself became a method of reinterpreting scientific texts and not of studying and understanding human culture, as Gaonkar (1993) suggests. There is a sharp contrast between the classical rhetoric of Aristotle, Ramus and Bacon. This contrast can be described as the difference between one that seeks to understand truth, and one that seeks to create truth. Ramus and Bacon have rejected classical rhetoric in favor of pursuing their own knowledge. The classical systems of logic have been described by those seeking to solidify science as absolute truth as being vacuous in intellectualism. Theoretically, it could not only be argued that the rejection of Aristotelian logic, or morality in discourse led to the rise of Godless theories like Darwinism and communism. It could be argued in theory that suggesting the classical rhetoric, which Joosten (2016) suggested was best suited for interpreting the Bible from a rhetorical standpoint, is leading to the godlessness we see in science today.

 Berry college memorial library http://libguides.berry.edu/rhetoric/definitions

Bizzell, P. & Herzberg, B. (2001) The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings From Classical Times To The Present 2^nd Ed. Boston. Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Bohman, J. (2019) Critical Theory, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2019/entries/critical-theory/>.  

Creating Racism: Psychiatry’s Betrayal. Citizens Commission on Human Rights. (2004) Report and recommendations on psychiatry causing racial conflict and genocide. Retrieved from http://www.cchrstl.org/documents/racism.pdf

Crick, N. (2014) When we can’t wait for the truth: The nature of rhetoric in the rhetoric of science. Porio, An interdisciplinary iournal of rhetorical analysis & invention. 10(2) pp. 1-29. Retrieved from https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=ee4a4bb5-d7c6-4402-ad6f-6532ae5c7003%40sdc-v-sessmgr03

Edwords, F. (1984) The humanist philosophy in perspective. Humanist, (44), 17 p. 18. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1290375256?accountid=12085

Feingold, M. Freedman, J.S. & Rother, W. (eds.) (2001). The Influence of Petrus Ramus: Studies in sixteenth and seventeenth century philosophy and sciences. Basel: Schwabe.  

Gaonkar, D, P. (1993) The idea of rhetoric in the rhetoric of science. The Southern Communication Journal, 58(4), 258. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/226935778?accountid=12085

Gross, A. Starring the text: The place of rhetoric is scientific studies. (2006) Southern Illinois University Press.

Hamilton, D. (2003) Instruction in the Making: Peter Ramus and the Beginnings of Modern Schooling. Department of Education. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED477528.pdf  

Lindsey, D.M. The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Exposing the lies of Godless human science. (2005) Pelican Publishing Company. Gretna. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5cunKLX7984C&oi=fnd&pg=PA11&dq=godless+rhetoric+of+Bacon&ots=Hro2x8_2LU&sig=TEoMdCPa9rpHeu7tlvZKDBCv6s0#v=onepage&q=godl

Joosten, J. (2016). Biblical Rhetoric as Illustrated by Judah’s Speech in Genesis 44.18–34. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 41(1), 15–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309089216628417

Macdonald, Paul S. (2008) Francis Bacon’s Behavioral Psychology. Journal of the history of the behavioral sciences. (43) 3 p. 286 Retrieved from com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=fda0cbff-f895-4890-9b56-3182bff92598%40pdc-v-sessmgr01  

Perloff, J., Tornado in a Junkyard: The Relentless Myth of Darwinism. 1999. Refuge Books, Arlington. 

Simons, H. The Rhetorical Turn: Invention and Persuasion in the Conduct of Inquiry. (1990) University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=675678

Simundic, A. (2013) Bias in research. Biochemia medica. 23(1) p. 12-15 Retrieved from https://www.biochemia-medica.com/assets/images/upload/xml_tif/Simundic_AM_-Bias_in_research.pdf

Skinner, B, F. Beyond freedom and dignity. Middlesex England: Penguin books ltd. 1971 Retrieved from https://selfdefinition.org/psychology/BF-Skinner-Beyond-Freedom-&-Dignity-1971.pdf

Triche, S., & McKnight, D. (2006) The quest for method: The legacy of Peter Ramus. Journal of the history of education society, 33(1). Retrieved from https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/doi/full/10.1080/00467600410001648751

Weeks, S., V. (2019) Francis Bacon’s doctrine of idols: A diagnosis of universal madness. British journal for the history of science. 52(1) p. 1-39. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/2188042580?pq-origsite=summon

Covid-19 and the Understanding of Panicked Reactions to Media

It seems each day that American society drifts further away from any discernable ability to reason for themselves. Despite the obvious controversies surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, many Americans are still guided by an overwhelming sense of fear. People are falling in compliance with face covering policies either on the mandatory level, or voluntarily, under the misguided notion that they are protecting themselves, and others, against the virus. It was only a few months ago when images of Chinese first responders were reacting to the disease, for dramatic effect no less, in full hazmat suits on the evening news. If the novel coronavirus was in fact that deadly, the idea that a cloth facial covering can provide any protection is misguided. Still, society is marching in lockstep with an agenda that will more than likely lead to mandatory vaccinations and possibly, the denial of societal participation for refusing to comply. How did people become so susceptible to such blatant propaganda? The answers can be found in social science and ironically, people’s reaction to an infamous radio broadcast.

The radio broadcast in question was Orson Wells’ War of the Worlds that was heard on Halloween night in 1938. The presentation was masterfully done and drove many people across the country into a frenzied panic under the belief that America had been invaded by Martians. According to the book Invasion from Mars: The Study of the Psychology of Panic, people were driven to such a state of fear that local water towers were shot by citizens who believed they were alien craft. People’s reaction to War of the Worlds can be used as a comparison to the current crisis gripping the nation because the event itself, and the reaction it caused, was studied by the social scientists of the day and a great deal of insight into the people’s panicked reaction was inevitably gained.

Such rare occurrences provide opportunities for the social scientist to study mass behavior. They must be exploited when they come. Although the social scientist unfortunately cannot usually predict such situations and have his tools of investigation ready to analyze the phenomenon while it is still on the wing, he can begin his work before the effects of the crisis are over and memories are blurred. The situation created by the broadcast was one which shows us how the common man reacts in a time of stress and strain. It gives us insights into his intelligence, his anxieties, and his needs, which we could never get by tests or strictly experimental studies. The panic situation we have investigated had all the flavor of everyday life and, at the same time, provided a semi-experimental condition for research. In spite of the unique conditions giving rise to this particular panic, the writer has attempted to indicate throughout the study the pattern of the circumstances which, from a psychological point of view, might make this the prototype of any panic. (Cantril, War of the Worlds)

There are some interesting correlations to the way people reacted then, and the way they are reacting now. No doubt, this was realized as psychologist have been studying human behavior for decades. One point of interest was that upon interviewing the people that panicked, because not everyone did, it was revealed that their trust in media contributed to their belief in the broadcast. This is despite it being made abundantly clear before the show, that it was indeed a play. Millions of people heard that and therefore, did not react with panic. Furthermore, it was revealed that when actors playing experts that were part of the programming described certain situations, the belief that this was a real event was reinforced because of the faith people put in authority figures. In other words, actors playing the part of experts, gave the radio broadcast such a unique feeling of it being an actual news program, people believed it. Is it possible that this insight gained into the study of panicked reactions to media contributed to the news programming we have today? A constant display of talking heads posing as authority figures telling us what to believe?

Another interesting observation gained from that study refers to what psychologist’s call “suggestibility.” Some people are more easily influenced for several different reasons. According to Cantril, these reasons varied from education levels to the ability to compare what was being heard on the radio to other information available to listeners at the time. One of the most interesting observations however, and this one can be directly related to today’s hysterical reactions to Covid-19, is the revelation that people’s panicked reactions can be, in large part, motivated by stimulus’ their brain has no reference to categorize. In other words, the information they are receiving (stimulus) is so overwhelming to them because they have no frame of reference to compare it to in order to make a sound judgement on how to react; therefore, panic takes over. Remember, this was something learned from a study back in 1938. Consider again American media presenting videos of the Chinese first responders reacting to a “new virus,” allegedly killing thousands, while dressed down in full hazmat suits. This is a stimulus that many Americans had no idea how to deal with. To this day, the media continues to feed us false statistics reinforcing a belief that we are in the middle of a world ending pandemic. It is safe to say, considering the information gained from the War of the Worlds study, that they fully expected the masses to react the way they did.

There is little doubt that there is an effort to use media to create societal anxiety to exert social control. Behaviorists have known for decades that human behavior can be manipulated through the control of the environment. In fact, psychologists like B.F. Skinner attribute all human behavior to environmental circumstances that have nothing to do with the concept of free will, or willingly choosing how we behave. In his book “Science and Human Behavior” Skinner writes that man’s behavior can largely be determined by the specific conditions to which he is exposed. In other words, he believed that the environment largely predicted the way men would behave.

If we are to use the methods of science in the field of human affairs, we must assume that behavior is lawful and determined. We must expect to discover that what a man does is the result of specifiable conditions and that once these conditions have been discovered, we can anticipate and to some extent determine his actions (Skinner, Science and Human Behavior). 

Have they discovered these conditions by creating media stories which incite panic and anxiety? There is a study that indicates that simply watching too much television creates a higher level of susceptibility to being panicked or believing that what you are watching represents reality. Herbert Krugman wrote in Brainwave measures of Media Involvement, that the human brain, when exposed to too much television, begins to perceive what is being presented through the limbic system, which is viewed as the reptilian brain, as reality. It governs our fight or flight mechanisms and fails to process information correctly. Our brains begin to associate what we are viewing with representing real life. This is especially true if an individual watches more than thirty hours of week of television, which most Americans do.

When you’re watching television the higher brain regions (like the midbrain and the neo-cortex) are shut down, and most activity shifts to the lower brain regions (like the limbic system). The neurological processes that take place in these regions cannot accurately be called “cognitive.” The lower or reptile brain simply stands poised to react to the environment using deeply embedded “fight or flight” response programs. Moreover, these lower brain regions cannot distinguish reality from fabricated images (a job performed by the neo-cortex), so they react to television content as though it were real, releasing appropriate hormones and so on. Studies have proven that, in the long run, too much activity in the lower brain leads to atrophy in the higher brain regions. (Krugman, 1971)

While this article may not definitely prove why Americans have become so suggestible to the wearing of face masks at government dictates, it provides interesting insights into human behavior based on existing studies examining human reactions to  media, what psychologists know about stimulus response mechanisms, and the effects modern media can have on the brain. Based on this information it could theoretically be argued that compliance with mandatory, or even voluntary masking, was largely expected. There is more that supports this argument. In an article entitled “The Psychological Manipulation of Universal Masking,” published by Health Freedom Ohio, the author points out the long used tactic of discrediting people who do not go along with social norms. People who refuse to wear masks are uncaring, selfish and pose a danger to everyone else. Those wearing masks have been fooled into believing that they are morally superior and that their actions show that they have a deep concern for the safety of us all, despite any evidence which may show otherwise. B.F. Skinner had something to say about this as well. In “Beyond Freedom Dignity,” Skinner says that people can be persuaded into behaving in certain ways out of a fear of being rejected. This type of control, according to Skinner, is more powerful than a full-blown police state.   In other words, those wearing masks are doing so out of a deep-rooted fear that they will be perceived as contributing to the problem, or not caring about humanity. They will then viciously defend their actions because they have been led to believe that their compliance represents a moral superiority.  

Those who work productively because of the reinforcing value of what they produce are under the sensitive and powerful control of the products. Those who learn in the natural environment are under a form of control as powerful as any control exerted by a teacher. (Skinner, Beyond Freedom Dignity.)

The Covid-19 crisis has been going on since February. Despite the abundant evidence available showing that it is not the doomsday scenario the media portrays; people are falling in lockstep with government dictates. The wearing of useless cloth face coverings; or even surgical masks, which are made to protect a sterile environment from your exhaled germs, is becoming an epidemic in and of itself. People are susceptible to the misinformation being presented to them largely because human reaction to media has been thoroughly studied and there is a clear understanding of how exposure to television affects the brain. If people continue to comply with ridiculous assertions and useless mandates in the name of protecting us from Covid-19, the consequences could be a complete loss of freedom and an ability to reason at all.