81–90 of 144 posts
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I've seen the effects of "rational social planning" by the enlightened and would rather go with the flawed individual freedom crowd.
but have you seen the effects of "rational social planning" by the unenlightened?
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I've seen the effects of "rational social planning" by the enlightened and would rather go with the flawed individual freedom crowd.
You do understand that he's not speaking of a centrally planned government, right? Chomsky specifically advocates as close to direct democracy as possible.
Hey guys, it has been too long since our last self-righteous anti-consumerist circle-jerk. This one is good! You can smell the smarminess right through the screen. We live in a time where the individual has more freedom to do what he wants with his life than ever before. When people live longer, survive perviously unsurvivable diseases, and can get by with the least work. When the glorious knowledge produced by human…
I wonder what evolutionary psychology has to say about this phenomenon. Why is luxury so goddamn depressing?
Reminds me of the Vampire Weekend song Kids Don't Stand a Chance. Particularly the verse:
I didn't like the business
But that was at first glance
Your pillow feels so soft now
But still you must advance
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You do understand that he's not speaking of a centrally planned government, right? Chomsky specifically advocates as close to direct democracy as possible.
I didn't get that from the above quote, but I haven't read Chomsky. I just have quite a bit of problems with people believing that the group is always right compared to the individual, and I got the group vibe from the above. I admit my interpretation could be in error.
His views are obviously nuanced, but he's most often described as an anarcho-syndiclist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho_syndicalism
The main problem with your interpretation is not that the group is better than the individual, but that then the group _imposes_ that view upon the individual. There's a big difference between cooperative decision making and a dictatorship by an 'enlightened few.'
Modern industrial civilization has developed within a certain system of convenient myths. The driving force of modern industrial civilization has been individual material gain, which is accepted as legitimate, even praiseworthy, on the grounds that private vices yield public benefits, in the classic formulation. Now, it has long been understood, very well, that a society that is based on this principle will destroy i…
>"Now, it has long been understood, very well, that a society that is based on this principle will destroy itself in time. Bullshit. A society based on the principles of the free market will create unprecedented human health and prosperity[1]. Anti-capitalists are anti-human. I wonder if the billion or so people that climbed out of poverty over the last decade thanks to global capitalism would change Chomsky's mind a…
Free market? Sure, it's a great idea, but minimum wage laws, workplace safety, pollution control and so forth have all done just as much for our health and prosperity.
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That's pretty brave and inspiring. I am not sure I could do that again, I've 'rebooted' a couple of times and it takes a long time to find a new path. And inevitably you always end up with lots of stuff again, it has a way of creeping up on you. Emigrations are a good way to realize what you can do without. And then a few years later you look around and wonder how it happened again.
Yeah, the maintenance part is possibly the hardest aspect. It's also killed typical socialization in my own home, except for people that genuinely enjoy just sitting, sipping tea and talking. I was pretty stuck anyhow (progress wise), so if it takes a couple of years to gain new momentum, I feel it's time well spent. A few people asked if I was heading overseas, the more people that do, the better an idea it sounds l…
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I didn't get that from the above quote, but I haven't read Chomsky. I just have quite a bit of problems with people believing that the group is always right compared to the individual, and I got the group vibe from the above. I admit my interpretation could be in error.
No worries, I haven't read as much Chomsky as I should either. His views are obviously nuanced, but he's most often described as an anarcho-syndiclist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho_syndicalism The main problem with your interpretation is not that the group is better than the individual, but that then the group _imposes_ that view upon the individual. There's a big difference between cooperative decision makin…
See?! Now they've convinced you that to be fulfilled you have to read Chomsky!
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Well, look. I decided that I will get rid of the useless things in my life. Books and papers, trash, and so on. I also decided to save and not consume much. Therefore, I resort to making homemade sandwiches and finding water bottle. A few days ago, I made a pencil holder out of a discarded soda can. Why the hell not? There are cool things that I want to buy. But, they're mostly for making cooler projects. I am a pros…
From your comment it seems that your are advocating an "intellectual life". Isn't this the same old consumerism, just a changing real goods for virtual ones (aka information)?
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No worries, I haven't read as much Chomsky as I should either. His views are obviously nuanced, but he's most often described as an anarcho-syndiclist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho_syndicalism The main problem with your interpretation is not that the group is better than the individual, but that then the group _imposes_ that view upon the individual. There's a big difference between cooperative decision makin…
> I haven't read as much Chomsky as I should either. [emphasis added] See?! Now they've convinced you that to be fulfilled you have to read Chomsky !
However, in this case, what I meant was, "I really should read more Chomsky before attempting to claim that I am fully and accurately representing his viewpoint in an argument."