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Jubilee, NASA have placed our conscience on the weighing scales

Misology is hatred and fear of reasoning. The philosopher Plato talks of people full of disgust for logical debate. They distrust argumentation and locking of minds over ideas and issues. Such characters are in their element when they are alone, hurling insults in contexts in which they cannot be questioned. Such people dominate Kenya’s political class. You see them everywhere in Jubilee and in NASA. They are afraid of the reasoned argument and excel, instead, in whipping up crowd hysteria.

In the dramatic work titled Phaedo, Plato recounts a conversation depicting his teacher, Socrates’ last moments. The sage says, “There is no greater evil one can suffer than to hate reasonable discourse. Misology and misanthropy (hatred of humankind) come in the same way. Misanthropy comes when a man without knowledge, or skill, has placed great trust in someone and believes him to be altogether truthful, sound and trustworthy. Then, a short time afterwards, he finds him wicked and unreliable.”

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