We cannot shed imperfection. If rhetoric was less about
suggestion and more about forensics, i.e. openly accepting
limitations, embarking on discovery and not solely aiming
to vanquish rhetorical "foes", maybe it'd touch what's best
in us and not incite the worst. Here I invoke the Socratic
ideal: Midwivery in discussion, not combat.
The contemporary inability to discuss things openly without
descending into partisan bromides is the symptom of an age
that embraces anti-intellectualism and worships success,
especially via force majeure.
I realize these are vague notions and not rigorous prescriptions.
They do not address any issue directly. It is not evasive to
welcome tangential reflections and allow words to essay every
association freely without shame.
"Mind" is a vague locus for everything arbitrarily placed above
sensation. A surplus value that, sadly, can't escape the division
of labor.
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