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Work #309 · Mid (pre-presidential)

Why Not the Best?

James Earl Carter Jr.
1975 (campaign biography for the 1976 presidential campaign) · English
Campaign autobiography · American Southern evangelical political tradition

The campaign autobiography that introduced Jimmy Carter to America — Georgia governor, Naval officer, peanut farmer, born-again Southern Baptist

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute Why Not the Best? (Mid (pre-presidential))
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Both
Observer · Number Singular
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Personal
Observer · Moral Authority Scripture
Observer · Theological Method —
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

⧖

Time

Why Not the Best?

The autobiographical-political time of Carter's career; the historical time of post-Watergate American politics.

✦

Space

Why Not the Best?

Rural Georgia, the Naval Academy, the Georgia state political space.

◉

Matter

Why Not the Best?

Embodied life on the peanut farm, in submarines, in state government.

◎

Observer

Why Not the Best?

Carter as the autobiographical narrator; the broader American electorate as the political audience.

⚡

Energy

Why Not the Best?

The energies of political-religious commitment and engineering-practical work.

⧉

Information

Why Not the Best?

The American Southern evangelical-political tradition preserved through the autobiography.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

Why Not the Best?

Carter's presidency (1977-81) was widely regarded at the time as a political failure; subsequent reassessment has been substantially more positive. His post-presidential work has been continuously admired across political lines. The relation between Carter's evangelical-religious framework and his progressive political positions has been continuously analysed.