I lost the source of this quote, but thought it captured the sentiment correctly:
The government has been playing “extend-and-pretend” based entirely on the idea that pent up demand in consumers would grow until it busted out and the recovery [...]
This bit of ridiculously regressive Luddism was posted on a left leaning blog. It touts “A Solidarity Economy”. Which is a nice name for voluntary organizations that circumvent the pricing system. Yet another example of enduring marxist silliness.
There is [...]
I’ve been asked quite a few times what I mean by “calculation.” My editor, among others, has stated that I’m not clear. So I’m going to try to put this in context.
CALCULATION
The English word derives from the [...]
Capitalism 3.0
http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2009/02/capitalism-30.html
Over on the Economist’s View there are a whole series of comments that negatively reflect on capitalism. This is my response.
All,
I am amazed reading these comments. What is it about this blog that [...]
NOTE: From a related post-Keynesian web site Thoughts On Economics:
“RE: …giving Soros too much credit.”
Well, Soros is just more populist than academic.
There are (as we can see from the postings here) people exploring this problem [...]
An awful lot of talk, debate, argument, and out-and-out violence over methods of governance tends to occur because people talk past each other, and it’s usually because they are each making assumptions about the properties of government that aren’t true. [...]
You know, we argue about good and bad intentions all the time, from the left and from the right. We argue about technical or historical methods all the time. Everyone presses his little agenda.
The “corporeal error” in that ‘there [...]
In response to Michael Mandel’s article for Business Week.
Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme? Response to Comments
I’ve read through all the comments on my previous post, and I wanted to see if I could respond [...]
The purpose of life, of philosophy. Men have pondered this forever. Since writing and civilization began. The oral traditions tell us stories. But only philosophers and prophets attempt to solve the purpose of life, rather than distribute advice in the [...]
Bryan Caplan wrote a piece on war and peace that needed a little criticism. What I wrote in response needs a bit of work (it needs a longer treatment that is better structured) but there are some gems [...]
About
Curt Doolittle
Seattle, WA, United States
"De Philosophia Aristocratia"
I am an independent theorist of Political Economy in the Austrian Libertarian tradition. As a methodological Propertarian, I support the Property and Freedom Society, The Mises Institute, and the Neo-Classical LIberalism Movement.Purpose
Anglo Conservatism is the remnant of the European Aristocratic Manorial system and the Classical Liberal philosophy of the Enlightenment, combined with our ancient tribal instincts for group persistence and land-holding. It currently consists as a set of sentiments rather than as an articulated rational philosophy. And without that rational articulation, conservatives lack the ability to create and promote a plan that is a positive and rhetorically defensible alternative to the hazards of accidental bureaucracy and purposeful socialism.
This lack of an articulated philosophy leaves conservatives vulnerable in the public debate with Schumpeterian public intellectuals whose advantage in both volume of production, and simplicity of argument poses a nearly insurmountable challenge.
Libertarianism by contrast, is a rational philosophy of an articulate but permanent minority. It is based upon a solid, rational and critical methodology, even if it is flawed in its initial assumption: the principle of non-violence.
Unfortunately the Rothbardian Anarchist movement has appropriated the term "Libertarian", and left Classical Liberals and Conservatives alienated from the only system of thought with which they need to articulate their political sentiments in rational and empirical rather than moralistic and sentimental form.
By repairing the flaws in Libertarian philosophy we can use its methodology to provide a rhetorical solution for conservatives - a language which in turn may become an articulated philosophical body of argument and advocacy for the frustrated conservative majority.
Recent Posts
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Putting The American Failure To Support Britain Over Argentina In Strategic Context
32 days ago -
Four Levers Of Policy Create An Opportunity For Exchange
33 days ago -
A Not So Funny, All Too True. Anti Immigration Cartoon
33 days ago -
Teasing Karl Smith: The Futility Of Teaching Pigs To Sing
33 days ago -
An Argument In Support Of Faith As A Limit On The State
34 days ago -
WORD BUDGETS: Writing vs Speaking, and the Male vs Female myth.
35 days ago -
Why Are Conservatives Happier?
35 days ago -
Stratfor On Iran’s Strategy
36 days ago -
A Heretical Question? Do Women Have Too Much Power?
36 days ago -
Libertarian Strategy
37 days ago
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Putting The American Failure To Support Britain Over Argentina In Strategic Context