Tag: philosophy

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The Herald’s misleading headline – The UN is NOT ‘probing’ any ‘Scots judge-led body’s ‘breach’ of international law

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By stewartb The Herald headline states that the UN body ‘IS PROBING’. The information from the complainant, the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) states that it IS URGING the UN body to intervene. These are two quite different things: we have yet to find out if the URGING will bear fruit. The ERCS statement quoted in the main blog post has this: ‘In October 2021, the governing institutions of the Convention required the Scottish Government to act ‘as a matter of urgency’ to ensure access to justice is no longer ‘prohibitively expensive’ and address its breach of the Convention’s Article … Continue reading The Herald’s misleading headline – The UN is NOT ‘probing’ any ‘Scots judge-led body’s ‘breach’ of international law

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‘An intolerable reality where their authentic self cannot fully exist or be expressed’ – How the insights of a Scottish ‘anti-psychiatrist’ may predict a disturbing future for the mental state of Scottish Labour politicians and for its followers

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Professor John Robertson OBA In 1975, in my first year at Stirling University, I was introduced to the revolutionary ideas of the Scottish ‘anti-psychiatrist’, R D Laing. I was struck by the clarity and coherence of Laing’s central thesis in ‘The Divided Self’: A central tenet of Laing’s thesis is the concept of the “divided self.” He proposed that individuals under severe duress, particularly within emotionally oppressive or manipulative family environments, might develop a profound split between their “true self” and a “false self.” The false self emerges as a protective mechanism, a way to conform to external expectations or … Continue reading ‘An intolerable reality where their authentic self cannot fully exist or be expressed’ – How the insights of a Scottish ‘anti-psychiatrist’ may predict a disturbing future for the mental state of Scottish Labour politicians and for its followers

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How the great Professor Noam Chomsky (96!), whose work still fully explains the media bias we suffer today, was inspired by a Scottish philosopher

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Professor John Robertson OBA (PhD on the Propaganda Model (Chomsky) Thanks to JB for alerting me to this. Force and Opinion Noam Chomsky Z Magazine, July-August, 1991 In his study of the Scottish intellectual tradition, George Davie identifies its central theme as a recognition of the fundamental role of “natural beliefs or principles of common sense, such as the belief in an independent external world, the belief in causality, the belief in ideal standards, and the belief in the self of conscience as separate from the rest of one.” These principles are sometimes considered to have a regulative character; though never … Continue reading How the great Professor Noam Chomsky (96!), whose work still fully explains the media bias we suffer today, was inspired by a Scottish philosopher

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All you can do is keep talking, keep posting, keep sharing and, like water on stone, we will wear down the support for the Union

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The polls are clear, regardless of supposed SNP scandals, the people of Scotland are moving steadily to a peaceful democratic event – independence. I know it can be really demoralising at times, but it will come, one day. The young are already in position and once they turn out, they will push us over the line. Naturally we all want it yesterday. Many of us want it dearly before it is too late for us but there is no short cut. When we are ready, we’ll be ready. Amnesty International have for decades accepted the wisdom of Lao Tzu and … Continue reading All you can do is keep talking, keep posting, keep sharing and, like water on stone, we will wear down the support for the Union