European Tribune - Comments - So, Ideology is Dead. So now what ?

So, Ideology is Dead. So now what ? | 366 comments (366 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Pragmatism based on rational Reason? (none / 0)

So we're back to how much social conditioning there is, and how much we are masters of ourselves, or tiny wheels in the great mechanism.
I've seen too many people thinking with their own mind, critical of their background or environment, to doubt the existence of free will and the effectiveness of critical thinking.

Einstein's relativity is political philosophy. Newton's Laws are politics applied to every day life; the former is becoming more like a historical phenomenology of politics, while the latter is becoming independent and intelligent enough to make a difference.

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (Martin Luther King)

by ValentinD (walentijn arobase free spot frança) on Mon Dec 1st, 2008 at 09:10:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pragmatism based on rational Reason? (none / 0)

Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that I'm a physicist by training, I always have been skeptical of analogies between physical models and political life. That being said, even if one accepts such analogies in general, this particular analogy is rather curious. Are you seriously contending that special and general relativity are any more obscure, anachronistic or inapplicable to everyday life than Newton's laws?

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Tue Dec 2nd, 2008 at 05:16:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pragmatism based on rational Reason? (none / 0)

You're completely mistaking the analogy. It was rather about the degree of relevance to every day life.

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (Martin Luther King)

by ValentinD (walentijn arobase free spot frança) on Tue Dec 2nd, 2008 at 03:26:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pragmatism based on rational Reason? (none / 0)

Because people obviously use Newton's laws in their everyday life, more than they use GenRel...

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Tue Dec 2nd, 2008 at 03:35:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pragmatism based on rational Reason? (none / 0)

That is not what I said. Simplifying isn't helpful in any way.

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (Martin Luther King)

by ValentinD (walentijn arobase free spot frança) on Tue Dec 2nd, 2008 at 04:32:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pragmatism based on rational Reason? (none / 0)

Then I utterly fail to understand your analogy.

Maybe I'm just stupid, but could you bend it in neon for me?

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Tue Dec 2nd, 2008 at 04:53:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

So, Ideology is Dead. So now what ? | 366 comments (366 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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