I am holding a can of peanuts in my hand and reading the label. The front of the can says it contains Roasted Peanuts. I turn the can around and read the ingredients. The main ingredient is Peanuts. I believe we can assume that this is a can of peanuts. But wait a minute, there is another category that says Allergy Information: And guess what it says. Contains Peanuts. Is this ridiculous or what?

I’m sure there are three reasons for the redundancy:

1. We are a nation that is hooked on excessive government regulations.
2. We are a sue-happy nation.
3. Lawyers create the laws and regulations. Who benefits from the above two reasons?—need I say more.

Gee, I wonder why the American people put up with this sorry state of affairs?

Is Logic Logical?

Logical reasoning is in short supply. Just listen to the candidates running for political office. You have to assume that logic and reason have taken a permanent vacation.

Putting Quantum Physics and certain metaphysical principles aside— the laws of Newtonian Mechanics are applicable to most ordinary decisions in everyday life. A=A. This is irrefutable.

If you purchased a bag of apples at your local grocery store, arrived home and discovered that your bag of apples were oranges you would exist in a state of uncertainty—your life would be chaotic. Or if you were driving, came to an intersection with a stop light and green wasn’t really green—in fact green is often red—you probably wouldn’t reach your destination.

You prepare your morning pot of coffee—pour a cup—take a sip and swallow. Suddenly you are gagging, choking and coughing. Your cup of coffee is actually a cup of bleach. Your everyday existence would obviously be in question. Long-term survival would be almost impossible.

Modern Philosophy

I discovered that some of the philosophy courses in a number of modern universities teach that everything is indeterminate. A doesn’t necessarily equal A. A might be B or possibly C. In fact it might not exist at all. "A" is an illusion.

I’m sure you are comforted by the fact that the thick, juicy steak you're cooking on the grill might not be steak at all. You just think it is steak. It might be something else—possibly an old shoe. Even worse, you are suffering under an illusion that you are actually cooking something. There is neither a grill nor anything cooking on it.

Conclusion

It is obvious why a can of peanuts has to be labeled peanuts—has to list the main ingredients as peanuts—and must warn you that this can of peanuts contains peanuts. If A doesn’t equal A, it is evident that listing the main ingredient in a can of peanuts as peanuts means it might not be peanuts. So to make sure that the consumer knows this is a can of peanuts there has to be an additional warning that states this can of peanuts contains peanuts.

I am confused about one thing though. If A doesn’t equal A, how can we be sure the allergy warning is actually correct—when it states that this can of peanuts which has as its main ingredient peanuts, contains peanuts? Maybe it actually contains dried prunes, or apricots, possibly lizard tails, toenail clippings, worms------------.

Isn’t modern philosophy wonderful? It must be. Our candidates for office take advantage of it when they are making promises. The voters seem to believe in it. And of course, our political institutions are run on its “tenets.”

Still—why do the American people put up with it? Maybe they believe that "A" is anything they want it to be. You know this is enlightening. You can have your cake and eat it too. That is, of course, if it is cake we are eating.

At The Ballgame

"Take me out to the ballgame. Take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks." What an afternoon to watch a ballgame! There's the vendor. Peanuts, peanuts, get your peanuts. Hey, throw me a bag of those peanuts. I can't wait to open the bag up and start crunching on em'. Wait a minute. Hey, you come back. These aren't peanuts. These are nails. What's going on here? I want some peanuts.