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Graduallism Progressivism Reductionism Socialism.

By: Cactus Flower in ALEA | Recommend this post (0)
Thu, 03 May 18 2:40 PM | 44 view(s)
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Msg. 24941 of 54959
(This msg. is a reply to 24940 by Cactus Flower)

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I believe there are now four key independent political categories, and so I think it's time to rename the original sort of Conservatism of folks like Burke. He respected institutions and believed in incremental rather than extravagant progress. Let's call this sort of conservatism graduallist and/or incrementallist

Many sensible people are attuned to this sort of incremental progress. This idea opposes the notion of making great leaps into the dark, which is more in tune with the progressive idea of embracing change.

I am myself sympathetic to gradual methods of change, even if I think that new ideas often demand swifter reactions. So while I cannot call myself entirely a graduallist, in some matters I support features of that doctrine. It's why I think the US war of independence was more constructive than the French revolution. The founders were wise enough to value their inheritance. The French threw everything away.

The main other strand of "conservatism" isn't conservative at all. It is ideological and destructive of government. I will call such people reductionists. When a government is evidently bloated, then I can also be a reductionist. But I don't pretend it is bloated when it spends far less than one half of the economy's income.

So there are three of four categories. The other category is socialist. No explanation necessary. I can lean socialist when it comes to categories like healthcare and education. Some systems are more efficient when built from the top down, even if such structures are usually imperfect (eg they sometimes create a rationing culture).

Of course, the amount of government involvement in the operation of a society also has an impact on the quantity of the alternatives, such as market activity, church welfare and so on.




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The above is a reply to the following message:
Re: Thinking about the way Trump treated his doctor...
By: Cactus Flower
in ALEA
Thu, 03 May 18 2:23 PM
Msg. 24940 of 54959

Of course!

The make-believe begins with the way fundamentalists believe in their bizarre and unnatural god. It continues through the supply side theory of how economies work and employs magic asterisks to assume extra growth.

Is it any wonder that they believe Trump the con man? It's how they are trained.

"White evangelicals grew up on a theology that trains people to be those who can’t tell the difference between reality and make-believe. They then opt for make-believe again and again because fantasy is kinder and more malleable than reality. No wonder they embraced Trump’s lies.

White evangelical Trump supporters are now addicted to their ignorance, doubling and tripling down on it, digging in their heels, unwilling to surrender their inner fantasy-land and clinging to fantastical certainties utterly unarmored from any verifiable reality."

https://frankschaefferblog.com/2018/04/american-civilization-fighting-uphill-battle-white-evangelicals-tendency-choose-make-believe-self-justification-well-honed-ignorance/


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