thoughts of a poorly educated hollywood actor

I was accused of being a stumbling block to discourse (because I didn't begin with the assumption that capitalism is 'good'), was advised to give up my 'moderate socialism', and was subtly compared to a 'poorly educated Hollywood actor' all in one person's comment and blog. It bothered me. I had just finished an unlikely book which helped me vent, and I wrote this.

Thoughts of a poorly educated Hollywood actor
or
The surest way to corrupt a youth...
or
Every theory is autobiographical
or
We are all wrong

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Dawn, Sec. 297

When has someone read enough information to become an authority on a particular subject? Daily newspapers? Paperback books? Academic literature? Maybe they have to have written a few articles of their own before we can put our trust in them.

Hmmm, I'm not so sure. Of course, I'd be slow to accept the wisdom of any old passionate soap-box preacher who was told something by someone, someday he can't remember, but I would also hesitate to place my full confidence in any confident soul.

I suspect that we are all wrong. Yes, all of us. Just for a start, I suspect that every theory is autobiographical. All of us in our discussions- lay folks like me, plus academics and intellectuals- inadvertently bring our wishes (perhaps hidden, says Sigmund) and power struggles (says Friedrich) and self-serving ideologies (says Karl) to the table. The best possible scenario is that we are aware of this, and so critique our own thoughts, and analyse everyone elses ideas, in this light.

And then we've all had our teachers, looked up to certain authors or activists, had clever friends who think one way, known asshole acquaintances who thought another. Unbeknownst to us, it all adds up. Tragically, we get stuck in the mindset we've invested in, and then find evidence to support our ideas (Sigmund again- subconsciously, we are saving ourselves from the shame of being wrong). It is impossible to be autonomous. We must be careful of getting cocky, because we are wrong.

We are all wrong because we can't step out of our own lives to give a truly objective decision. This matters because we might end up embarrassing ourselves by yelling from the rooftops something with a bit of forethought and introspection we would not let pass our lips. (The embarrassment will, of course, only come when we later realise we are wrong - you maybe know some fundamentalists who are fully unaware of how embarrassing they are.) Much more importantly, this matters because in our ranting we may propagate some theory that harms others without us being aware that we support it for self-beneficial reasons.

Being wrong. This should be a humbling thought. I'm passionate about some things, even get childishly worked up about them, but it's nice to remember that I'm wrong. The more I read, the more I know I don't know it all. But this goes beyond that cliché to acknowledge we are always failing to have a sturdy foundation for our ideas: I am wrong. You are wrong. We are wrong. At the occasional best, this acknowledgement helps me to take the ideas of others more seriously. People I disagree with, even apparently fundamentally, have something genuine and truthful to bring to discussion. Even the soap-box preachers. But, (yes, spot the irony) I get really pissed off when I come across someone so sure of their position they speak with a tone of condescension, or even arrogance. Don't they know they're wrong? We're all wrong! Can't you see we all have holes in our theories and in our arguments? How much have you read to be so self-assured?!

I'll buy a punch bag.