On 01-14-98 Frank Masingill wrote to John Boone... 
 
        Hello Frank and thanks for writing, 
  
 FM> JB> Do you not see, the fact you aren't "open to being questioned" 
 FM> JB> about the 
 FM> JB> nature of ideology is in fact an ideology, an unquestioning 
 FM> JB> definition of ideology?   
  
 FM>    I'm open to being questioned.  That is not the problem. 
  
  Yes, you are as am I, however, the question isn't about 
whether one is open to being questioned, but rather about -what- 
is one open to being questioned.  
  
 FM> either you acknowledge a frame of mind or approach to philosophizing 
 FM> in which 
 FM> I have followed a steady stream of people beginning with the use of 
 FM> the term 
 FM> by Destrutt de Tracy in 1796 and continuing through Marx, Engels, 
 FM> Lenin, 
 FM> Mannheim, Michels, Schumpeter, Raymond Aron, Daniel Bell and a host of 
 FM> others, 
 
   You appear to use these examples to show the reason why 
such "systems" is the attainment of "ultimate truth."  First, 
some systems, don't try to imply their systems extend beyond our 
bounds (the immediate earth) or even to extend perpetually, hardly 
impling "ultimate truth." 
   Second, as I pointed out to you before, you have not addressed 
my objections that -COMMANLITY (amoung the various systems)- is not 
sufficient to make your point, failure.  
   IOW, you have listed these -failed- "systems" with a common 
theme being "some ultimate truth" to prove such, "ultimate truth," 
is the reason for failure.  In -ANY- serious endeavor, Frank, 
one MUST consider -CONFOUNDING- factors. 
   From Sowell's "The Vision of the Anointed:ASBFSP", a correlation 
between A, in our case the failure of "systems", and B, in our 
case, "ultimate truth", means 4 possible situations: 
 
        1.  A caused B 
        2.  B caused A 
        3.  A and B are caused by C, D, E, F, etc 
        4.  a coincidence 
  
 FM> or you assert that there IS no such approach.  Is it the NAME of the 
 
  I don't believe your "either-or", "bull horn dilemma", 
alternatives.  Do you not see, you are trying to -argue- with 
me about the -validity, truth- of your view? 
 
Take care, 
John 
 
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