Tautology: To Doug

["Charles Brown" <CharlesB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>> cbcox@xxxxxxxxx 06/30/00 03:09PM >>>
Doug did not say, "Capitalism does not decay [won't collapse]" He said
"Where have I heard that before?" I'll leave it to someone else to untangle

the exact logic implicit there (it's rather complex), but I think that
*some*
at least of what I.A. Richards would have called its emotive force came
from the clash of two concealed "tautologies": "All things decay" and
"Communists endlessly repeat slogans" or something like that. Both
(hidden) propositions *act* like tautologies, though I grant that a logic
text would not exactly support me here.

_______________

CB: Doug, by now, I have heard you say the equivalent of "Communists endlessly repeat slogans" or "Communists endlessly repeat that capitalism is doomed" , as Carrol phrases it,  quite often.  What I wonder is do you  think that capitalism will collapse or not ? or are you  uncertain ?  We know quite certainly that you have an objection to the frequency with which communist say it.  But at this point what stands out is that you do not answer the substantive questions I pose here. So, the endlessly repeated objection to communists endlessly saying capitalism will collapse, starts to look like a dodge of the substantive questions. It seems like you could answer those questions without any danger of anyone thinking that you are committing the typical communist error of endlessly repeating that capitalism will fall , because you have endlessly and militantly objected to this typical communist error. So , why not take a position on it ?

 Perhaps he agrees with you, Carrol , that it is a trivial tautology.

But perhaps the even more interesting questions that I can't find an answer from you on , Doug, are do you favor the end of capitalism ? and do you favor the building of socialism ? do you favor the building of socialism , but of a type that is nothing like what was in the Soviet Union or other named socialist countries ? I ask this in relation to both environmental problems and socio-political-economic problems.

Sometimes when you object to communists endlessly repeating that capitalism will fall, it seems like your objection is that it is a trivial tautology and doesn't help (even hinders)  bringing about that result, but that you are in favor of capitalism falling or being brought down.  Sometimes it seems like you are not in favor of ending capitalism.

For myself , I will try to shift over to endlessly asking  these questions, rather endlessly saying that capitalism will fall.