Currently, the tagline for this blog reads “ipse dixit”. That may or may not always hold true, but for now that’s what it says.
I took Latin in High School, and for some reason the phrase popped back into my head when I was setting up WordPress. I knew it meant “he himself has said it” so I figured it was an appropriate tagline for my blog.
Wanting to make sure I had the spelling right, I googled and found this wikipedia article which I quite liked. The fallacy of naked assertion is a good one to keep in mind when reading this, or any, blog. Or when reading anything at all for that matter.
Just because I might think highly enough of some of my words that I’d take the effort to publish them, does not mean that what I’ve written is anything more than “just something I said.”
By all means, don’t simply accept as true what you read here, just because I said it. That’s always good to keep in mind. Most things you read will implicitly convey a message of “Trust me, I’m right.” You don’t have to; and it’s probably better if you don’t.
I don’t mean to put you on guard or make you contentious; just be an actively engaged reader, thinking critically. A rare thing to find on the internet, I know. But to be encouraged nonetheless. Don’t believe everything that you read.