I read through this post that the article got under your skin...and when you drill into this, the absurdities become clear.
In any other time, we would have been able to recite the truism that thinking people are never a threat to democracy, only to authoritarian states. In fact, thinking people are ESENTIAL for a thriving democracy.
Crazy times to witness, and yet these times are the times our souls, or God, chose for us to live in. I suspect it will get worse for a time to come, I feel these dark forces in the air, and that too is part of our purpose here, now.
Yeah, I think this was such a glaring example. Try to think for yourself, and you'll KILL DEMOCRACY!1
"In any other time ..." Couldn't say it better myself. It's all topsy-turvy here. Explicit support for authoritarian measures and structures are framed as a "defense of democracy". It's just an incantation, almost devoid of meaning. Democracy now means to obey authority.
Truly interesting and important times. And in line with what you say, I think we all have enormous responsibilities by that very fact.
Well, it's from Patrick Henry's famous address, so I doubt he had any thought of the predicament of the slaves in that context. But he seems to have had abolitionist opinions, so maybe.
I think that's an important discussion in this context. While the fostering of people's broad, rational competence is necessary for any sort of autonomy, some level of specialization is inevitable. Expertise is useful, and some authority must be ascribed them. But at the same time, experts are too narrow. As the Greeks said, they've enslaved their minds and lack the broad overview of the well-rounded citizen.
The authority of expertise must always be scrutinized by the people (which I think is at least implicit in Bakunin & Kropotkin, even if they're quite optimistic with regard to technological and scientific progress), yet now the narrative is vehemently denying that that's even possible.
I read through this post that the article got under your skin...and when you drill into this, the absurdities become clear.
In any other time, we would have been able to recite the truism that thinking people are never a threat to democracy, only to authoritarian states. In fact, thinking people are ESENTIAL for a thriving democracy.
Crazy times to witness, and yet these times are the times our souls, or God, chose for us to live in. I suspect it will get worse for a time to come, I feel these dark forces in the air, and that too is part of our purpose here, now.
Yeah, I think this was such a glaring example. Try to think for yourself, and you'll KILL DEMOCRACY!1
"In any other time ..." Couldn't say it better myself. It's all topsy-turvy here. Explicit support for authoritarian measures and structures are framed as a "defense of democracy". It's just an incantation, almost devoid of meaning. Democracy now means to obey authority.
Truly interesting and important times. And in line with what you say, I think we all have enormous responsibilities by that very fact.
You meant the plantations of Boston?
Well, it's from Patrick Henry's famous address, so I doubt he had any thought of the predicament of the slaves in that context. But he seems to have had abolitionist opinions, so maybe.
I like a "speculum on the spectacle". A new word to me.
I think that's an important discussion in this context. While the fostering of people's broad, rational competence is necessary for any sort of autonomy, some level of specialization is inevitable. Expertise is useful, and some authority must be ascribed them. But at the same time, experts are too narrow. As the Greeks said, they've enslaved their minds and lack the broad overview of the well-rounded citizen.
The authority of expertise must always be scrutinized by the people (which I think is at least implicit in Bakunin & Kropotkin, even if they're quite optimistic with regard to technological and scientific progress), yet now the narrative is vehemently denying that that's even possible.