Howard Dean on capitalism vs. socialism, the "permanent campaign," and more.
(via Drudge)
The Cultural War is a Civil War
4 hours ago
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The big yellow quotes are fairly scary, but I don't think what Howard Dean actually says in the audio is all that frightening. He basically outlines the basic fault lines between the right and the left, the competing impulses between those who emphasize individual aspects of liberty, and others who prefer to see societies organized at a more macro, community level. And his point -- that we have to accept varying gradations of "capitalism" and "socialism" makes enough sense to me (though I don't like his playing fast and loose with either philosophies).
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, there was a time in graduate school when I became obsessed with Michael Sandel and his books on communitarianism. Combined with Stanley Fish's critiques of classical liberalism, I found much more solace in a vision that saw man as a social creature, bound by community and history. Enough of the abstract man posited by Kant or in Rawls' original position -- let's also consider language, culture, and so on.
Anyway -- fun stuff. Sandel apparently has a new book out called 'Justice'. It's supposed to be a great primer on political philosophy; in 40 pages, he explains Kant so an elementary school kid could understand.
You know, in case you wanted to send me a Christmas gift...