God in the Dock: "Bulverism"

When I began reading this excerpt I did not fully understand what the term Bulverism meant. As I continued reading the definition became clearer to me. Bulverism is everywhere and has been an issue as long as people have been in existence but it is not commonly addressed. Bulverism is pervasive. It is the thought process that all of us as humans go through when we think "I am right and you are wrong." Bulverism is not necessarily logical. Often times it lacks reason and is therefore worthless but that does not keep us from arguing.

Lewis mentioned that "until Bulverism is crushed, reason can play no effective part in human affairs." I do not believe that Bulverism will cease to exist anytime soon because we thrive on arguments and being 'right'. Bulverism is the lack of humility and our personal ideas and thoughts are shaped by our experiences so we must react to our circumstances wisely and humbly.

In class it was mentioned that women are usually more emotional in their responses to an arguement and men are usually more rational. This is why arguing with a woman can get messy. It is sometimes hard to argue a point without taking the opponents views to be personally offensive. This is why it is important to develop friendships with people that can challenge you as a person and challenge your beliefs. Without this basis of a strong friendship you will never be able to get to the truth of the arguement.

Professor Adriana Ribeiro said that there are flexers and extenders in life. The flexers shower you with compliments until you have curled into a solid ball of pride. They may appear to be your friends but they are not helpful in your development. The extenders are the important people. They push you and tear you down so that you can build yourself up to become a stronger person. Insults build your character and make you a stronger person than the man who only has his pride.