Tapsearch Com EditorLiberalism and Rugged Individualism
August 29th 2008 17:32
Link: www.bizarrepolitics.com
Continuing the discussion of Liberalism from notes from Father McQuade survey course of Philosophies and Religions with updated commentaries by Ray Tapajna, Tapart News and Art that Talks Editor and Artist
Liberalism crashes when it reaches an intersection of excessive fragmentation and particularization of the Common Good
Liberalism sound good when it hunts for the final good in everything. Liberals say everything goes as long as you do not hurt someone else in the process. This of course is an impossiblity for all causes and effects weave with one another on the bridge of life. The main modern victim today is the Common Good. Its meaning has been fragmented into many parts and the power of all good things is affected. The practical biblical reference of doing unto others as you would have them do to you has been trashed. I even heard a Jesuit President of a Jesuit University use the term the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number referring to balancing things out in the social order.
When he use the phrase like that, I felt many old Jesuits turning over in their graves since the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number could be a sum down to only one or two people.
The old Jesuits would have never stood for this let alone mention it as something good.
The Common Good was once the core of political theory to form a balance between individual interests and the interests of the community as a whole. Aristotle said the Common Good is affected by the injustice of overgrasping for scarce external goods like money, honor, and power, and by excessive desires. The Common Good searches out a balance between individual interests and the interests of the community. In modern times, individual interests have grown out of balance with the interests of the whole community.
Liberalism has been the driving force behind this imbalance and the Common Good has lost its meaning in the fray and the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number has taken over. Tensions between the individual and the community have grown with the concept of "protest" leading the way. The rights of the individual take over. However, this does lead to hurting other individuals in the process as in the act of abortion where one party or potential party has no voice and is terminated by choice of another party.
In recent times in economics, Liberalism finds a path of "Rugged Individualism" . So called Conservatives, Liberals and Liberatarians use this term where economists "feel" that the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number will be brought about by private enterprise through funneling economic life based on survival of the fittest. This follows the concepts of the natural order as presented by Darwin and Nietzsche where power makes things right.
Liberals will denounce anyone who says this is who they and the fact this is what led to Totalitarianism. Liberals do have a habit of turining over their individual rights to be interpreted on how they should be applied to elite intellectual groupings from place like Harvard University.
Liberalism does include the notion of economic power in using the weakest links in society
for the most efficient ways of doing business free from any dictates of the Common Good.
This results in raw Capitalism while consumers shop for the best deals no matter how the products are produced by the weakest group in society - the impoverished workers of the world.
Rerum Novarum, established by Pope Leo around 1890, proved to be a standard where labor movements were able to seek a better life for all in a community. Rerum Novarum established work and labor as private property with ownership by the workers. Human Dignity was established in this ownership. The Common Good was definable where local value added economies sorted out all the imbalances - It allowed the power of the community to correct any imbalances through their elected body politics. If private enterprise failed in its responsibilty to the community to establish a better life for all, elected government was allowed to step in and fill the voids as it did with Social Security. Actually Social Security fills a void where private enterprise failed to meet its contract with the ownership of labor by workers.
Private enterprise failed in both the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number and the Common Good in its contract with the well being of all members of thee community. Now Globalization and Free Trade have took another leap over the Common Good with workers as commodities becoming the tools of money and power.
I was surprised when someone told me that they are not going to let the Catholic Church tell them how to conduct business with Rerum Novarum being a standard for workers' dignity and fair trade. I thought Rerum Novarum was beyond any particular religion or belief system but was just common sense thinking flowing from the concept of the Common Good. I thought of it just as a standard for workers' dignity and fair trade. However Liberals caued this standard to be a victim of individual interests over the interests of the whole community. And I wonder how much of this sinks in as shoppers at places like Wal-Mart not only shop their way of out their jobs but also shop their way out of their human dignity. As water always seeks its lowest level, we now have Liberalism and so called Conservatism abusing work and labor down to wage slave and even child labor at a norm of business activity.
Labor unions are still blamed for the downfall of our economy but it is obvious that all were better off - both non union and union workers - when unions were strong. Also new unity like the Solidarity movement in Poland, was a major factor in the fall of the Soviet empire. Still labor unions are still being blamed for the degradation of the U.S. economy. However, unions like the AFL-CIO membership in the USA have only 15 percent of its membership from the private sector production workers class. Today more than 50 percent of the membership is based on government workers and not production workers. Today, more are watching the store and serving the voids in private enterprise rather than making the things to sell in the store to make real private enterprise work.
And as labor and workers become the stepchildren of Philosophy and Religion - and we add to this Liberalism and so-called Conservatism. The Common Good has been fragmented into pieces and it has been scattered in the winds of wars. Globalization and Free Trade has led the way.
Liberalism crashes when it reaches an intersection of excessive fragmentation and particularization of the Common Good
Liberalism sound good when it hunts for the final good in everything. Liberals say everything goes as long as you do not hurt someone else in the process. This of course is an impossiblity for all causes and effects weave with one another on the bridge of life. The main modern victim today is the Common Good. Its meaning has been fragmented into many parts and the power of all good things is affected. The practical biblical reference of doing unto others as you would have them do to you has been trashed. I even heard a Jesuit President of a Jesuit University use the term the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number referring to balancing things out in the social order.
When he use the phrase like that, I felt many old Jesuits turning over in their graves since the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number could be a sum down to only one or two people.
The old Jesuits would have never stood for this let alone mention it as something good.
The Common Good was once the core of political theory to form a balance between individual interests and the interests of the community as a whole. Aristotle said the Common Good is affected by the injustice of overgrasping for scarce external goods like money, honor, and power, and by excessive desires. The Common Good searches out a balance between individual interests and the interests of the community. In modern times, individual interests have grown out of balance with the interests of the whole community.
Liberalism has been the driving force behind this imbalance and the Common Good has lost its meaning in the fray and the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number has taken over. Tensions between the individual and the community have grown with the concept of "protest" leading the way. The rights of the individual take over. However, this does lead to hurting other individuals in the process as in the act of abortion where one party or potential party has no voice and is terminated by choice of another party.
In recent times in economics, Liberalism finds a path of "Rugged Individualism" . So called Conservatives, Liberals and Liberatarians use this term where economists "feel" that the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number will be brought about by private enterprise through funneling economic life based on survival of the fittest. This follows the concepts of the natural order as presented by Darwin and Nietzsche where power makes things right.
Liberals will denounce anyone who says this is who they and the fact this is what led to Totalitarianism. Liberals do have a habit of turining over their individual rights to be interpreted on how they should be applied to elite intellectual groupings from place like Harvard University.
Liberalism does include the notion of economic power in using the weakest links in society
for the most efficient ways of doing business free from any dictates of the Common Good.
This results in raw Capitalism while consumers shop for the best deals no matter how the products are produced by the weakest group in society - the impoverished workers of the world.
Rerum Novarum, established by Pope Leo around 1890, proved to be a standard where labor movements were able to seek a better life for all in a community. Rerum Novarum established work and labor as private property with ownership by the workers. Human Dignity was established in this ownership. The Common Good was definable where local value added economies sorted out all the imbalances - It allowed the power of the community to correct any imbalances through their elected body politics. If private enterprise failed in its responsibilty to the community to establish a better life for all, elected government was allowed to step in and fill the voids as it did with Social Security. Actually Social Security fills a void where private enterprise failed to meet its contract with the ownership of labor by workers.
Private enterprise failed in both the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number and the Common Good in its contract with the well being of all members of thee community. Now Globalization and Free Trade have took another leap over the Common Good with workers as commodities becoming the tools of money and power.
I was surprised when someone told me that they are not going to let the Catholic Church tell them how to conduct business with Rerum Novarum being a standard for workers' dignity and fair trade. I thought Rerum Novarum was beyond any particular religion or belief system but was just common sense thinking flowing from the concept of the Common Good. I thought of it just as a standard for workers' dignity and fair trade. However Liberals caued this standard to be a victim of individual interests over the interests of the whole community. And I wonder how much of this sinks in as shoppers at places like Wal-Mart not only shop their way of out their jobs but also shop their way out of their human dignity. As water always seeks its lowest level, we now have Liberalism and so called Conservatism abusing work and labor down to wage slave and even child labor at a norm of business activity.
Labor unions are still blamed for the downfall of our economy but it is obvious that all were better off - both non union and union workers - when unions were strong. Also new unity like the Solidarity movement in Poland, was a major factor in the fall of the Soviet empire. Still labor unions are still being blamed for the degradation of the U.S. economy. However, unions like the AFL-CIO membership in the USA have only 15 percent of its membership from the private sector production workers class. Today more than 50 percent of the membership is based on government workers and not production workers. Today, more are watching the store and serving the voids in private enterprise rather than making the things to sell in the store to make real private enterprise work.
And as labor and workers become the stepchildren of Philosophy and Religion - and we add to this Liberalism and so-called Conservatism. The Common Good has been fragmented into pieces and it has been scattered in the winds of wars. Globalization and Free Trade has led the way.
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During the Democratic pre -convention, we watch as Sen Hillary Clinton is matched up with colors and the proper dress as if she was a "Queen" in her court getting ready to meet her subjects.
Then we see Liberals nominate a black man to lead them with his credentials of a Harvard education qualifying him for this elite ruling class. At the same time, 50 percent of young black men in the inner cities still remain unemployed. Liberals have been talking about equal opportunity problems for more than sixty years but still, only a few have qualify for the elite court of Liberalism.
The rest remain "unnetted" both black and white, outside looking in at the celebration of the Liberal elite and the so called Conservatives who have lost their way.
The so called Conservatives hide behind their stand for Pro Life while they back unjust wars and drive Globalization and Free Trade in a Pearl Harbor Attack on Workers .
They use President Bill Clinton to get NAFTA and GATT unfair trade agreements passed for the Bush family confirming the betrayal of workers' dignity in a global economic arena by both major parties.
The terms NAFTA and GATT that caused the betrayal of workers were not used at all at the Democrat convention. Instead, they talk in general Liberal terms about jobs and while ignoring why millions have lost their jobs in the most massive dislocation of jobs in U.S. history.