Reply #13: I started reading Lakoff with Where Mathematics Comes From

[Heath.Hunnicutt]

I never understood complex analysis, which I did get a couple of B's in before, until I read his book. It changed my math life. So, then I went to Metaphors We Live By in time for Moral Politics.

I agree that in Moral Politics, his writing seemed repetitive. I suspect he was trying to get it across to people who aren't usually studying linguistics and communication.

I am coming out of the closet with my Lakoff fetish. The book "More Than Cool Reason" is easier for me to flip through, but I like poetry more now because of it. Lakoff changed my mind, you know?

I bought about 10 books by him and Johnson and the score is about 5 down, 4 or 5 to go. Now I have to buy and read this one, with just 28 days left.

The other day, a coworker and I talked a person out of * and onto Kerry. Key points: heritage issue with Russia and Putin, emotions about defense of the nation and how spread thin we are, and bouncing the 'debate' off each other. Our coworker didn't have to defend points because my pro-Kerry coworker and I were able to 'disagree' sometimes so that we could bring out our own points. Later we compared notes on how it went this time. It's getting polished.

Also, a key thought is this: Why was Iraq our priority at that time? Everyone including Kerry and Edwards agree that the Iraqi people are better off now. But the disagreement comes over how priorities -- priorities with respect to the defense of the United States -- were set in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaida main leaders. Kerry thought the priority was finding bin Laden, and now it is clear how little the war against Saddam Hussein had to do with that.