Walther : It is good to be in contact with someone from Germany. The previous reply to your e-mail was also from an American-German Block = Bloch Mother's side of my family is Havermann. From Niedersachsen and vicinity. How about you ? I often try to be funny about things, lighten up the conversation, hence my non-existent barony ( Brandenburg, if anyone asks ). So, you like Spinoza. Not a bad choice, he also was Nietzsche's favorite philosopher, or one of two or three he most admired. My favorite, at least for the moment, is Vico. Will send you a paper I recently completed about his philosophy, plus how it relates to Radical Centrism. But mostly I am an Hegelian. There are several of us here who are philosophy buffs. Hope you read the paper about Anahita and Sarasvati. The first part is about my agony when trying to produce an English translation of a scholarly German-language article. So I sympathize with language difficulties, believe me. Your skill at English is FAR superior to what I can do with German. I grew up speaking German as a second language but mostly lost it by the time I was in my teens. BTW (By The Way ) not all Americans use humor, most do, but not all. So, you've got to make sure before you assume too much. We kid around ( make jokes ) fairly often here, not as much as I indicated, but you can never tell when someone will throw in a zinger ( sneaky bit of humor ). Keeps everyone on their toes. I noticed that you use British spelling. That is perfectly OK, but ask any American and we are all glad that we had a Revolution and got rid of British rule. We wonder, too, why the English speak such strange English. Look for the paper about Vico, you may find it interesting Billy ========================================================= 12/28/2011 11:30:44 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
I certainly would like to get a better understanding of American written English idiom. Thank you for tipping Mark Twain and Groucho Marx. I will place them on my list. Nietzsche is certainly very interesting but perhaps not famous for his levity. My favourite American Author is Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). My top author however is Baruch de Espinoza (Benedictus Spinoza) in my view the most important philosopher ever. Regarding American Humour I prefer the movies, especially Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. On 28 dec, 17:08, [email protected] wrote: > Too bad you do not understand American written English idiom, which makes > much use of irony , sarcasm, and humor, some of it black humor. Hence > the conclusion > > ;-) > > This is a "wink" smiley which means "don't take this completely > seriously." > > Better study up on American idiom. As a reasonable estimate Americans > use some form of levity in written materials once in at least every > 3 or 4 paragraphs. Sometimes more often. > > No idea who your favorite authors are, but Nietzsche recommended > Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" as the best novel ever written. > That is a good place to begin ; indeed, read all the Mark Twain > you can get your hands on if you want to understand Americans. > > Also read some really Good Marx, Groucho Marx. > > But , yes, I am all for shooting as many Gramscian Neo-Communists > that can be rounded up, along with finance capitalists, but ONLY > after torturing then first by making them listen to some combination > of gangsta rap, Ludwig Spohr string quartets, Schnitke, and > Hitler speeches for 100 hours strait, until they can't take it > any more and beg to be put out of their misery. > > Billy Rojas > ( Havermann ) > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------­- > ----- > > 12/28/2011 8:52:45 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > > What's your point Wilhelm? I think there is already a little but to > much shooting in the world today. And concerning Bismarck, I wonder if > there would have been two world wars if there had not been von > Bismarck. > > Sincerely, > > Walther Micke > > On 28 dec, 16:09, [email protected] wrote: > > > > > Radical Centrists of the World, Unite ! > > > A specter is haunting America, it is the specter of Radical Centrism. > > > First, there is the question of relevance of the 1848 Manifesto. > > > When I taught Russian history for the US Navy in the last years of the > > Cold War, > > it struck me that the idea of a manifesto was brilliant. An entire > > philosophy in relatively > > few pages. Of course, this follows the example of another short document > of > > global importance, > > namely, the US Constitution. But whereas one must read various longer > texts > > ( Locke, Hume, etc ) > > to grasp the full depth of the Constitution, the Manifesto is > > self-contained > > --and well written to boot. > > > Had some of my students try to write manifesto-like papers to see what > > might be done > > with the concept. Great teaching tool. > > > But who was more important Karl Marx or James Madison ? 50 years ago it > > was still > > possible to say Marx. Now that idea is absurd, it is Madison by a mile. > > > There are other considerations. Marx in his early years said things > that > > are still worth > > a good deal. Someone could take the 1844 Manuscripts, maybe augmented > with > > some later essays ( perhaps his paper about Feuerbach ), and create a > new > > Manifesto with far greater relevance than the 1848 Manifesto. > > > All kinds of assumptions in the 1848 Manifesto are simply untenable. > > Among other things the proletariat is not a class of saints and the > > bourgeoisie > > is not a class of sinners. There are plenty of idiots in both social > > classes > > and we need to be completely honest about this. The whole idea of a > > class theory for all politics is, IMHO, utterly absurd. > > > Instead, class is just one factor among others based on culture, > religion, > > ethnicity, > > specific kinds of occupations, etc. That is, Saint-Simon was right, we > need > > a science > > of society --what became sociology-- as our guide, and NOT a social > > ideology. > > Of course, all-too-many of today's sociologists are Marxists of one kind > or > > another, > > but that defeats the very purpose of social science, which ought to be > > objectivity, > > NOT championship of an economic class of people > > > We need to reward ability and accomplishment and if there are people > > who do not contribute productively to society, to hell with them. > > This assumes allowances for disability, age, and involuntary incapacity, > > but it also means no affirmative action based on anything but merit. > > > Marx stole Saint-Simon's motto and corrupted it. Here is the original : > > From each according to his ability, to each according to his work. > > > I agree with you on the immorality of disparities of wealth. But if it > is > > understood that if someone does become wealthy he or she automatically > > has the responsibility to use a significant part of that wealth for > social > > betterment > > then the terms of debate change accordingly. > > > Otherwise it is obscene for finance capitalists to reap rewards that are > > hundreds of > > times that of productive workers. The question is how to do this. Marx > had > > no > > answer except --at least by implication-- revolution. Far better to > > bring > > this about through a Constitutional Amendment. > > > What could also be done is to write an Anti-Communist Manifesto. > > However, were I to do this it would NOT be based on pure laissez faire > > nor on pure Keynes, or pure anything else, it would be Saint-Simonian > > in inspiration. Je juis Saint-Simonienne > > > My French is not so hot, but the meaning is that I am a Saint-Simonian, > and > > proud of it. But, in a sense, there already is a Saint-Simonian > manifesto, > > it > > was written by Kelso and is called the "Capitalist Manifesto," even if a > > better > > title might be the Stakeholder Manifesto since the gist of it is that > > workers > > should own the means of production jointly with the bourgeoisie. > > > In any case, we must be clear that we are not only anti-Fascist but also > > anti-Communist. > > This includes being strongly opposed to Gramsci and Cultural Marxism. The > > damages done > > to society and culture by Gramscian criminals --often tenured > academics-- > > has been > > enormous and will require decades to correct. > > > To get the process started we should round up all the Cultural Marxists > and > > take them out and shoot them. While we are at it, we should also take > out > > all the > > finance capitalists we can find and shoot all of them also. > > > No more playing games with politics, we need to get serious about this. > > Verstehen sie ? > > > Baron Wilhelm von Rojas > > fan of Otto von Bismarck > > > ;-) > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > > 12/27/2011 7:32:34 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] > > writes: > > > "Communism lite." > > _ > > > “A society that does not recognize that each individual has values of > his > > own which he is entitled to follow can have no respect for the dignity > of > > the individual and cannot really know freedom.”—Fredrich August von > Hayek > > > On 12/25/2011 3:23 AM, cornucopianow wrote: > > L.S. > > > Herewith I send you the Civil Manifesto. Please send comments: > > > [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) > > > CIVIL MANIFESTO > > > (Referring to “Civil Society”. “Civil Rights”, “Communist Manifesto ”) > > > In the view of the authors of the Communist Manifesto the expulsion > > > of the bourgeoisie by the proletariat was a natural phenomenon. It > > > would be the unavoidable result of the development of the forces of > > > production as free enterprise not longer being able to > > > satisfy the needs of the wage earners (“salary-slaves”) whereby > > > subsequently the bourgeoisie would be removed with force and the > > proletariat would triumph. > > > Meanwhile the communist experiment, besides having caused immense > > > human suffering, has proven that, contrary to the expectancies of the > > > authors of the Communist Manifest, the market is in a better position > > > to satisfy the needs of the people than the centralized plan economy. > > > In countries where the centralized plan economy is still functioning > > > (North Korea, Cuba) the people suffer a wretched existence. And > > > citizens of the former communist countries in Eastern Europe hope to > > > profit by the prosperity in Western Europe. > > Today there is again discussion about the market economy. But the > > > uncurbed spread of the Casino-capitalism is not a natural phenomenon. > > > The neo-liberal ideology is deliberately produced by humans. And Alan > > > Greenspan, greatly inspired by Ayn Rand, has occupied (sic!) a > > > central position in this process. He is greatly responsible for the > > > development of the financial crisis by rejecting the regulation which > > > could have prevented the crisis. Furthermore the government in the > > > United States has passed tax laws according to which millionaires pay > > > less tax than the man in the street. > > > Conclusion: The market must not be substituted by the plan (however > > > some privatisation having gone to far should be pushed back) but must > > > be regulated by law such as to prevent the destructive functioning > > > which the market can assume in certain instances. > > > In the present crisis-situation several people make proposals for a > > > more just and humane society. Think about the Occupy Movement, but > > > also about the “Patriotic Millionaires”. > > But sometimes the “Occupy Movement” is accused of being unclear about > > > goals. A clear programme may be clarifying. A shortlist of goals for a > > > couple of areas may be useful. Individuals and groups may specify > > > their position regarding those goals. Thus the Civil Manifesto could > > > be an instrument for the attainment of political power. > > > Income > > > -Specification of minimum income. > > > -Specification of the ratio: maximum/minimum income (for instance not > > > bigger than 10). > > > DRB: Implicit redistribution with the suggestion of a minimum income for > > simply existing?? Their existence is not my responsibility. > > > Pensions > > > -Specification of age for retirement > > > DRB: Against a mandatory retirement age. Seems to imply that after that > > age ones contributions are not wanted or needed. > > > Worklessness > > > -Specification of unemployment benefits > > > -Specification of > > ... > > meer lezen »- Tekst uit oorspronkelijk bericht niet weergeven - > > - Tekst uit oorspronkelijk bericht weergeven - -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
