CONFUCIANISM--JUST ONE OF MANY NONTHEISTIC RELIGIONS

A GOOD PERSON CAN BE RELIGIOUS AND NONTHEISTIC TOO.

Nontheism is a term that covers a range of both religious and nonreligious attitudes characterized by the absence of belief in anything supernatural. In this sense, religion may be sensibly defined as a set of beliefs, values, and practices; or, a cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion. Thus a person can be nontheistic and nonsuperstitious and still be religious. For me, the most important aspect of religion is to promote humaneness. 

Confucius was a great teacher of humaneness. You know the Golden Rule, don’t you? It says, “DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.” Confucius was the first person we know of to teach the Golden Rule, although he put it this way: “WHAT YOU DO NOT WISH FOR YOURSELF, DO NOT DO TO OTHERS.”

Many people began to listen to his teachings, which became known as “Confucianism.” Confucianism is not a religion, like Islam or Christianity, because Confucius did not have anything to say about God or the gods. Confucianism is a way of thinking about how to live a good life and how to humanely treat others.

FACTS ARE THE MOST ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE

What is a fact? A fact is knowledge or information based on real occurrences.

Science is the most reliable collection of facts.

What is science? Science is the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena.

The most reliable method for discovering a fact is the scientific method.

What is the scientific method?  The scientific method include the principles and empirical processes of discovery and demonstration considered characteristic of or necessary for scientific investigation, generally involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis, and a conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis.

What is a hypothesis? A hypothesis is a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.

What is a theory?  A theory is a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena.

Theory and experiment work together in science, with experiments leading to new theories that in turn suggest further experiments. Although these methods and attitudes are generally shared by scientists, they do not provide a guaranteed means of scientific discovery; other factors, such as intuition, experience, good judgment, and sometimes luck, also contribute to new developments in science.

Mathematics plays an important role in science.

What is the role of mathematics in science?  All of the activities of the scientific method are characterized by a scientific attitude, which stresses rational impartiality. Measurement plays an important role, and when possible the scientist attempts to test his theories by carefully designed and controlled experiments that will yield quantitative rather than qualitative results.

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF DISCOVERING FACTS

The scientific method has evolved over many centuries and has now come to be described in terms of a well-recognized and well-defined series of steps.

1.   State the problem clearly and correctly.

2.   Research the problem adequately.

(Information, or data, is gathered by careful observation of the phenomenon being studied.)

3.   Formulate a hypothesis.

(On the basis of that information a preliminary generalization, or hypothesis, is formed, usually by inductive reasoning, and this in turn leads by deductive logic to a number of implications that may be tested by further observations and experiments. Induction is the process of deriving general principles from particular facts or instances. Deduction is the process of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the stated premises; inference by reasoning from the general to the specific. Logic is valid reasoning.)

 

4.   Write the steps that you will take to investigate or experiment in order to gain direct knowledge in regards to the truth or falsity of your hypothesis.

5.   Investigate or experiment.

(Investigation involves the careful observation of the phenomenon being studied.  A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried.
Record, organize and evaluate significant data resulting directly from your own investigation or experiment.)

6.   Draw your conclusion.

7.   If the conclusions drawn from the original hypothesis successfully meet all these tests, the hypothesis becomes accepted as a scientific theory or law; if additional facts are in disagreement with the hypothesis, it may be modified or discarded in favor of a new hypothesis, which is then subjected to further tests.

    (Even an accepted theory may eventually be overthrown if enough contradictory evidence is found, as in the case of Newtonian mechanics, which was shown after more than two centuries of acceptance to be an approximation valid only for speeds much less than that of light.)

A LINK TO THE SIGNING OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT

http://www.ssa.gov/history/fdrsign.html

A HUMANE EQUITABLE SOCIETY

THE CRISIS OF CAPITALISM is getting more serious in all aspects. The structural contradiction and moral taint of capitalist society, full of deception, fraud, hypocrisy and vanity, have been brought to light.

THE FINANCIAL CRISIS caused by the market economy of capitalism has driven the world into uncontrollable confusion.

With the passage of time the capitalist corruptness and falsity have been brought to light by its failure to have a fair distribution of wealth and employment.

The idea reflecting the desire of humankind to live in a more humane way has become more world-wide in its urgency. The truth of socialism is clearly evidenced in a new historic environment in the 21st century.

Democratic-socialism can be the most humane political-economic system that is just and worthwhile which humanity can devise to bear good fruition without fail. Socialism can be scientifically applied. The future of mankind can be ensured by socialism based on science.

SOCIALISM IS AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN WHICH THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION ARE COMMONLY OWNED AND CONTROLLED COOPERATIVELY.

AS A FORM OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, SOCIALISM IS BASED ON CO-OPERATIVE SOCIAL RELATIONS AND SELF-MANAGEMENT; RELATIVELY EQUAL POWER-RELATIONS AND THE REDUCTION OR ELIMINATION OF HIERARCHY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL AFFAIRS.

SOCIALIST ECONOMIES ARE BASED UPON PRODUCTION FOR USE AND THE DIRECT ALLOCATION OF ECONOMIC INPUTS TO SATISFY ECONOMIC DEMANDS AND HUMAN NEEDS (USE VALUE); ACCOUNTING IS BASED ON PHYSICAL QUANTITIES OF RESOURCES, SOME PHYSICAL MAGNITUDE, OR A DIRECT MEASURE OF LABOR-TIME. GOODS AND SERVICES FOR CONSUMPTION ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH MARKETS, AND DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF INDIVIDUAL MERIT/INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION.

Norman Mattoon Thomas (Dec. 20, 1984, to Dec. 19, 1968) was a leading American socialist, pacifist and six-time presidential candidate for Socialist Party of America. The Socialist Party candidate for president of the United States, Norman Thomas, said in a 1944 speech, "The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of liberalism, they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation without knowing how it happened."

He went on to say; "I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States(1933–1945) and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. The only American president elected to more than two terms, he facilitated a durable coalition that realigned American politics for decades. With the bouncy popular song "Happy Days Are Here Again" as his campaign theme, FDR defeated incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover in November 1932, at the depth of the Great Depression. FDR's persistent optimism and activism contributed to a renewal of the national spirit, reflecting his victory over paralytic illness to become the longest serving president in U.S. history.

In his "first hundred days" in office, which began March 4, 1933, Roosevelt spearheaded major legislation and issued a profusion of executive orders that instituted the New Deal—a variety of programs designed to produce relief (government jobs for the unemployed), recovery (economic growth), and reform (through regulation of Wall Street, banks and transportation). The economy improved rapidly from 1933 to 1937, but then relapsed into a deep recession. The bipartisan Conservative Coalition that formed in 1937 prevented his packing the Supreme Court or passing any considerable legislation; it abolished many of the relief programs when unemployment diminished during World War II. Most of the regulations on business were ended about 1975–85, except for the regulation of Wall Street by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which still exists. Along with several smaller programs, major surviving programs include the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which was created in 1933, and Social Security, which Congress passed in 1935.

LIKE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT WAS A MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. AND, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS BEEN THE MOST HUMANE PARTY SINCE PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT.

OUR BEST SOLUTION TO OUR POLITICAL CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE AND OUR FINANCIAL, ECONOMIC CRISIS IS TO KEEP ELECTING MEMBERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THAT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THE USA CLOSER TO A HUMANE, EQUITABLE SOCIETY; AND, CONTINUE TO ENLIGHTEN THE WORLD TO THE UNIVERSAL BENEFITS OF HUMANE, EQUITABLE SOCIETIES.

THE USA GOVERNMENT

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic.

A republic is:

a. A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.

b. A nation that has such a political order.

Democracy is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant (Latin: foedus, covenant) with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units (like states or provinces). Federalism is a system based on democratic rules and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial/state governments, creating what is often called a federation.

In modern republics such as the United States and India, the executive is legitimized both by a constitution and by popular suffrage. Montesquieu included both democracies, where all the people have a share in rule, and aristocracies or oligarchies, where only some of the people rule, as republican forms of government.

Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (18 January 1689 – 10 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, taken for granted in modern discussions of government and implemented in many constitutions throughout the world. He was largely responsible for the popularization of the term feudalism.

A constitution is:

a. The system of fundamental laws and principles that prescribes the nature, functions, and limits of a government or another institution.

b. The document in which such a system is recorded.

c. Constitution The fundamental law of the United States, framed in 1787, ratified in 1789, and variously amended since then.

WHAT IS CAPITALISM?

Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit from investment, usually in competitive markets. There is no consensus on the precise definition of capitalism, nor on how the term should be used as a historical category. There is, however, little controversy that private ownership of the means of production, creation of goods or services for profit in a market, and prices, wages and competition are elements of capitalism. The designation is applied to a variety of historical cases, varying in time, geography, politics and culture.

Private ownership in capitalism implies the right to control property, including the determination of how it is used, who uses it, whether to sell or rent it, and the right to the revenue generated by the property. However, there may be an abandonment period of time, after which resources return to unowned status.

Economists, political economists and historians have taken different perspectives on the analysis of capitalism. Economists usually emphasize the degree that government does not have control over markets (laissez faire), and on property rights. Most political economists emphasize private property, power relations, wage labor, class and emphasize capitalism as a unique historical formation. There is general agreement that capitalism encourages economic growth. The extent to which different markets are free, as well as the rules defining private property, is a matter of politics and policy, and many states have what are termed mixed economies.. An economic system that relies on private property and market relations but also contains a significant degree of government intervention is sometimes called a mixed economy.