I think it's quite the other way around. Elon Musk is the dummy - he's good with science, and not even that really - he's good with putting others to work. Peter Thiel is actually a philosopher (he graduated as one), and I've read all his writings, they're some of the best writings on business there exist. His book Zero to One is especially good, one of my favorite business books of all time.Elon Musk is an inspiring character, but his erstwhile business partner, Peter Theil, seems a lot less so. — Wayfarer
Exactly, getting rid of democracy would be a great gift that Trump could give the world.What a mass of contradictions you are, Agostino. The one politician who most egregiously exploits all the flaws you see in democracy, is the one you express admiration for. — Wayfarer
Is J.R.R. Tolkien a fascist too? :sso long as everyone here realizes we have a fascist in our midst then at least all our exchanges won't have been the complete waste of time they otherwise would have been. — Wayfarer
I am not a 'democrat' only because 'humility' and equality are spiritual principles corrupted by the attempt to mechanize and formalize them, with the result that we get not universal smallness and humility, but universal greatness and pride, till some Orc gets hold of a ring of power--and then we get and are getting slavery — Tolkien
Our system obliges us to elevate to office precisely those persons who have the ego-besotted effrontery to ask us to do so; it is rather like being compelled to cede the steering wheel to the drunkard in the back seat loudly proclaiming that he knows how to get us there in half the time ... One can at least sympathize, then, with Tolkien's view of monarchy. ... A king--a king without any real power, that is--is such an ennoblingly arbitrary, such a tender and organically human institution. It is easy to give our loyalty to someone whose only claim on it is an accident of heredity, because then it is a free gesture of spontaneous affection that requires no element of self-deception, and that does not involve the humiliation of having to ask to be ruled. — David B. Hart
Is J.R.R. Tolkien a fascist too? — Agustino
But you don't sympathise with Tolkien's view of democracy? We were talking about his view of democracy, not modernity mind you.No, I perfectly sympathise with Tolkein's aversion to modernity. — Wayfarer
That's not true. The voice of the people existed and was taken into account in most non-democratic regimes through history.The point is, which you patently, obviously, repeatedly, obstinately, never see, is that if there is no democracy, then it's not actually even possible to have 'a forum'. Why? — Wayfarer
:s nope. Democracy doesn't have a monopoly on enabling the presence of disagreement.Because there is no scope for disagreement, for differing views or opinions. — Wayfarer
You have yet to show why you take it that my attitude doesn't allow for principled opposition... here you are opposing me! Eppur si muove as Galilei said!But the reason I say you're advocating fascism, is because your attitude doesn't allow for principled opposition or dissent, which is essential to democracy. — Wayfarer
Most non-democratic regimes in history didn't involve the knock at the door at midnight. In fact, in Chinese history, the knock at the door at midnight was usually the sign that some dynasty was about to come to an end :PTake that away, and you start getting the knock at the door, at midnight. Although, maybe in your world, that is OK? — Wayfarer
The reason why I'm being vague is because your question is silly. Most of the regimes that have ever existed on earth have been monarchies probably. All the Chinese dynasties, the Roman Empire, the french and british monarchies, and so on so forth :s - that's why when you ask for examples it sounds very strange.And the fact that when, asked for alternatives, you can only offer either The Roman Empire, which famously collapsed around 2,000 years ago, or a vague gesture towards 'constitutional monarchy' - and, now you mention it, I myself happen to live in one of them - really shows that you're not actually talking about political philosophy at all. — Wayfarer
Put this another way - if I owned this forum, you think I'd ban you for opposing me or something? :s In fact, this forum as it is isn't a democracy at all.You have yet to show why you take it that my attitude doesn't allow for principled opposition... here you are opposing me! Eppur si muove as Galilei said! — Agustino
But you don't sympathise with Tolkien's view of democracy? We were talking about his view of democracy, not modernity mind you. — Agustino
Democracy doesn't have a monopoly on enabling the presence of disagreement. — Agustino
You have yet to show why you take it that my attitude doesn't allow for principled opposition. — Agustino
Most of the regimes that have ever existed on earth have been monarchies probably — Agustino
Ahhh okay! :D So he's a fascist? :PWell, no, I don't. — Wayfarer
But it doesn't have a monopoly on the means?It has a means of enabling it. — Wayfarer
Democracy =/ principled opposition. Really - that's not the definition of democracy.Because that is what democracy is. — Wayfarer
Okay - what's this got to do with monarchies?Many people used to die of curable diseases before middle age. — Wayfarer
Democracy =/ principled opposition. — Agustino
I'm not seeing anyone suggesting that AI ought to govern, I think that idea is science fiction... — Wayfarer
Representative Democracy — Maw
Although there is no such thing as a perfect system of government, I would quite like to know what form of government is the closest to being perfect? — Sigmund Freud
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