Word: abstractions
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...reason, where arguments about the common good and the individual good are entertained, disputed, and resolved. It should not have to shudder at the specter of busybody protestors and petition-signing extortionists. Moral indignation is an important passion for politics—it serves as a corrective to abstract cold reason gone astray. But it is nevertheless extremely powerful and should be used wisely. We should hope and pray for the abject of Darfur or Myanmar; but we cannot immanentize the eschaton—bring Heaven to earth—in hoping to ameliorate theirs and every other situation needing...
From that blend one great work after another has emerged, all of them different, most of them hovering between the abstract and the recognizable. From time to time over the years Puryear has even edged into producing recognizable objects. As early as 1981 he made Desire, a giant wagon wheel connected by a long wooden spoke to an upright basket-weave stanchion, a thing forever in orbit around a center it can't approach. But lately he has been introducing into his work more of what he calls "things with a previous life in the world": wheels, tree trunks...
...wanted and it reminded him of how his wife never cooked his steak as much as he wanted. It was enough for one idea to remind him of another. It’s not like in Proust where it is a commonality of sensation. It’s more abstract. I started noticing this process in myself as well. For example, I was jogging with my ipod and I had it on shuffle and not all songs can be jogged to and so I kept clicking until I got to the right song and it reminded me about...
...other hand, candidates with steadfast principles from which they are never willing to stray can be considered ideologues. Typified by Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas), this candidate places his or her abstract beliefs above any pragmatic concerns. In the case of Paul, he has such a profound distaste for the federal government and its role in our lives and in the lives of others around the world that he supports withdrawal from the United Nations and NATO, wants to eliminate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Education, Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, the Interstate Commerce...
...late to study, athletes are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful. And just like many of us work so hard because this what the Goldmans and the McKinseys want, athletes will say this is what their fans, their coaches, and their teammates want. Combine these more abstract incentives with the fact that there are millions of dollars on the line, and it’s reasonable that somewhat excessive measures could come into play. In all honesty, what is the real difference (disregarding legality, of course) between a Red Bull for us and a steroid for them...