We also actually enjoy these kinds of gestalts: denominating through some kind of written or spoken self-assertion, that one notion of ourselves, played out in a certain course of behavior, can be initiated or brought to an end.
"What principle of law or logic can be brought to bear to contradict a believer's assertion that a particular act is 'central to his personal faith?" Scalia wondered rhetorically.
Two main charges were brought to the House of Commons against Marlborough: first, an assertion that over nine years he had illegally received more than £63,000 from the bread and transport contractors in the Netherlands; second, that he had taken 2.5% from the pay of the foreign troops in English pay, amounting to £280,000.
But this assertion brings to mind Senator Edmund S. Muskie's memorable complaint at a Senate hearing in 1975 that witnesses from the National Academy of Sciences insisted upon saying, "On one hand, the evidence is so, but on the other hand...."....
In his opinion, Justice Alito denied going beyond the confines of the question the parties brought to the court, but Justice Sonia Sotomayor shredded his defensive assertion in a separate opinion.
He refused to repeat this assertion, though he said, "We have a very, very high priority in bringing to justice here the leadership of each of the terrorist organizations that we face".
Only through assertion is the synthesizing activity of understanding and interpretation brought to language.
Franken is right to herald Apple in his letter for its innovation, which has enabled the App Store to garner so many subscriptions for developers, but he's also correct to bring about the assertion that it's time for them to change up their fee structures so as to benefit consumers.
They also claim to be orthogonal to Bitcoin, an assertion which is considerably less convincing.
