Certainly Worth Reflecting On...
by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny
Continuing on the individual -vs- collectivism struggle if you will, I found the following most interesting. Hopefully you will as well.
Philosophy, does it really matter?
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny
Continuing on the individual -vs- collectivism struggle if you will, I found the following most interesting. Hopefully you will as well.
By Ray Thomas - People think the basic conflict today is between liberals and conservatives. It’s not. It’s between believers in collectivism and those who believe in individualism. They think that it is the difference between simply their own definition of “compassion” and “mean-spiritedness.” It isn’t that. at all. It’s the difference between collectivism and individualism.
Collectivism is really pretty simple, no matter how much collectivists want to complicate it so you will not understand what they’re trying to put over on you. It is defined thusly by one of the best known collectivists, Karl Marx, author of communism, in his “tome,” the “Communist Manifesto:” “From each according to his ability, and to each according to his need.” Meaning it is okay to :take from one who earned it and give that taken to those who did not. This gave permission for government to steal from one and give to another to gain power over both.
They want you to think the fight is between “right and left.” It is not. The real fight is, while it is still between right and left, on the left, counter to common belief, is always a despotic government, in complete control of its populace while on the right, contrary to what they want you to think, is not fascism or Nazism, but complete freedom, which is sometimes called anarchism.
Neither is something we want to have, for different reasons. We need to be somewhere in the middle, with just enough government to keep us from each other’s throats, but only that much.
It has always been thus: remember back when every country was ruled by a king or queen, who had a bunch of “lesser” officials called many things such as “barons” and such? The king or queen was a liberal who thought he/she was better, smarter than the “commoner.” The “barons” and such, too. They lived off the work and sweat of the “commoner.” They thought they had “the divine right of kings” to do that. They didn’t. Robin Hood has always gotten a “bad rap,” being pictured as “stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.” Not true, as is so with most of the “changed history” that has been written by those rulers. What he did was take back what was stolen by the king in the form of excessive taxes and give that to its rightful owners, the “commoners.”
Crisis Government
One of the most oft used methods, used to this day by those who would run your lives is taking advantage of any “crisis” that comes along, and if one doesn’t come along, creating one. Have you ever wondered why it seems like there is a new “crisis” announced just about every day? President Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, is famously quoted as saying, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” That’s because to “cure” a crisis, those who wish to control you can get laws passed that they could not have hoped to pass without that “crisis.”
Massive Conspiracy
Some think there is some kind of a “massive conspiracy” to control the world, run by the international bankers. They’re wrong. But there are conspiracies, and that is one of them. A single conspiracy would soon collapse under the weight of individual egos. Many conspiracies based on a philosophy do not. Most of today’s conspiracies are based on the philosophy of collectivism. Which is the reason why they look like a “single conspiracy to many. But it doesn’t matter who is right. The answer is investigation and exposure. These conspiracies can’t stand the “light of day.” {Read More}
Philosophy, does it really matter?
"Philosophy, does it really matter"?
ReplyDeleteYep, to the one who holds one.
I completely disagree. The fight today is not between collectivism and individualism, but between plutocracy and representative democracy, and both can and do include some aspects each of collectivism and individualism - and militarism, theocratism, and a host of other isms.
ReplyDeleteJMJ
The "plutocracy" idea is entirely invalid, and has been invented by fascists on the Left who see any popular control of the economy as plutocracy. And something evil, which should be banned in favor of state control.
DeleteI have in fact had arguments with leftists who think that even mom-and-pop store owners are evil plutocrats.
The fight is indeed between collectivism and individualism. The bogus "plutocracy" arugment is just one trick the collectivists use to crush the individual.
"representative democracy"?
ReplyDeleteJust where does one see that? That is unless you call it mobacracy.
As to "plutocracy" if it at all exists was created by the democrats in bailing them all out i,e: Banks and unions.
JMJ, wake-up and smell the garbage you surround yourse;lf with.
Our governmental structure as designed by our founding fathers and set forth in our Constitution is a representative democracy.
DeleteWhat has changed is the understanding of what the term means. For today's progressives it means 50.0001% rule by the majority (mob) at the expense of the other 49.9991% In other words tyranny of the majority. Or mob rule.
Do not place the blame only at the feet of the democrats. There are plenty of republicans only too willing to take the bailouts and feed at the federal trough, more than anxious to accept any subsidy and and breaks the gubermint is willing to give them.
jmj, you are actually a pretty smart guy, but you need to let go of the progressve platitudes ad come down to reality.
Les, please believe me, I certainly do not want the sort of democracy you are describing, and yes it is essentially what we have today, but to put that on people who think like me, liberals and progressives, is slander. We did not do this nor ever wanted it.
DeleteLes, when one equates money with speech, speech, a sacred right, one has befouled all morality and civility, become a thief.
Think about it.
The Right's love of "property" is stupid, as one need not have property to be of worth; and hypocritical, as one is only worth the least among them and if it's just a deed to a mud pit, you're screwed.
How is any of that "libertarian," or "Objectivist" (unless, of course, all architects personally and physically build all their own buildings). ;)
JMJ
Les, please believe me, I certainly do not want the sort of democracy you are describing, and yes it is essentially what we have today, but to put that on people who think like me, liberals and progressives, is slander. We did not do this nor ever wanted it.
DeleteLes, when one equates money with speech, speech, a sacred right, one has befouled all morality and civility, become a thief.
Think about it.
The Right's love of "property" is stupid, as one need not have property to be of worth; and hypocritical, as one is only worth the least among them and if it's just a deed to a mud pit, you're screwed.
How is any of that "libertarian," or "Objectivist" (unless, of course, all architects personally and physically build all their own buildings). ;)
JMJ
Jersey said: "Les, when one equates money with speech, speech, a sacred right, one has befouled all morality and civility, become a thief."
DeleteThis equation is actually one made by the Left. In support of campaign finance reform (basically, censoring political advertising) they see money = speech in their attempts to censor free expression by cutting off money.
"The Right's love of "property" is stupid,"
The Left lovers "property" at least as much, but they see property rights as belonging to the most powerful (i.e. such as in socialism). The Right sees property rights as inalienable, and belonging to each human being.
Jmj, Do you really understand why direct democracy leads to that which I described?
ReplyDeleteDo you have even a sense as to why property rights, like individual rights are important?
Do you have a sense of what classical liberalism is, and how it changed the world for the better? For all of society.
Are you saying the founders of our Republic, PR representaove democracy were "the political right?"
I assume by your reference to equating money with speech your are referring to Citizens United. Do you recall my position on this? Do you believe our founders would have supported such law? If so on what do yoi base such belief?
There are many more questions I could ask, but that is enough for now. Tale some time to think about the questions. And you answers to them.
That's funny.
ReplyDeleteCollectivism is the only conspiracy political philosophy?
My all means feel free to offer something constructive rather than trite. Which includes your thoughts on the other "conspiracy theories."
DeleteThe only one? It is far and away the worst conspiracy political philosophy. Consider Marxism and its milder relatives: it is the ultimate conspiracy theory, to rile up hatred against "them". And adherence to it has resulted in the deaths of a hundred million or so.
DeleteBy all means. Not my...
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