The Awesome Conversation promotes a kind of response about which I am certain and that I copy-and-paste over here, where there is so much less chit-chat.  Nonetheless, I regard each of these as a little gem having, potentially, uncertain but positive effects as regards stimulus for insight and for peace.

The scholarly will recognize something akin to the first three hours of grad school — not exactly a contribution to the field . . . perhaps more of a transposition from efforts in social science proper toward efficacy in more open political and social environments having by necessity interest in basic research and theory.

Attitudes (about or toward anything and anyone) may have structure reducible to noun : beliefs x affect (+/- emotion). So a “bixl”, which I believe related to catching colds, might be a bad thing (even though no such noun exists). 🙂 This way of looking over attitudes becomes more interesting, of course, when assorted kafir, infidels, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, and Muslims become the focus of interest — i.e., how does one feel about _________ (fill in the blank).

While chewing on that, it may help to entertain another thought: across our gregarious species, the presence of language and some irreducible aspects and components associated with it (like the existence of the names of things) may be predictable, but from anthropological and related linguistic perspectives, the invention and evolution of languages — and all they endorse or inhibit — may be quite wild.

The whole world is not English.

Thank God.

But it — God, nature, and mankind — may have a needful and useful investment in differentiation and co-evolution. Our present inability to more effectively deal with cross-cultural issues in content of mind — and recognize them as such — may lead to a lot of confusion and tragedy.

On top of that: I don’t believe that differences in religious outlook are the sole cause or sufficient cause for conflicts in the name of religion. I think that for some the cloak of an idea may be made to serve as shield and sword enabling darker designs and impulses.

A part of the modern person’s responsibility may be to be careful of the earth and her children and to see to it that those “darker forces” become more contained across time as other avenues and challenges open up on the horizon.