So, you, Unenlightened, and Erik don't like "social capital." What's the right word for what BC is talking about? Social values? Civic virtue? Community spirit? Quality of life? Or do you really have no idea what he is trying to get at? — T Clark
Why the hell should I tolerate that someone calls me "poor" in Social Capital just because I never speak to my family? — Akanthinos
I think Un is right to be suspicious about the idea, which, in effect and regardless of intention, is just another way to enmesh humans in a utilitarian grid of an increasingly administered world. — StreetlightX
The very idea of social capital plays right into a strategy of increased psychic pressure and debilitation: not only your bills, family, food, and employment do you have to worry about, but so too your 'social capital'. It's another chapter in the fragmentation of the human psyche. — StreetlightX
My understanding of the term is that a volunteer fire service counts as social capital, whereas a paid fire service does not. — unenlightened
Hey, to the best of my knowledge, Akanthinos, you weren't singled out by the CIA as either a particularly tragic or unusually fine specimen of social capital. In fact, it isn't an individual issue. The kind of capital we are talking about here is social, not individual, and it isn't measured in dollars at all. — Bitter Crank
it seems like a big part of the guiding narrative for those of us who live in the US - is an overall suspicion of government (think separation of powers, federalism, etc.) and a corresponding emphasis on the importance of non-political or sub-(national)political things like individual responsibility, private charity, local politics, etc. — Erik
But of course so too with 'social capital', which is as a much a disease as it is a cure. — StreetlightX
Focus on infrastructure. Focus on healthcare. Focus on good education - new textbooks, good teachers, flexible extra-curricular programs. A well maintained, affordable, and extensive system of public transport. Well kept public spaces for recreation. The 'social capital' will flow from there. Not some arbitrary metricized rubbish, invention of technocrats and people with no ability to understand the shape of individual lives. — StreetlightX
the infrastructure that makes a good city had to have advocates, interested citizens, and many citizens willing to accept a higher tax burden to get these public goods. — Bitter Crank
the approach you've outlined here, looks to me like one of social atomism, where it's some kind of ephemeral 'good psychology' ('interested, willing citizens') that counts as what motivates good societies. — StreetlightX
Jesus replied, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" — Matthew 4:7
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