WIST Quotations2d ago

A quotation from Orwell

I think one must engage in politics — using the word in a wide sense — and that one must have preferences: that is, one must recognise that some causes are objectively better than others, even if they are advanced by equally bad means. As for the nationalistic loves and hatreds that I have spoken of, they are part of the make-up of most of us, whether we like it or not. Whether it is possible to get rid of them I do not know, but I do believe that it is possible to struggle against them, and that this is essentially a moral effort. It is a question first of all of discovering what one really is, what one’s own feelings really are, and then of making allowance for the inevitable bias.

George Orwell (1903-1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1945-05), “Notes on Nationalism,” Polemic Magazine (1945-10)

More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/46470/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #orwell #georgeorwell #bias #cause #endsandmeans #ideology #jingoism #moralcharacter #moralduty #nationalism #objectivity #politicalopinion #politics #prejudice #selfawareness #selfexamination #selfimprovement #subjectivity

Orwell, George - Essay (1945-05), "Notes on Nationalism," Polemic Magazine (1945-10) | WIST Quotations

I think one must engage in politics -- using the word in a wide sense -- and that one must have preferences: that is, one must recognise that some causes are objectively better than others, even if they are advanced by equally bad means. As for the nationalistic loves and…

WIST Quotations
WIST QuotationsApr 23

A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle

It is of the first importance not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. A client is to me a mere unit, a factor in a problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money, and the most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor.

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 2 [Holmes], Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)

More about this quote: wist.info/doyle-arthur-conan/8…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arthurconandoyle #sherlockholmes #holmes #sherlock #appearances #attachment #attraction #bias #emotion #judgment #objectivity #virtue

Doyle, Arthur Conan - Story (1890-02), "The Sign of the Four," ch. 2 [Holmes], Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK) | WIST Quotations

It is of the first importance not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. A client is to me a mere unit, a factor in a problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was…

WIST Quotations
Show threadDon Curren 🇨🇦🇺🇦Apr 22
2 “ … It obviously endangers the #freedom and the #objectivity of our discussion if we attack a person instead of attacking an #opinion or, more precisely, a #theory.” - #KarlPopper
WilliamLMillerApr 21
When faced with looming despair, I meditate on the inherent benevolence of an objective universe. Existence is not neutral. Existence is home. Home is supportive of life. That is why it is home. #philosophy #optimism #BenevolentUniversePremise #objectivity
PhilosophicsApr 6

I've been putting off posting about my 5,000+ essay downloads in deference to more 'important' pieces, but since my weekend was occupied plotting a new story idea, I have space for a short celebratory piece. Hooray for me. 🥳

https://philosophics.blog/2026/04/06/celebration/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

The two favourites were 'Objectivity Is an Illusion' and 'Rational Ghosts: Why Enlightenment Democracy Was Built to Fail'. Follow the link.

#philosophy #essays #writing #reading #democracy #fiction #nonfiction #objectivity #rationality #celebrate

PhilosophicsMar 27

I crashed a thread and ran off on this tangent to compare my Architecture of Encounter.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/03/27/plural-worlds-or-plural-mediations-goodman-meets-meow/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

I prompted ChatGPT to do the heavy lifting.

#mediation #philosophy #ontology #epistemology #worldbuilding #blog #podcast #constraint #pluralism #metaphysics #grammar #systems #objectivity

JWcph, Radicalized By DecencyMar 24

RE: https://mastodon.world/@davidho/116282312269551854

No, seriously - when was the last time you saw a refinery fire, or gas line explosion, or spill, or overturned tanker (ship or truck), treated with the same "this is a systemic problem!" urgency as, oh, let's say wind turbine bird strikes or humming noises...?

Selectively uncritical journalism is like 80% of how we got into this mess. I really hope we're paying attention.

#communication #journalism #bias #facts #objectivity

Teacher JasonFeb 14
#mediaproducers present us with information about #ourworld. An #objectiveview is an #ideal only. #Objectivity exists as an #aspiration. #Facts themselves might be objectively true, their #presentation never is. #context matters. It would be nice to have a tool that presents all this #content in a manner that helps us categorise & consume less nudgingly. Only #FOSS can deliver here. Be prepared for #manipulative #agents, as #AI is a #tool of #opression primarily. #ads is #legal #humanhacking
sheislaurenceFeb 6
"I learned, from veteran colleagues, what I consider to be the two principles of #journalism. The first is that #objectivity is not the same as #neutrality"
AnthonyFeb 4
I wonder whether the digital age has led to a decline in the use of atlases, which in turn might be expected to imbue a false sense of increasing objectivity as scientific practitioners of become less acquainted with analog methods.

#science #PhilosophyOfScience #objectivity #digital