What is an "msnbc" Mary? I speculate. "Mary's Social Notions Becoming Commonplace?"
There's so many acronyms I can't keep up with them all. LOL. J On Sat, May 22, 2010 at 4:48 PM, Mary <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi John, > > Seems an overlooked post in the general flurry. Yes, you, who are so > focused on the Social Level. I watch my MSNBC too. The irony is, the > TeaGaggers will not know what has happened to them until it happens to them > too. > > Yes, I see the typo. Made a conscious decision not to fix it. ;) > > Mary > > On Behalf Of John Carl > > Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 2:29 PM > > > > Individualism is a pretty popular idea around here (usa) so it gets > > assumed > > a lot. But I'd like to look at it a little deeper than usual. > > > > First, of course, comes analysis of its metaphysical underpinnings and > > here > > Royce is helpful in pointing out what should be painfully obvious, that > > the > > individual is socially defined and created. > > > > But even more interestingly pertinent, is how Royce points out that the > > highest value of the community, ought to be in the creation of quality > > individuals and the highest value of the individual, must be the > > creation of > > a quality community. > > > > The one great common mistake individuals make, especially Randian > > individuals, is valuing the needs of individualism over and against > > the > > needs the community. > > > > Now as I say, this idea is actually pretty popular in America, and I > > have a > > theory as to why. > > > > Cultural influences, of course. I don't blame Ayn Rand for > > Individualism, > > she's just an intellectual, after all. Doing what intellectuals do > > best. > > Coming in and analyzing intellectually what everybody has already > > assimilated through the arts. Figuring out later, where to draw the > > lines > > and encapsulate the knowing. > > > > But the individualism itself arose through the artistic impulses of a > > newly-industrialized people. A new system developed where a man's > > individual worth became meaningless since all we need from him is the > > ability to be a widget maker in a factory. This development, while > > useful > > for building a prosperous society, has an inherent biological danger in > > store for a species, of obviating the mechanism which got us here - > > natural > > selection. > > > > "Survival of the fittest" loses all its oomph when fitness becomes a > > fashion > > statement more than a criterion for survival. > > > > And thus a barely-felt need by the populace at large, for the heroic > > exaltation of individual excellence. That's just the dna pleading for > > some > > help here. > > > > Thus the heroic exaltation of Shane - riding into town, then riding out > > again. The rebel without a cause, sneering at social traps. The free > > wheeling poet, on the road and on the screen. > > > > The big trouble with this impulse, is that its so easily manipulated. > > Remember, individuals are created by the community-at-large. When this > > process gets turned over completely to the industrialized society, you > > can > > expect a warpage to occur. You can expect a model for individuals to > > evolve > > that isolates and weakens people and community, for it is in the > > weakness of > > the small that the Giant gains strength. > > > > And when EVERYBODY is fiercely individualistic, together they comprise > > one > > vast and easily manipulated collective. Thus emphasizing > > individualism, > > actually weakens individuals. Becomes weak through the degeneracy that > > all > > self-worship eventually entails. > > > > The irony of course, is that by standing up against the collective > > impulse > > of society, I'm actually making a pretty good argument for the worth of > > an > > individual perspective, over and against the collective wisdom. > > > > Oh well. I like irony. That's just me. > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > > Archives: > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > > http://moq.org/md/archives.html > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org/md/archives.html > Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
