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April 25, 2006

Comments

Arie

So if we look at the history of man and categorize each era of every western civilization as Christian, Enlightened or Capitalist what kind of quilt do we end up with? Then which patches served humanity most kindly? Is our agrarian past a utopia lost? What about famine, city states, plague, crusades, the Inquisition, the French Revolution, the Reformation, Stalin, Mao, etc. What about Asia? I think the attempt here is to only think in terms of US history and to not reach back to far or too deep. Somewhere in US history amid slavery, the Civil War, the industrial revolution, gun boat diplomacy, Indian wars, the Salem witch trials, and the dust bowl, and epidemics there may have been an agriarian ideal, but it was not the norm.

Thoreau showed us the way, our fault is not having followed once given the resources of a Capitalist empire. Instead we've opted for oil and blood and a government that is antithetical to the efficiencies that much of the corporate world represents. (Executive compensation aside...)

MC

Arie the context of the article is missing, he's talking about America not western civilization. In fact he framed it in a very convincing manner--you should pay the $4 or whatever and read the entire thing--thought provoking and well-written. I just wanted to post some interesting and provocative bits that felt especially true. So I think you're a bit off the mark, but I basically agree with your last statement. But I think it's an individual choice essentially-anyone can drop out of society and find a home in their own Walden...although society somehow co-opted free market capitalism as a componet of liberal democracy (Bristish influence?) along the way. It need not be (see Scandanavia). But I don't think there's any turning back at this point.

Arie

I think I will. I was a bit thrown off by "Radical evil" part, from this excerpt I may be missing a lot or context.

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