Category: Politics, Power, and Governance

  • Answer by @curtdoolittle to Was Karl Popper right to blame Plato’s concept of th

    Answer by @curtdoolittle to Was Karl Popper right to blame Plato’s concept of the philosopher king for the rise of t… http://qr.ae/DTxNf


    Source date (UTC): 2014-10-22 21:19:15 UTC

    Original post: https://twitter.com/i/web/status/525033666754650112

  • RETURNS AS THE DOMINANT POLITICAL SYSTEM – BUT WHY? NUCLEAR WEAPONS? It appears

    http://www.quora.com/Why-do-Nepalese-Maoists-want-ethnicity-based-federalism-in-Nepal-Will-ethnicity-based-politics-do-any-good-to-the-country-in-the-long-run/answer/Curt-Doolittle?share=1NATIONALISM RETURNS AS THE DOMINANT POLITICAL SYSTEM – BUT WHY? NUCLEAR WEAPONS?

    It appears that the universalists program advocated by the enlightenment is unsuccessful and that nationalism (tribalism at scale), will return to its historical status as the dominant political ideology.

    This is in part because the value of scale in obtaining credit necessary to finance war has been nearly eliminated by the (strange) influence of nuclear weapons. If a country can afford nuclear weapons it does not need to engage in large scale defense projects, because its boundaries are secure. Conversely (as Mr Putin has demonstrated) a country without nuclear weapons cannot claim sovereignty.

    SO just as credit, conscription, and ‘total war’ defined the past five hundred years, it appears that nuclear weapons, and small scale nationalism which better serves the interests of citizens, will replace empires and military-credit-industrialism.

    Hence, oddly enough, nuclear weapons end up having produced intuitive political orders.

    Strange but true.

    Cheers


    Source date (UTC): 2014-10-22 18:41:00 UTC

  • Untitled

    http://qz.com/284352/hong-kong-has-too-many-poor-people-to-allow-direct-elections-leader-says/


    Source date (UTC): 2014-10-22 15:15:00 UTC

  • Why Do Nepalese Maoists Want Ethnicity-based Federalism In Nepal’s New Constitution? Will Ethnicity-based Politics Do Any Good To Nepal In The Long Run?

    ETHNO-NATIONALISM
    Ethnically homogenous polities, and particularly SMALL ethnically homogenous polities demonstrate higher tolerance for high taxation and high redistribution because of our biological preference for kin selection.

    People often advocate the scandinavian model, but these are very small countries where all individuals are near-relations, where cousin-marriage is prohibited, and where the absolute nuclear family is practiced along with individual property rights meaning children are responsible for themselves and their economic survival, and do not stay home with parents.  They are also well educated, genetically lower in impulsivity, enjoy hard work, and speak in germanic languages in which duty and hierarchy are metaphysical givens.  As such these countries have very high cultural resistance to corruption.

    Given the great transformation that Nepalese must go through this coming century, a more homogenous culture means less competition for political power that is useful for seeking and distributing rents, and less opportunity and incentive for organized political corruption. 

    However, given traditional nepalese family structures, and nepalese poverty levels, it is unlikely (much like india) that corruption will be eliminated from government and it may even be expanded. 

    Conversely, it is less likely that the degree of corruption that the nepalese will engage in will cause political infighting or a resistance to taxation and redistribution (if only into investment in the commons: infrastructure), if the polity is homogenous. 

    THE DECLINING ADVANTAGE OF SCALE

    Scale is no longer as valuable to an economy as is a reliable currency. 

    It appears that the universalists program advocated by the enlightenment is unsuccessful and that nationalism (tribalism at scale), will return to its historical status as the dominant political ideology.

    This is in part because the value of scale in obtaining credit necessary to finance war has been nearly eliminated by the (strange) influence of nuclear weapons.  If a country can afford nuclear weapons it does not need to engage in large scale defense projects, because its boundaries are secure.  Conversely (as Mr Putin has demonstrated) a country without nuclear weapons cannot claim sovereignty.

    So just as credit, conscription, and ‘total war’ defined the past five hundred years, it appears that nuclear weapons, and small scale nationalism which better serves the interests of citizens, will replace empires and military-credit-industrialism.

    Hence, oddly enough, nuclear weapons end up having produced intuitive political orders.

    Strange but true.

    Cheers

    https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Nepalese-Maoists-want-ethnicity-based-federalism-in-Nepals-new-constitution-Will-ethnicity-based-politics-do-any-good-to-Nepal-in-the-long-run

  • Was Karl Popper Right To Blame Plato’s Concept Of The Philosopher King For The Rise Of Totalitarianism In The Twentieth Century?

    No.  Popper’s argument (like many of his disingenuous political arguments) was an attempt at deflection from Popper’s factions.   His contribution to science not withstanding.

    The reason for the rise of totalitarianism in the west was the moral legitimacy given to statism by the Marxists, Socialists, Keynesians and Postmodernists, and later the neo-Conservatives.

    However, the Marxists, and all Marxist derivatives I just listed — like Popper, exemplified by Popper’s own systemic use of platonic truth (analytic, unknowable truth) and platonic existence (three words theory) — were Cosmopolitan (Jewish) theorists.  Not Greek or Christian (Anglo, German, or French) theorists.  

    The Cosmopolitans, whether Marxist/Socialist/Postmodern/Feminist, or Libertine (Misesian/Rothbardian) or Neo-Conservative (Straussian), all sought — through false, elaborate philosophical justifications, all reliant upon loading, framing and overloading (elaborate suggestion),  and the argumentative technique of Critique, that was developed over the centuries for the purpose of scriptural interpretation — to create a world safe for Cosmopolitans by advocating for authoritarian universalism. 

    This technique was accomplished by uniting Kant’s rejection of anglo meritocratic empiricism in favor of rational (hierarchical) authoritarianism, then combining it with traditional Jewish religio-moral authoritarian arguments.

    Jewish thought is structured as a totalitarian system of indoctrination, under the threat of ostracization, using the concept of an angry god,  to create a religious, moral, and rhetorical school, identical in purpose to Plato’s proposition for legal, rational, and historical school reliant upon law for punishment. 

    But unlike western traditional aristocracy (or Plato’s version of it), the Jewish school of thought advocates dual ethics (moral inequality) whereas Plato and western aristocratic ethics advocate equality under the law, but merely argue for meritocracy because of differences in virtuous character and ability. 

    The evidence is clear, and we can trace the origins of authors in each of the cosmopolitan political movements, covering the all three axis of the political spectrum, through development, until they are later adopted by a minority of christian and western public intellectuals, and used by the academy to replace the church, using the cosmopolitan deceptions, to advocate for the state, rather than fulfill the church’s role as an opponent to the state.

    But in both the origin of the ideas, in the distribution of the ideas, and the disingenuous advocacy of the ideas using the new media available in the 20th century. the totalitarianism of the twentieth century was caused by Jewish Cosmopolitan authors, in not only the socialist (left) but also the conservative (neo conservative) and libertarian (libertine) political spectrum. 

    Conversely the rise of the desire for statism among western conservatives is a defensive reaction to the expansion of the of the state by the cosmopolitans. 

    Westerners rely upon testimonial truth, juries, science, reason, law, universalism, merit, and the blanace of powers as a prevention against the rise of authority.  These properties are the inverse of jewish cosmopolitan thought.

    During the enlightenment, when the franchise (democracy) was extended to all, each sub-group in europe attempted to justify its cultural strategy, cultural ethics, and cultural philosophy, as the dominant one for universal use. 

    The marxist/neocon fallacy won because it was possible to use the media, democracy, redistribution, advocacy for immorality, to overturn the balance of powers, overturn meritocracy, and justify the state as a vehicle for implementing immorality that has resulted in the destruction of the west, and the western family, and the western ethic.

    Cheers

    https://www.quora.com/Was-Karl-Popper-right-to-blame-Platos-concept-of-the-philosopher-king-for-the-rise-of-totalitarianism-in-the-twentieth-century

  • Why Do Nepalese Maoists Want Ethnicity-based Federalism In Nepal’s New Constitution? Will Ethnicity-based Politics Do Any Good To Nepal In The Long Run?

    ETHNO-NATIONALISM
    Ethnically homogenous polities, and particularly SMALL ethnically homogenous polities demonstrate higher tolerance for high taxation and high redistribution because of our biological preference for kin selection.

    People often advocate the scandinavian model, but these are very small countries where all individuals are near-relations, where cousin-marriage is prohibited, and where the absolute nuclear family is practiced along with individual property rights meaning children are responsible for themselves and their economic survival, and do not stay home with parents.  They are also well educated, genetically lower in impulsivity, enjoy hard work, and speak in germanic languages in which duty and hierarchy are metaphysical givens.  As such these countries have very high cultural resistance to corruption.

    Given the great transformation that Nepalese must go through this coming century, a more homogenous culture means less competition for political power that is useful for seeking and distributing rents, and less opportunity and incentive for organized political corruption. 

    However, given traditional nepalese family structures, and nepalese poverty levels, it is unlikely (much like india) that corruption will be eliminated from government and it may even be expanded. 

    Conversely, it is less likely that the degree of corruption that the nepalese will engage in will cause political infighting or a resistance to taxation and redistribution (if only into investment in the commons: infrastructure), if the polity is homogenous. 

    THE DECLINING ADVANTAGE OF SCALE

    Scale is no longer as valuable to an economy as is a reliable currency. 

    It appears that the universalists program advocated by the enlightenment is unsuccessful and that nationalism (tribalism at scale), will return to its historical status as the dominant political ideology.

    This is in part because the value of scale in obtaining credit necessary to finance war has been nearly eliminated by the (strange) influence of nuclear weapons.  If a country can afford nuclear weapons it does not need to engage in large scale defense projects, because its boundaries are secure.  Conversely (as Mr Putin has demonstrated) a country without nuclear weapons cannot claim sovereignty.

    So just as credit, conscription, and ‘total war’ defined the past five hundred years, it appears that nuclear weapons, and small scale nationalism which better serves the interests of citizens, will replace empires and military-credit-industrialism.

    Hence, oddly enough, nuclear weapons end up having produced intuitive political orders.

    Strange but true.

    Cheers

    https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Nepalese-Maoists-want-ethnicity-based-federalism-in-Nepals-new-constitution-Will-ethnicity-based-politics-do-any-good-to-Nepal-in-the-long-run

  • Was Karl Popper Right To Blame Plato’s Concept Of The Philosopher King For The Rise Of Totalitarianism In The Twentieth Century?

    No.  Popper’s argument (like many of his disingenuous political arguments) was an attempt at deflection from Popper’s factions.   His contribution to science not withstanding.

    The reason for the rise of totalitarianism in the west was the moral legitimacy given to statism by the Marxists, Socialists, Keynesians and Postmodernists, and later the neo-Conservatives.

    However, the Marxists, and all Marxist derivatives I just listed — like Popper, exemplified by Popper’s own systemic use of platonic truth (analytic, unknowable truth) and platonic existence (three words theory) — were Cosmopolitan (Jewish) theorists.  Not Greek or Christian (Anglo, German, or French) theorists.  

    The Cosmopolitans, whether Marxist/Socialist/Postmodern/Feminist, or Libertine (Misesian/Rothbardian) or Neo-Conservative (Straussian), all sought — through false, elaborate philosophical justifications, all reliant upon loading, framing and overloading (elaborate suggestion),  and the argumentative technique of Critique, that was developed over the centuries for the purpose of scriptural interpretation — to create a world safe for Cosmopolitans by advocating for authoritarian universalism. 

    This technique was accomplished by uniting Kant’s rejection of anglo meritocratic empiricism in favor of rational (hierarchical) authoritarianism, then combining it with traditional Jewish religio-moral authoritarian arguments.

    Jewish thought is structured as a totalitarian system of indoctrination, under the threat of ostracization, using the concept of an angry god,  to create a religious, moral, and rhetorical school, identical in purpose to Plato’s proposition for legal, rational, and historical school reliant upon law for punishment. 

    But unlike western traditional aristocracy (or Plato’s version of it), the Jewish school of thought advocates dual ethics (moral inequality) whereas Plato and western aristocratic ethics advocate equality under the law, but merely argue for meritocracy because of differences in virtuous character and ability. 

    The evidence is clear, and we can trace the origins of authors in each of the cosmopolitan political movements, covering the all three axis of the political spectrum, through development, until they are later adopted by a minority of christian and western public intellectuals, and used by the academy to replace the church, using the cosmopolitan deceptions, to advocate for the state, rather than fulfill the church’s role as an opponent to the state.

    But in both the origin of the ideas, in the distribution of the ideas, and the disingenuous advocacy of the ideas using the new media available in the 20th century. the totalitarianism of the twentieth century was caused by Jewish Cosmopolitan authors, in not only the socialist (left) but also the conservative (neo conservative) and libertarian (libertine) political spectrum. 

    Conversely the rise of the desire for statism among western conservatives is a defensive reaction to the expansion of the of the state by the cosmopolitans. 

    Westerners rely upon testimonial truth, juries, science, reason, law, universalism, merit, and the blanace of powers as a prevention against the rise of authority.  These properties are the inverse of jewish cosmopolitan thought.

    During the enlightenment, when the franchise (democracy) was extended to all, each sub-group in europe attempted to justify its cultural strategy, cultural ethics, and cultural philosophy, as the dominant one for universal use. 

    The marxist/neocon fallacy won because it was possible to use the media, democracy, redistribution, advocacy for immorality, to overturn the balance of powers, overturn meritocracy, and justify the state as a vehicle for implementing immorality that has resulted in the destruction of the west, and the western family, and the western ethic.

    Cheers

    https://www.quora.com/Was-Karl-Popper-right-to-blame-Platos-concept-of-the-philosopher-king-for-the-rise-of-totalitarianism-in-the-twentieth-century

  • CAN YOU GUESS? FOUR DIFFERENT POLITIES, FOUR DIFFERENT STRATEGIES. If a group of

    CAN YOU GUESS? FOUR DIFFERENT POLITIES, FOUR DIFFERENT STRATEGIES.

    If a group of people evolved under a sufficient language, so that it was possible to speak operationally, so that one could testify to the truth of a statement, then what would that culture look like? Would that behavior be captured in their genes? If so, then how?

    If a group of people evolved under a deficient language, so that it was impossible to speak sufficiently operationally so that one could testify to the truth of a statement, what would that culture look like? Would that behavior be captured in their genes? If so, how?

    If a group of people evolved specifically to use language to conduct loading, framing, overloading, and deception in order to lie cheat and steal, what would that culture look like? Would that behavior be captured in their genes? How?

    If a group of people evolved specifically to use behavior, not language, to conduct theft by preying upon empathy and altruism, such that they were unable to even distinguish the truth necessary for testimony, and would never give it, even if they did, then what would that culture look like? Would that behavior be captured in their genes? If so, then how?

    Truth, morality, and productivity, represents one end of the evolutionary spectrum. But, does that mean that it is the optimum COMPETITIVE strategy, even if it is the optimum ECONOMIC strategy? Or is it an evolutionary dead end, because it is so weak at competing?


    Source date (UTC): 2014-10-21 08:05:00 UTC

  • THE PERSISTENCE OF MARXISM —“The persistence of Marxism in the West is a funct

    THE PERSISTENCE OF MARXISM

    —“The persistence of Marxism in the West is a function of its persistence in academe. Without that, it would wither and die. Why does it persistent in academe? Because Marxism satisfies three deep cognitive wants for academics:

    (1) It is a complex theoretical system. There is nothing that establishes one’s bona fides as a Very Clever Person more than mastering a complex theoretical system: the denser and more jargon-heavy the prose, the better. And Marx’s writings have plenty of dense, jargon-heavy prose.

    (2) It is a system of grand intent. If one lives the life of the mind, then the grander one’s intellectual projects, the grander one’s cognitive sense of self: Marxism not only “explains” human history and society, it “reveals” the final end point of human and social transformation. What could be grander than such a project?

    (3) It completely de-legitimises commerce. Under Marxism, the only legitimate economic role is to supply labour. All commerce is de-legitimised and all those engaged in it—including all those people who have far more wealth and organisational significance than academics—are de-legitimised, reduced to “exploiters” who are but immoral dust beneath the heels of academics in no way “polluted” by vulgar commerce.”—

    Michael Philip


    Source date (UTC): 2014-10-19 06:28:00 UTC

  • “Before the bureaucrat, you have no obligation for grace. One does not blame the

    —“Before the bureaucrat, you have no obligation for grace. One does not blame the slave for trying to escape his master.”—


    Source date (UTC): 2014-10-16 12:20:00 UTC