Re: The Intellectual Origins Of America-Bashing By Lee Harris

From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Tue 10 Dec 2002 - 21:39:42 GMT

  • Next message: Jeremy Bradley: "Re: The Intellectual Origins Of America-Bashing By Lee Harris"

    > >Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 12:14:11 -0600
    > >
    > > > ----- Original Message -----
    > > > From: <joedees@bellsouth.net>
    > > > > > When you say it "works" or "doesn't work" what do you mean?
    > > > > > What does it do or doesn't do that you think it must do?
    > > > > >
    > > > > It provides those who adopt it with a higher average standard of
    > > > > living than other models, just as democracy provides citizens
    > > > > with a greater voice and more personal freedom than other models
    > > > > (at least than any alternatives that have been tried).
    > > >
    > > > i think that above and beyond all that (which is somewhat
    > > > subjective, wouldn't ya say?), capitalism and "democracy" (yet to
    > > > be actually implemented, wouldn't ya say?) "work" because they
    > > > have the dynamic capacity to adopt strategies "on the fly" to
    > > > prevent other ideas from gaining enough footing to replace them.
    > > > the reason americans are conned into making a duality (communist
    > > > or capitalist, dictatorship or democracy) is because it keeps out
    > > > other ideas and prevents the CREATION of new ones. it discourages,
    > > > dissuades and otherwise destroys competition. the only reason
    > > > these two ideas stand at the forefront is because they can infect
    > > > more people, not because there is some qualitative superiority
    > > > inherent in them.
    > > >
    > >I would phrase it another way; these systems are perpetually
    > >evolutionary, and can change, in response to voter desires, to take
    > >advantage of the novel ideas and opportunities that the voters wish
    > >to implement. They are dynamic and evolutionary, rather than static
    > >and fixed, and engage in continuous elaboration and experimentation.
    > >Their futures are not dogmatically predetermined, so they can
    > >effectively respond to the unexpected exigencies of an unfolding
    > >history. And this is a GOOD thing.
    > > >
    > > > alfred
    > > >
    > What you call a thing doesn't always describe what it really is. The
    > Chinese now call their system communism with Chinese (meaning
    > capitalist) characteristics. But it has defenitely made a new country
    > out of China over the past 20 years.
    >
    Economically, yes; we'll have to wait for the Tienanmen Square generation to completely mature into power and institute democratic reforms, particularly the vote, before the complementary political renewal can occur.
    >
    > Grant
    >
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