But: The more folks there are who think like this the more likely it is that those who own and operate the global economy will be able to sustain this profoundly political economy indefinitely. And, again, it is a world in which three and a half billion men, women and children merely [or barely] subsist from day to day. It is also a world of mass starvation and mass murder. It is, in short, a profoundly conservative world when so many folks do not really question why things are the way they are and not some other way.
Of course, “some other way” – fascism, communism, jihadism etc. – can make things even worse, true. But then I am, admittedly, rather cynical here. And yet nothing will change at all if large chunks of the world’s population never come to really question who they were indoctrinated to be.
Personally, I came to be most bothered by it after the year I spent in Song Be, South Vietnam. My whole understanding of how the world works changed. So, these things are always rooted in our own individual experiences, of course. And, thus, in no way am I suggesting others are less sensible than me just because they think about these things differently. Even as an existentialist, I would never argue there is only one “authentic” way to react to events around us.
Instead, I note the manner in which I have come to think about it and hope there are others who might come to think the same way. Acknowledging always that this may well be for the better or for the worse.
Because my rendition of nihilism is rooted in a world without God. And, if there is no God, there is no omniscient point of view. And, without an all-knowing vantage point, mere mortals can only come to view the world subjectively as dasein. Meaning that, as dasein, they do not have access to universal moral and political truths. This then becomes a world ruled by the “law of the jungle”, by Nietzsche’s Ubermen or by those who embrace the ever conflicting moral and political values regarded as the most rational and ethical.
Or, of course, the truly amoral folks who embrace one or another rendition of realpolitik.
And, in turn, everyone will always approach this with profoundly conflicting intentions and motivations.
Isn’t that pretty much the world we live in? And I don’t really see it changing at all. So, to the extent I can champion “moderation, negociation and compromise” in a democratic context propelled by Popper’s “open society” and the rule of law, is the extent to which my contribution is made.
Again, personally, I have come to believe [or accept] that the political economy that rules in “the West” today may well be the best of all possible worlds. To paraphase somebody [Churchill, I think], “it is the worst economic system—except for all the others.”
iambiguous:
You seem able to say “so what?” to things I long ago stopped underestimating.
The meaning of this is difficult for me to grasp however until it is situated out in the world and actual experiences are related.
To wit:
[i]…much that we impart in the words we exchange here is rooted in the actual experiences we have had. And, because of that, what might give me pause [or even stricken me] another will simply shrug off.
Or even revel in.[/i]
And, as you note:
True, we are all different in how we approach, or do not approach, these experiences.
Then:
But: The way in which we see things that conflict with the way in which others see them may or may not be open to resolution. It is this distinction that most interest me. What knowledge can be garnered to accomplish this? And, what knowledge is countered by additional knowledge that allows both/all sides [in a particular conflict] to make reasonable arguments? For instance, arguments on both sides of the stem cell debate can be embraced as reasonable. Then we must ask: is there an argument able to be articulated that demonstrates one side’s position to be the most rational?
I don’t believe there is. But that can only be another way of saying that personally I have not come upon this argument; and not that it doesn’t exist. But it still does not exist for me until I hear it.
Yet the true exasperation revolves around different folks insisting they have heard the optimal argument. But it conflicts mightily with the “optimal arguments” of others. Then what? We have no philosophers [or scientists] able to settle it once and for all. And this is the case regarding hundreds and hundreds of issues.
iambiguous:
…after one has thought about things like [Obama’s speech…or the complex relationships in their personal life] and rids oneself of the need or desire for certainty, they are still forced to choose.
They are forced to choose something given, “the agony of choice in the face of uncertainty.”
You then suggest:
Can you give an example of this regarding a moral/political conflict we are all familiar with? As for myself, rather than transcend the “oppositional nature” of these disputes, I note that opposition itself is inherent in them. And we have to acknowledge there will always be conflicting points of view because there is no way to resolve them. Thus we should consider adopting “moderation, negociation and compromise” in as democratic a political configuration as is practically possible in a world where wealth and power will almost always prevail with respect to bread and butter issues.
The problem with Hegel, of course, is that the final synthesis seems to end with him. It doesn’t prompt just another thesis and antithesis. And philosophy is relevant here [to me] only to the extent it embraces some rendition of pragmatism.
I spent nearly 25 years in various radical, left wing political organizations. And, while there, even when I was able to come to grips with the philosophical implications of these conflicts, many others would grant me respite only to the extent my conclusions overlapped with theirs. Unfortunately, most folks are still intent on embracing the idea that someone’s point of view is always wrong because someone’s point of view is always right. Their own by and large.
My own personal hell often revolves around my [current] conviction that [as a nihilist] even though I might think I am right about many things, I know this can only be a reflection of dasein. In other words, it can never be grounded in a point of view whereby I march triumphantly into a venue like this and win eveyone over to The Truth.
Consequently, people become exasperated with me most – more often than not – not becasue I don’t share their own point of view but because I keep insisting we can only have points of view. Psychologically, they simply refuse to believe that this is true. Why?Because, psychologically, they don’t want it to be true.