Posted by
The Interface on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 8:04:00 PM
Mark Steyn is, indeed, at his best, as so helpfully brought to our attention by Hugh Hewitt on his site. What he does in his own inimitable way is show us openly how those adopting 9/11 conspiracy postures must do so in spite of any evidence to the contrary. They will assert that George will show up to our meeting wearing a red tie and hold that to be true even if he shows up with a blue tie or no tie at all, or if he doesn’t even show up at all. In the realm of analytical philosophy, this is called an Unverifiable Proposition, and it has been amply demonstrated to be the hallmark of meaninglessness, nonsense, and metaphysical claptrap. Those who do hold such positions have constructed for themselves what is sometimes referred to as an Asylum of Ignorance.
Having placed themselves in this position, I think it is fair to question their epistemology and their fundamental grasp of reality. Of the evidence I’ve seen, it generally falls into one of three categories: 1.) only the part that supports the theory is presented, conflicting evidence is ignored; 2.) statements that can be proven totally in error; and 3.) interpretations of data presented as fact. For example, all those alleged bombs going off for a controlled demolition of the towers, did those reporting this actually see bombs? Did they see explosions to which they were close enough to accurately identify the source, and if so, how did they survive that experience? Given the large number of bombs that would have been required, why has noone leaked to the New York Times that they set them, or that they know who set them? What actually happened, by their own reports, is that they heard sounds that they interpreted as explosions, but is that the only possible explanation for those sounds given the destruction going on around them? It remains interpretation, not a fact. As Daniel Moynihan once said, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."
Ultimately, any 9/11 conspiracy theory falls down on Occam’s razor. It is just too complex and would require too many people to remain culpably silent. And as events subsequent to 9/11 have so abundantly revealed, the ultimate problem is demonstrably not restricted to our country. There is, in fact, a global conspiracy, and it’s name is Islamic fascism, not George W. Bush.