Scotch-Irish-L Archives

Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2001-01 > 0980416671


From: "Edward Andrews" <>
Subject: RE: [Scotch-Irish] Pklonghurst@aol.com
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 09:57:51 -0000
In-Reply-To: <6a.ab63291.27a11360@aol.com>


I don't want to extend this discussion over much.
We here have a beautiful piece of Post Modern thinking, which I will if I
may, use for teaching on in the future.
I would make a couple of comments.
The ethical understanding here is really that tolerance is everything. You
will notice that it is a strongly individualistic ideology. Of course it
ultimately has its roots in the idea of Life, liberty, and pursuit of
happiness. Therefore it is a very American view
When I said in a recent post that this is an international list, one of the
things which that means is that people are coming from different fundamental
understandings of life.
Strangely enough here I will take an attitude which in itself is post
modern. Whatever turns you on.
However to take what is really a premodern idea, there are those who
believe in objective standards, who believe in objective ideas of right and
wrong - and it doesn't matter whether one is talking ethically, or
factually, or historically, or in terms of methodology. when you meet them,
then there is bound to be conflict (and I know that we can discuss the whole
concept of objective, and of right and of wrong).

I think that Paul and I would basically take a rigorous line on the work
which is done on this list. It is traditionally hard headed. It could to
some extend be argued to be revisionist, as little from the past is taken as
read. (It therefore in its own way is postmodernist). The problem is of
course that the whole essence of genealogy is profoundly undemocratic. It is
immaterial that you would like an ancestor born in a Castle or whatever your
fancy is. You get what you were given. The rest of the community is there to
make sure that you don't cheat.

Every so often when we have this kind of splat there are those who chime in
about how unreasonable we are. I don't know what kind of ready made fiction
they want to come up with, but sorry it isn't on.

You at least had the courage to post. You now know to strip what you have
to the essentials. (though many people go to the other extreme and tell us
nothing, which is equally bad).

A bonus that you have is that everyone on the list will sure look at any
Hunters which they have.

Edward Andrews

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [mailto:]
> Sent: 25 January 2001 05:28
> To:
> Subject: Re: [Scotch-Irish]
>
>
> Paul - We will all eventually come to realize that one of the
> most important
> things we will ever do in this life is to be uplifting and encouraging to
> others. We all make choices everyday to be happy or unhappy. We
> choose our
> own attitude regardless of our circumstances. Our own lives are
> for us to
> develop or to destroy. You reap what you sow. Sow kindness and
> see what you
> get. It may change your life. Everyone deserves to be happy,
> not everyone
> realizes that they are ultimately the one who makes that choice.
>
>

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