[MD] The Pendulum and the Pit

[Ian Glendinning]

Nice one John,

I have to say whenever I hear left vs right debate - reactionary
extremes of any kind, science vs faith, etc - I can't get moved beyond
"a pox on both their houses" and move onto something more interesting.

Interesting as a "scientific materialist" myself (I prefer
"physicalist") that I keep recognising the extremes in archetypical
"scientists" every bit as reactionary as religious fundamentalists.

Regards
Ian

On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 11:51 PM, John Carl<ridgecoyote at gmail.com> wrote:
> >From the mind of David M. Buchanan:
>
> "I think the MOQ's evolutionary morality is very far from reactionary and
> does the trick much, much better. I'd even say that this here forum is no
> place for reactionaries but then it's not really a great place for
> scientific materialists either."
>
> I agree with Dave.  But I would expand the idea a bit and add another aspect
> to the definition of reactionary.
>
> But first, an analogy:  The American political system is like a pendulum
> swinging between the liberal and conservative extremes and the more energy
> we pour into the swing, the higher the arc, the more intense the speed, the
> bigger the backlash and the more reactionary the responses - leading to MORE
> energy put in and wider arcs... etc.
>
> Now our current situation, with an approaching total collapse of the free
> market system and thus repudiation of the conservative movement's main
> force, does create a tremendous opportunity to jump on the Obama wagon and
> ride that swing as far as you can and push it as hard as you can to get as
> high as you can.  But that would be a mistake.  The more energy poured into
> the pendulum's swing when it's already going that way anyway, means all the
> more force and power to be expected on the back swing - when voter
> discontent with the failure of socialist programing to "fix" everything
> creates a new kind of fascism frightening to behold - the pit - the abyss -
> Armageddon - following the known historical patterns David so eloquently
> described this weekend.
>
> Now I see the challenge to be part of this forum, is to do what is good
>  rather than what helps your side win.  To be granted the opportunity to
> hold the best intellectual tools implies responsibility to use that tool
> wisely.  Not to increase energy in a swing already dragging society toward
> an abyss, but to offer insights helpful to getting off the whole thing and
> maybe throw your mass in the most helpful way possible - against popular
> opinion - even when you are all alone in doing so and it gets you nothing
> but recrimination and disrepute.
>
>
>
>
> --
> ------------
> There are differing interpretations of Reality, some are just better than
> others, that's all.
> ------------
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