Curt Doolittle

Form: Short Note

  • Imperialism (Controversial)

    [I]mperialism is defensive when cooperation is structurally impossible. But if cooperation is possible it is preferable. Even then the goal is merely institutional development so that cooperation is possible. Imperialism like violence is an amoral question. Extraction is not. Predation is not. Parasitism is not. There is a vast difference between teaching people reading, writing, arithmetic, accounting, property rights, and the common law, so that you can cooperate with them rather than either conquer or displace them, or parasitically using them. And since parasitism is a way of life in primitive cultures -which is why they are primitive – it is a very long and difficult lesson to teach them. I don’t like imperialism. I don’t like empires at all. I do like cooperative production and trade. Respect for others’ property today will mean others may at least attempt to respect your property tomorrow. So I would have to separate cooperative imperialism from parasitic imperialism. I just have no idea as yet how to guarantee the implementation of it except as containment and habituated exchange.

  • Imperialism (Controversial)

    [I]mperialism is defensive when cooperation is structurally impossible. But if cooperation is possible it is preferable. Even then the goal is merely institutional development so that cooperation is possible. Imperialism like violence is an amoral question. Extraction is not. Predation is not. Parasitism is not. There is a vast difference between teaching people reading, writing, arithmetic, accounting, property rights, and the common law, so that you can cooperate with them rather than either conquer or displace them, or parasitically using them. And since parasitism is a way of life in primitive cultures -which is why they are primitive – it is a very long and difficult lesson to teach them. I don’t like imperialism. I don’t like empires at all. I do like cooperative production and trade. Respect for others’ property today will mean others may at least attempt to respect your property tomorrow. So I would have to separate cooperative imperialism from parasitic imperialism. I just have no idea as yet how to guarantee the implementation of it except as containment and habituated exchange.

  • The Universalist State As A Religion

    [L]ets just keep in mind that Universalist Secular Democratic Socialist Humanism, is a religion too OK? And so is postmodernism. There is precious little difference between the church and the university liberal arts department except the anthropomorphized ‘we’ of a god has been replaced with the corporate ‘we’ of the state. In practice there is zero difference between them. Universalism whether under the edict of a mythical god, or the edict of a corporate state is equally unscientific. The W.E.I.R.D. culture is unique. And it has to be. Because it’s suicidal. (WEIRD: Western, Educated, Indusrial, Rich, Democratic)

  • The Universalist State As A Religion

    [L]ets just keep in mind that Universalist Secular Democratic Socialist Humanism, is a religion too OK? And so is postmodernism. There is precious little difference between the church and the university liberal arts department except the anthropomorphized ‘we’ of a god has been replaced with the corporate ‘we’ of the state. In practice there is zero difference between them. Universalism whether under the edict of a mythical god, or the edict of a corporate state is equally unscientific. The W.E.I.R.D. culture is unique. And it has to be. Because it’s suicidal. (WEIRD: Western, Educated, Indusrial, Rich, Democratic)

  • David’s right. Tipping point was in the past 30 days. It’s happening. Putin was

    David’s right. Tipping point was in the past 30 days. It’s happening. Putin was the catalyst for the death blow to the postwar model.

    Need to look at the cycles again now. Revisit demographics again. Not sure I have time for that kind of deep think.

    When I said the correction would continue through 2014, and possibly through 2020, part of that statement was hopefulness. The human ‘forgetting curve’ is about four to six years. People have to ‘give up’ on prior habits and develop affinities for new ones, for a reformation of values to take root.

    Now, technically speaking that cycle is about eight or nine years. (Flocking and schooling in a business cycle.) So, we should have one year left and see something serious in about 2015.

    That’s coinciding with the departure of the (civilization-destroying) boomers (first generation of empowered proletarians).

    That wave is coinciding with the collapse of anglo debt capacity.

    And that wave is coinciding with the collapse of the postwar model (european american fantasy).

    Demographics get pretty critical between 2020 and 2025.

    Now, politically and intellectually you can start to see the change happening over the past year.

    And technology is making an institutional solution to political conflict a possibility (just as all major innovations are technical innovations that assist in cooperation under greater complexity.)

    Perfect storm.

    Source date (UTC): 2014-04-03 12:46:00 UTC

  • LIBERTARIAN ‘REGULATION” (cross posted from elsewhere) Libertarians do not advoc

    LIBERTARIAN ‘REGULATION”

    (cross posted from elsewhere)

    Libertarians do not advocate a deregulated market. They advocate:

    a) universal legal standing for claimants in all courts of law.

    b) requirement that companies be insured.

    c) elimination of liability protections for executives.

    The idea is that insurance companies will better regulate goods and services than will the government, at a lower cost, and that if everyone has legal standing the cost of abusing consumers especially if there is no shield provided by the corporate veil, is so high that organizations will not engage in those behaviors.

    It is pretty hard to argue against the libertarian position. It is very easy to argue against a libertarian straw man (monopoly deregulation vs private regulation). And yes, there are a lot of idiots in libertarianism just like there are a lot of idiots in every other ideology.

    But the fact of the matter is that libertarians have provided the only innovations to political economy in the past century.

    Source date (UTC): 2014-04-02 23:30:00 UTC

  • FASHION PLUG : ROY ROBSON I can’t find Ralph Lauren around here anywhere. And if

    http://www.marc-o-polo.de/landing/SHAMELESS FASHION PLUG : ROY ROBSON

    I can’t find Ralph Lauren around here anywhere. And if I cold it’d be Chinese knock offs. But I’ve found Roy Robson – which doesn’t seem to be available in the states, but is all over Europe and the UK, and there are four stores here in Ukraine. I’ve gravitated to buying outerwear at Roy Robson and Pierre Cardin, and smart casual at Marc O’Polo and Nautica.

    What’s funny, is that my favorite companies are german manufacturers using english brand names. Why is that?

    ROY ROBSON

    http://www.royrobson.com/

    MARC O’POLO

    http://www.marc-o-polo.de/landing/

    Source date (UTC): 2014-04-01 10:02:00 UTC

  • Empathizing with Saul Kripke right now. 🙂 I ought to give talks and interviews

    Empathizing with Saul Kripke right now. 🙂 I ought to give talks and interviews more. Much easier to get the points across in person when I can tailor the argument to the individual’s understanding.

    Source date (UTC): 2014-04-01 09:11:00 UTC

  • Great Skype conversation with Kirill Alferov . Thank you. (Very smart guy.)

    Great Skype conversation with Kirill Alferov . Thank you. (Very smart guy.)

    Source date (UTC): 2014-04-01 09:07:00 UTC

  • LOVE. LIBERTY WITHOUT AUTHORITY

    https://www.ethereum.org/GEEK LOVE. LIBERTY WITHOUT AUTHORITY.

    Source date (UTC): 2014-03-31 16:55:00 UTC