Anyway @Benkei, I appreciate your post on the origins and likely outcomes of Trump's Tariff policy. The genesis of his polices stemming from the misguided perception that America is "losing" strikes me as far more accurate and aligned with Trump's visio mundi than alternative hypothesis, such as crashing the stock market so that the bourgeoisie can snatch up stock for cheap, or so that corporations will become obsequious to Trump, strike me as conspiratorial and far beyond competency of the upper class or the Trump administration.

↪Christoffer Good questions. Ciceronianus@Hanover@Maw any view on this as US based lawyers? Because I don't. — Benkei

lol I am not a lawyer

So, what I pre-empted. Okay. — AmadeusD

Not at all - I stated your views amusingly coincide with your geographic distance, not that your geographic distance engenders your views or precludes you from commenting or caring.

Yep. What's the relevance? — AmadeusD

Just wanted to point out how your (over 6K mile) physical removal from the United States coincides with your casually abstract - to the point of callousness - comments, which are equally removed from the devastating day-to-day realities that people are suffering through, thanks to the direction of this administration.

We go through these changes. We're in a stable enough civilisation. I don't see any reason to think it wont. Reagan was probably thought of this way. As would have Lincoln been in his time. As will future Presidents. I cannot see that this is in any way that matters, a special case. Call me ignorant if you want (not you, personally) - I don't think so after quite careful, and long-term (what, nine years now?) consideration. That term includes the evidence for what I'm saying. If Biden's term wasn't the same type of threat, then this isn't one. — AmadeusD

Don't you live in New Zealand?

Holding Fast to an Image of the Past: Explorations in the Marxist Tradition by Neil Davidson

Not interested in engaging with anyone who posts like this. You can either read the book, as I innocuously suggested, or continue to cowardly lash out to anyone who critiques your concept of Nietzsche, like a child.

Where precisely in my comment is 'Nationalism" mentioned? Losurdo explicitly acknowledges Nietzsche's disdain for intra-European Nationalism. Maybe read the book before making stupid comments about it, and insulting comments towards the author (and me).

Incredible that I made that comment 7 years ago and we're still going through it :death:

Possibly, although I think it's been around 10 years since I've read it, so who knows what elements of the book I've absorbed. Perhaps I'm more invoking Liberalism: A Counter-History by Domenico Losurdo.

Just from the précis via Haymarket Books:

"In a work widely regarded as the most important contribution to Nietzschean studies in recent decades, Domenico Losurdo instead pursues a less reductive strategy. Taking literally the ruthless implications of Nietzsche's anti-democratic thinking—his celebration of slavery, of war and colonial expansion, and eugenics—he nevertheless refuses to treat these from the perspective of the mid-twentieth century. In doing so, he restores Nietzsche's works to their complex nineteenth-century context, and presents a more compelling account of the importance of Nietzsche as philosopher than can be expected from his many contemporary apologists."

The book is over 1000 pages, quite meticulous and the arguments powerfully stated; looking beyond Nietzsche's philosophical texts towards his letters and other written material. The book changed my outlook on Nietzsche. Even if you will not fundamentally agree with Losurdo (who does not claim that Nietzsche should be discarded, by any means), I think there is a lot to grapple with. Highly recommend.

Have you read Nietzsche, The Aristocratic Rebel by Domenico Losurdo?

Land argues that the alt-right is reaction to a Left — frank

The Alt-Right is the Frankenstein monster progressivism has built — frank

Typical right-wing tactic of blaming the Left for creating their own ideology. Regardless, I'm not at all convinced that the "alt-right" view of race is a novel conviction distinguishable from prior conservative views, some of which stem hundreds of years ago and echoed by prominent Enlightenment philosophers.

quite good

A History of Judaism by Martin Goodman

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Thank you kindly, sir :blush:

My fiancée and I are going to France this year and I intend to visit his grave in Paris :flower:

Islamaphobia is obviously made up. Scruton has obviously done nothing wrong here. — AmadeusD

Unsure if this is simply a sarcastic remark or sincere and thus asinine, but regardless, Roger Scruton has been dead for over 5 years

We Cannot Escape History: States and Revolutions by Neil Davidson

On the Theory and History of Ideological Production: Juan Carlos Rodríguez and His Contemporaries by Malcolm K. Read

My reading list for 2024:

• The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han by Mark Edward Lewis
• Theory as History: Essays on Modes of Production and Exploitation by Jairus Banaji
• A History of China by John Keay
• A History of Japan by R.H.P Mason and J.G Caiger
• India: A History by John Keay
• Revolutionary Jews From Spinoza to Marx: The Fight for A Secular World of Universal and Equal Rights by Jonathan Israel
• The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World by Marie Favereau
• Deconstructing Postmodernist Nietzscheanism: Deleuze and Foucault by Jan Rehmann
• The Book of Chuang Tzu
• Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary
• The Castle by Franz Kafka
• Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai
• What Was Neoliberalism: Studies in the Most Recent Phase of Capitalism 1973-2008 by Neil Davidson
• Rethinking Marxist Approaches to Transition: A Theory of Temporal Dislocation by Onur Acaroglu
• Market and Violence: The Functioning of Capitalism in History by Heide Gerstenberger

Additionally, I've been reading One Thousand and One Nights each night since January 1st of 2024, so at the time of writing I am on Night 361

I don't agree. Imo, Trump won because too many Democratic voters preferred not to vote rather than vote for a woman president just like in 2016. Biden won 15 million more votes in 2020 than Clinton won in 2016 and 13 million more votes than Harris won this year; however, Trump received about 1 million less than he did in 2020, so the election turnout drop-off was on the Dems side. As far as I can tell, too many Americans are still not "ready" for a woman president. :brow: — 180 Proof

Not to take away from the misogyny amongst Democratic voters, but another commonality between Clinton and Harris was that the former ran within a deliberately uncompetitive primary and the latter didn't have a primary whatsoever. Personally, I think this is a stronger explanans than misogyny. Biden should have announced that he would not seek another term over a year ago so that the democrats could have an open primary. I believe whomever won that primary would have beaten Trump.

Market and Violence: The Functioning of Capitalism in History by Heide Gerstenberger

Rethinking Marxist Approaches to Transition: A Theory of Temporal Dislocation by Onur Acaroglu

Probably the greatest thing written in the English language

What Was Neoliberalism: Studies in the Most Recent Phase of Capitalism 1973-2008 by Neil Davidson

Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai :cool:

The Castle by Franz Kafka

Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary

I found it to be an enjoyable read, although I'm not very knowledgeable on comparative translations. Certainly worth checking out. I enjoyed the "outer chapters" as well.

Going on vacation tomorrow. Bringing The Book of Chuang Tzu along with Gilgamesh and Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation (rereading)

Martin Palmer and Elizabeth Breuilly translation. Penguin Classics version

Started The Book of Chuang Tzu last week

Started Deconstructing Postmodernist Nietzscheanism: Deleuze and Foucault by Jan Rehmann several days ago

That's something that has always fascinated me. I'll take a look. — T Clark

I've been interested in the Mongol's since I was a boy. Nearly finished with the book. The first third focuses mostly on the origins of the Mongol Empire via Chinggis Khan but then the narrative shifts primarily towards the Jochi Ulus (the Golden Horde) and the socio-economic impact and development it had on the world.

Unfortunately I'm far more cynical and predict that he'll serve no jail time. That said, I'm still leaning towards Biden in winning the election.

The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World by Marie Favereau

Revolutionary Jews From Spinoza to Marx: The Fight for A Secular World of Universal and Equal Rights by Jonathan Israel

India: A History by John Keay

A History of Japan by R.H.P Mason and J.G Caiger

A History of China by John Keay

Also been slowly reading the full One Thousand and One Nights

Yeah months and months later some prose still sticks with me.