Cruel intentions

"It appears, then, that the rule for attaining the [highest] grade of clearness of apprehension is as follows: Consider what effects, which might conceivably have practical bearings, we conceive the object of our conception to have. Then, our conception of these effects is the whole of our conception of the object."

                - C.S. Peirce, "How To Make Our Ideas Clear", originally published in Popular Science Monthly,                           January 1878; quoted from William James, "The Function of Cognition", Mind, vol. X (1885)

It is a sobering reminder that the philosophical method which birthed this defining maxim, a product of some of the 19th century's most accomplished intellects, is a good deal more sophisticated than the upside-down logic being trotted out to support the Supreme Court's rash of extremist decisions in the early 21st.   

In considering the practical effects of their rulings, it doesn't take long to understand that they are not being made out of some carefully studied, historically-informed pursuit of wise jurisprudence, but that they are merely a cheap exercise in wanton cruelty.

When the facts of the matter are evaluated in sum, we're inevitably led to the conclusion that the intended result has nothing to do with upholding rights or advancing "originalist" interpretations of founding documents. Instead the intended effect is almost certainly to further exploit the poor and marginalized people of the country, a result explicitly understood by these unelected decision makers. The goal is to facilitate a transfer of power away from democratically-elected majorities toward an unaccountable network of private influencers who consider cash donations to elected officials a form of "free speech", and to enshrine their power as absolute.  

While the rest of the world has long aspired (in theory if not in practice) to view the United States as a beacon of hope and freedom, another consequence of these rulings, taken together, is that it is increasingly unlikely that future generations will see our nation as anything exceptional, save perhaps in terms of scale or as exemplar of institutional injustice. 

The American people - and the world - deserve better, and they had better speak up before rights such as that are overturned next. The authoritarian crusaders are showing no sign of letting up their all-out assault on civil society, even if it means alienating the citizenry from the very meaning of their country. If nothing is done, the damage will be felt for many generations, further unravelling a social fabric already worn thin by decades of inadequate public investment. 

Note: This was never intended to be a political blog, or tied in any way to current events, but the magnitude and unprecedented nature of the court's pronouncements were such that I couldn't avoid commenting on them.