My Label

Many folks elect to label others, wanting to be able to "identify" them without taking enough time to figure out who they really are. Instead, they should just realize they do not know them...but noooo.

First and foremost I am a Scientist, which means I believe only in what I feel has been well examined and considered, and that I am always looking to grow and change by pursuing the latest that has been learned. I wish that would be enough, but I know it is not.

So for those who want to use a label, and I would prefer you would not, the following is the best I can come up with for myself so that I can "point you all to it" when you have no idea who I am:

My Label: "Scientific Humanist Misanthropic Liberal".

No label is ever either fully accurate, or comprehensive. I am embarrassed by the main stream [ignorant] insistence on interpreting, and using, the broad and important term liberal as something along the lines of "extreme social liberalism". Moreover, my misanthropy stops short of becoming a hermit, or applying to everyone. Finally, I subscribe to no organized Humanist organization (a person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself), and secular humanist is more accurate. No, things are not so "simple"... but, name callers are.

Even though very few seem to have accurate understanding of the meaning of the generalize labels above, and though they do not apply to me 100%, for purposes of pigeon-holing me to simplify your life, the general ideas of these apply to me religiously, socially, and politically more than anything else I've stumbled across. Moreover, since they are broad terms (as labels are by definition), where they overlap the I've done my best to order them so that the first label in my sequence I think applies more strongly.

So, if you must, please use the above label, knowing my opinions are most closely aligned with these general terms.

And, of course, this "thing" is just my label today; tomorrow I may have learned more, and beg for further refinement.

"I'm undoubtedly a liberal, which means that I'm in almost total agreement with the Eisenhower-era Republican party platform" - Rachel Maddow