The God of the Machine - Tranche 19

Posted by mshupe 1 year, 4 months ago to Economics
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Chapter X, Excerpt 1 of 3
The Economics of a Free Society

The primitive life of humanity is a unique phase of natural history, being occupied with the effort of man to master his environment instead of merely adapting himself to it. The use of fire, of hunting weapons, and the taming of animals come under this head. The next step is cultivation of the soil, building permanent shelter and storage, and finally contriving mechanism for the conversion of energy. These call for space-time organization by delegating authority.

Such an authority can only be prohibitive. The problem is to keep this repressive agency subordinate to the creative faculty. The difficulty is enormous; an advanced understanding of engineering principles is required for its solution. In default, the class system developed, which places the whole community under arrest. Before the world war of 1914, this medieval condition of general arrest had been largely thrown off except in Czarist Russia, which remained in barbarism, absolutism, and anarchy.

The phrase “dictatorship of the proletariat” is a contradiction in terms. It has no meaning. The theory of “dialectical materialism” is a misuse of terms of the same type. It posits an inevitable succession of a thesis producing its opposite. Nothing in nature goes through any such transmogrification. This is specifically the language of fools. Marx was a fool with a large vocabulary with long words. A parasitical pendant, shiftless and dishonest, he wanted to put a claim on “society” solely as a consumer.


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  • Posted by VetteGuy 1 year, 4 months ago
    In the third paragraph above, you get into a little of what IP calls "misuse of language". She cites numerous examples from her time, but no doubt she would be appalled at the level to which it has currently gotten.

    The "inflation reduction act" which does nothing for inflation, but is merely a cover for the green new deal, but uses inflation as a palatable cover story.

    Labeling news items as "disinformation" or "misinformation" when what they really mean is "info we don't want you to know".

    The examples are almost endless. Listen to any mainstream "newscast" and they will pile up faster than you can write them down. And a White House press conference dishes them out by the dozens.
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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 1 year, 4 months ago
    No one I have read can place more meaning in as few words as Ms. Paterson. This quote portion: “…The problem is to keep this repressive agency subordinate to the creative faculty…” has not worked in history since somewhere Psychology intrudes and in addition to “…an advanced understanding of engineering principles…” an understanding of the individuals voted in or hired on to maintain their honesty is not a trivial problem to overcome. No one has developed an accurate test to determine a human’s moral compass. Of course, this is an argument for limiting the scope of authority of governmental employees. This is why the Bill of Rights exists at all – the Founders attempt to prevent dishonest governmental employees from having the power to steal anything.

    But is the integration of “advanced engineering principles” and Psychology even possible?
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    • Posted by 1 year, 4 months ago
      I don't have a good answer, but I think the best place to start is the fact that integrity and productivity require consistent effort. The application of reason never takes a break, even when relaxing or recreation. To me, the best way to achieve a rational morality is to be taught the benevolent universe premise and reverence for one's own life.
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      • Posted by j_IR1776wg 1 year, 4 months ago
        I agree. I'm just into the first chapter of Thompson's America's Revolutionary Mind and already think it should be required reading in all high schools and universities in America.
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        • Posted by 1 year, 4 months ago
          It's that good, and at the same time, nothing should be required by the force of government. In that spirit, there should be no government funding for education.
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          • Posted by j_IR1776wg 1 year, 4 months ago
            Hear! Hear! My number 1 act if I had been elected President would be to have the Department of Education building wired and imploded with no collateral damage. Would this act of force of government be OK?
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            • Posted by 1 year, 4 months ago
              Owners of property may dispose of it as they see fit, however, government owns nothing. Maybe sell it at auction and award 100% of the proceeds to a lottery winner. Lottery tickets given to living income taxpayers according to taxable income over the previous 5 years. He can then wire it and push the plunger ala Howard Roark.
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  • Posted by 1 year, 4 months ago
    It is man's nature to transform the natural world for his survival; plants and animals adapt. Reason is our only tool for this, and to do it well is to understand relationships such as space and time.
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