glad you opened this blog? . And I’ve just been sitting here sitting about the philosophy of shared moral intuitions – normative ethics – and I just might decide to impart my thoughts. Or not. I don’t feel like I necessarily ought to. You know what I mean?

I picked an orange from the tree in my parents’ back yard this afternoon, and just a little while ago I ate it. It was good.

You never know about an orange. You bite into it, it might be sweet or bitter. But I peeled this one, broke it open and stuffed a big chunk in my mouth, because I trust an orange to be the best it can be; to be sincere, without deception. An orange does not have a nefarious hidden agenda. It might make up pucker up, but it won’t get you killed for no good reason. I trusted that orange more than I trust the good intentions of President Bush tonight.



Yeah, I watched the speech. Couldn’t help myself. And he said some good things. He wants to make things better for the people. But I don’t trust him. He’ll mandate progressive programs, maybe, but he won’t fund them. And that tax break for health insurance thing is a sick joke. What about the millions of people who can’t take advantage of a tax break because they don’t make enough to pay taxes in the first place, let alone pay for insurance. What about the poor and the working poor? No, I don’t trust him. And more’s the pity.

Tzu-kung asked, What is leadership?
The Master said: “Food enough, troops enough, and a trusting people.”
Tzu-kung said: “Were there no help for it, which could best be spared of the three?’
“Troops,” said the Master.
“And were there no help for it, which could better be spared of the other two?”
“Food,” said the Master. “From of old all men die, but without trust a people cannot stand.”