Well, that’s funny, because I happen to have Mr. McLuhan right here

by Kieran Healy on July 14, 2009

Annie Hall on the Hill.

{ 10 comments }

1

Delicious Pundit 07.14.09 at 8:09 pm

Well, I guess that’s pretty much now how I feel about relationships the judicial system; y’know, it’s totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and… but, uh, I guess we keep goin’ through it because, uh, most of us… need the eggs.

2

Simon 07.14.09 at 8:10 pm

My favourite part is her grin when he says “Cederbaum,” which she tries to suppress as he rambles on.

3

Tom Hurka 07.14.09 at 10:09 pm

Yeah, but a movie line-up argument was much more important than this Supreme Court thing.

4

Kenny Easwaran 07.15.09 at 1:32 am

I had never considered applying modus tollens to O’Connor’s claim before – it makes it seem a little more ridiculous, as Sotomayor points out.

5

onymous 07.15.09 at 2:43 am

I had never considered applying modus tollens to O’Connor’s claim before – it makes it seem a little more ridiculous, as Sotomayor points out.

I don’t really buy that. If the claim is “a wise man and a wise woman should reach the same decision”, and the contrapositive is “if a man and woman reach different decisions, then they are not wise”, then it’s clearly a little ridiculous. But I think the claim O’Connor meant to make is that “a wise man and a wise woman, all other things except their sex being equal, should reach the same decision.” Which I don’t necessarily agree with, but simply taking the contrapositive now doesn’t make it seem ridiculous.

6

weisseharre 07.15.09 at 1:19 pm

hmm…”contrapositivism-as-counterforce in heart-of-darkness”

7

Salient 07.15.09 at 2:18 pm

I regret that my first chance to listen to Sotomayor has been responses to such blastedly stupid questions.

My favorite part: “But that’s clearly not what I do as a judge.” Her tone of voice there is exactly what I’d use while very patiently dampening my own bewilderment and patiently, if a bit exasperatedly, explaining to an abstrusely angry person that a comment (they were taking wildly out of context) wasn’t intended in the (obviously absurd) way they are interpreting it.

8

Paul 07.16.09 at 9:01 am

It is a game. She is coached by the White House as are the Democratic senators. The republicans are using these hearings to try to present their agenda. It’s a game people.

9

matt mckeon 07.16.09 at 8:45 pm

“It’s a game people.”
Hot shit Sherlock. And she just won a point.

10

Paul 07.17.09 at 10:07 pm

Touche Muck I mean mc…LOL…

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