Plato's political analysis is not naive, it's simply the only analysis that is possible from the reference frame of a decaying democracy (remember that Plato lived in a decaying democracy, which sentenced Socrates to death for "corrupting the youth"). The Republic was Plato's answer to such a democracy.Those who think politics works that way are tyrants, not because of a specific organisation or authority, but because they believe society functions by their authority alone. Plato's political analysis is naive, based on the posturing and ego of leaders, rather than on looking at governance itself. — TheWillowOfDarkness
Surely, but that there is no difference between liberals and conservatives in practice on divorce/marriage, that suggests that inactive beliefs don't make any difference at all? That seems intuitively false to me. Certainly the fact that X has certain beliefs, even if X is not involved in a community exemplifying those beliefs or actively engaged in them such as attending anti-feminism protests, etc. one would still expect X to behave more conservatively than Y who has the opposite beliefs, but less conservatively than Z who has conservative beliefs, and is actively engaged with them.Inactive beliefs are less important than active practice. It's one thing to live in a progressive or conservative community; it's another thing to be engaged in that community. One can never darken the door of a church, but have great concern that the worship be conducted in a particular manner.
Engagement in a religious community will affect life-outcomes (like divorce) much more than sitting at home and nattering on about religion and the #)(%#*(@!)#(%& government, Obamacare, feminism, et al. — Bitter Crank
Why do you reckon this is the case, given the conservative beliefs with regards to marriage?Being conservative, per se, isn't the critical factor in reduced rates of divorce. — Bitter Crank
Really? I'd expect this to be so for Orthodox Jews, but certainly not for the more liberal strains of Judaism, which from my reading, seems to be largely dominating the US Jewish population.Jewish couples 97% less likely
The child is a human being whether he is born or not once he is conceived. So yes, there is the loss of a human being. But if the child isn'tThat's pure bullshit. Though, I will say it is consistent with you aversion to recognising loss. I'll use an example you might understand: abortion. Just because a growing child has yet developed and be born, it doesn't mean they aren't lost if the pregnancy is terminated. Loss doesn't require existence to occur. Something can be last merely by the world not being allowed to exist in some way in the first place. — TheWillowOfDarkness
In my experience, leadership always involves the person's authority in practice.No government or political system functions or is born from one person's authority. That's a illusion, a posturing to assert status, rather than an understanding of how the political system works. — TheWillowOfDarkness
No it doesn't. Something cannot be lost unless it exists in the first place. As my society doesn't currently exist, it cannot be lost, it can only be gained.Absurd posturing. You have no less to lose in political conflict than a progressive or a liberal. If you lose, you are stuck with a society with values and culture you cannot stand. Even if a liberal or progressive society is a continuation of a status quo, it still means the value and culture you want have been lost. — TheWillowOfDarkness
I care about politics because I hope and desire for such a society. Not because I stand to lose something that I haven't already lost, but rather because I stand to gain.If you had nothing to lose in this conflict, you would not be fighting. You wouldn't even care about politics. — TheWillowOfDarkness
I don't think DJT is a philosopher king. For the record, as I've said before, Trump fits somewhere between timocracy and oligarchy - and that's much better than Obama, who fits squarely in the democratic distinction, as Plato drew them.The world and society are far more complex than worshipping tyrants who masquerade as philosopher kings. — TheWillowOfDarkness
Well if you apply such a principle to me, why would you not apply it to many other people, presumably those who are like me, and there's many of us out there?But notice your non sequitur from "why should I care what Agustino thinks" to "why should I care what anyone thinks" — Banno
Your activism Banno shows me that you are scared. You (and by this I mean progressive/liberals) have everything to lose, and nothing to gain. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.I've seen that you are a scared fascist and hypocritical christian. I have not seen that there is something interesting to be had from further conversation. — Banno
If you don't care what other people think, then get ready to lose in the political arena, it's quite simple.Why should I care what you think? — Banno
You're a very strange fellow. I merely said back to you what you said to me, and now that's uninviting. Look Banno, all these look like excuses to me - excuses for not being able to mount an intellectual defence for your worldview and values.So you try to engage in a discussion by doing exactly what was pointed out as uninviting. — Banno
I find yours nasty and immoral too on top of that. I think in as much as you engaged in dialogue I showed that you have no reason of presuming your values are everyone else's values, and we're at least equal one to each other in fighting for different values.Your motivation is fear, your politics is nasty. — Banno
Well I'm sure here to discuss things if you're actually going to discuss them.Do you want to discuss philosophy or score points? — Banno
Well I disagree with "open society" for the same reasons I disagree with democracy, which I've already listed before. Neither you nor anyone else offered any response to that critique.If you want to talk about the open society, start a conversation instead of a confrontation. — Banno
Show me where they have been shown to be incoherent. I think quite the contrary.Your views have been shown to be incoherent, yet you persist. And persist. And persist. — Banno
What makes you think the "Open Society" is even something to be desired? :sThe Open Society — Banno
Because he has balls of steel 8-)↪Agustino How does he keep such a straight face? — Banno
And PF will have to pay for it - most important! (Y)We must build a big firewall! — jorndoe
True actually now that I think about it >:O - but there is a grain of truth in success doctrine lol.Success doctrine windbag. — Heister Eggcart
Why do you think he's not smart on morality? :-}Medicine, yes. Not much else. — Heister Eggcart
No it isn't. It really isn't. The freedom you're talking about is just words on a page, nothing real.To argue there is no such freedom amount to arguing for predetermination-- that are actions can somehow be defined without actions themselves-- which is utter nonsense. — TheWillowOfDarkness
No they don't have skin in the game if they can do damaging actions and get away with it without suffering for it.When exactly do people not have skin in the game? With respect to ethical interests is that is unavoidable; one is seeking to achieve a particular way of life or perform an action they understand they need to. — TheWillowOfDarkness
No they don't need to be threatened, they need to know that there are consequences for immoral behaviour. They can't get away with being little snitches.What I think you mean is, however, is people need to be threatened by the powerful if they are to behave ethically. — TheWillowOfDarkness
Common maaaan - the guy is a neurosurgeon you don't get to become a neurosurgeon if you're an idiot. Maybe you mean he's not educated in matters other than medicine? Maybe - he's certainly not a big brain on economics. But I think on morality and medicine he's good.He's opinionated but not smart. — Heister Eggcart
No there is no such freedom. That's an abstraction right there.For sure. That's a possibility. Due to the freedom of our world (since no state logically necessitated), anyone can be a little snitch. In concreto, there is nothing we can do to remove the possibility of someone behaving unethically (or in a way someone else doesn't like). — TheWillowOfDarkness
No, but people must have skin in the game. Skin in the game, those are the words. And this is true whether they are male or female - their sex makes no difference.Not an "abstraction" with no meaning, but a truth of being free actors. No amount of pretence of "nature" or "authority" undoes this. Respect is only given by a person freedom. One cannot force other such that ethical behaviour (or the behaviour you want) is necessary. — TheWillowOfDarkness
Yes it's about abstract words, which actually, in concreto, are masks for vice (Y)Not just marriage, but also status more generally — TheWillowOfDarkness
My concept of conservatism isn't from the 1950s at all Mongrel. Again, I have no option but to think you're just lying. Have you ever listened to, for example Ben Carson? Have you ever listened to Ted fucking Cruz?Your concept of social conservatism is from the 1950's. PM me if you want to talk about it further.. if not, vaya con dios. — Mongrel
Abortion[edit]
Social conservatives argue that they are "pro-life", opposed to abortion on moral grounds often based on arguments of fetal personhood.[4] Personhood arguments focus on giving a fetus the status of a person which then entitles them to the right to life.[5] Social conservatives often support the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
Same-sex marriage[edit]
Social conservatives are against the legalization of same-sex marriage, supporting instead laws such as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. They oppose same-sex marriage over concerns on parenting, religious concerns, concerns of continued changes to the definition of marriage, and concerns about tradition.[6] Conservatives are often opposed to homosexuality, and therefore are concerned with "normalizing" homosexuality through the institution of marriage.
Sex Education[edit]
Sexual conservatives are social conservatives concerned with the moral education and possibly age-inappropriate information their children get from sex education classes in public schools. Sexual conservatives prefer Abstinence-Only sex education, as opposed to Comprehensive Sex Education. This political view stems from strong beliefs in parental authority and strict moral values.
[...]
2000s
Social conservatives again became powerful in American politics in 2001 with the election of socially conservative President George W. Bush. It has been argued that many of Bush's policy decisions were strongly influenced by his religious beliefs.[17] During his time in office Bush would pass influential conservative social policies such as the Defense of Marriage Act and support an increase in funding of Abstinence-Only Education.[18] While President Bush did not strongly promote pro-life policies, he supported the movement through an emphasis on parental rights and focus on strict regulation of taxpayer funding. — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_conservatism_in_the_United_StatesSorry, Ag. I live in the so-called Bible Belt. It's my family, so I think I know them. You don't understand the US culture at all. You've been identifying with the wrong country all this time. :( — Mongrel
It's not wrong at all Mongrel. You're just refusing to see the huge number of social conservative Christians in America, not to mention other traditionalists. How do you think Crooked Hillary lost? >:O You tell yourself stories of folks hating on the establishment, yadda yadda yadda - but the truth is their hatred is much deeper. They hate the fact that this establishment has been destroying their way of life - and they hate Hollywood and the media too. These people are sick of it.I have no idea how you got that impression, dude. But it's wrong. — Mongrel
Good. So that's it, your feminism rewards bad behaviour, and punishes good behaviour. That's certainly a smart move.It can be being pieces of shit to each other, yes — TheWillowOfDarkness
What the hell does this mean in non-abstract terms? Does this fucking mean that she's allowed to abandon her family for example without facing any consequences? Does this being "an independent acting being" (which is actually an empty and nonsensical abstraction), does this practically, not in abstract terms, but in concreto, does this mean she can be a little snitch? :-}It does mean, however, that such moral questions are thought of as a question of an independent acting being, rather than just a passive thing that's just going to fill a role. — TheWillowOfDarkness
No this way of life isn't common in your country actually. It's common just in the very developed and progressive places like NY, California, etc. The rest of the country, the largest share of the country in geographic terms actually, lives quite traditionally still for the most part. But your way of life is indeed suffocating these other regions, and they'll fight back, and you won't win. You stand no chance of winning. You realise that in the grand narrative of things, progressivism will die out. Reproduction and strength require discipline, which progressivism lack. If you lack devotion to the family, and if you lack the virtue of self-sacrifice when necessary, you and your kind will be wiped out in evolutionary terms. Don't delude yourself.I'm just going to assume you're being serious here, dude. I gather you wouldn't be able to tolerate the way of life that is now common in my world. Nobody's asking you to. You live your way, we'll live our's, OK? — Mongrel
This "insightful" passage. Let's see. So apparently, listen to this everyone... Just listen to this... Apparently, women are free, independent agents of their own volition, when they are permitted to disrespect marriage - so the equivalence is rendered between disrespect of marriage (and virtue) and being an independent agent. I guess, according to Willow, independent agents are those who are most free to give in to their lusts - and those who, on the contrary, restrain their lusts, they are the most slavish. "Working with their decisions" - right, if they suddenly decide "fuck the family", then fuck the family it is, because that's what being a fucking independent agent acting out of your own volition is - that's freedom! >:O What a grand trick, performed by a capable magician :-dUnder feminism, women become more important than marriage, more important than the status and desires of men. Authority of their lives passes to them. They are understood to independent agents of their own volition. In the context of marriage, relationships and social positions, it involves working with their decisions rather than being passive actors who just fill a desired social outcome. — TheWillowOfDarkness
More abstract terms won't rescue you from the accusation of empty abstraction, away from the concrete realities that underlie things. Your feminism is just codename for vice, promiscuity and lust.Certainly, it is not defined in a few specific terms, but that's because it refers to a system and authority where women lack power, where an authority governs their lives without respect for the women themsleves. Any society will such a system qualifies as Patriarchy. — TheWillowOfDarkness
Right, so disrespecting, say, your husband, is having authority? That's what a woman having authority is right? And by contrast a woman who respects her husband, she doesn't have any authority? Because having authority is being pieces of shit to each other. Never knew.Patriarchy is (in part) the identification of when women lack authority over their lives and status. — TheWillowOfDarkness
I never knew that a woman is free in-so-far as she's allowed to disrespect and plunder things that are of value, ie in-so-far as she's allowed to fulfil her own greed and lust.The feminist will never say the only relevant question is whether a woman is respecting marriage's authority. — TheWillowOfDarkness
Yes but you had special powers there... you used to send fucking anonymous messages... I was very jealous of your powers >:OArrived at PF first as "willowz", got banned and came back as Q~uestion. Now I'm here as 'Question'...
Kinda funny... — Question
Handsome young lad, what can you do :DI wish. That'd make me 21, which is actually how old I was when I joined PF. But people often assume that I'm about that age anyway, and are surprised when I tell them my age. — Sapientia
