Well, I guess that’s pretty much now how I feel about relationshipsthe 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.
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.
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.
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.
{ 10 comments }
Delicious Pundit 07.14.09 at 8:09 pm
Well, I guess that’s pretty much now how I feel about
relationshipsthe 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.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.
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.
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.
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.
weisseharre 07.15.09 at 1:19 pm
hmm…”contrapositivism-as-counterforce in heart-of-darkness”
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.
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.
matt mckeon 07.16.09 at 8:45 pm
“It’s a game people.”
Hot shit Sherlock. And she just won a point.
Paul 07.17.09 at 10:07 pm
Touche Muck I mean mc…LOL…
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