For $10 on Kindle, it’s probably worth reading the introduction even if I don’t finish it. But what would be the going market price for a neural link? Hmm…
Since the question was whether or not liberal/progressive or conservative/religious conservative/right wing people are more inclined toward authoritarian government, I thought the below from the Brookings Institute would be of interest.
Hint: watch out for Canadians and also younger voters
On the other hand, the authors warn, there are “worrying signs” of weakness, and support for authoritarian options is higher than in Canada or the major European democracies.
Related
Is democracy failing and putting our economic system at risk?
Is Constitutional Localism the answer to what ails American democracy?
Make Election Day a national holiday
Regarding young people in particular, the verdict is equally mixed. On the one hand, only nine percent of adults ages 23 to 29 favor strong leaders, a much smaller share than for any other age cohort. On the other hand, 29 percent of these young Americans say that democracy is not always preferable to other political forms, a far higher share than older Americans, who can remember the Cold War and even the fight against fascism in World War II.
The report was not able to probe which alternatives young adults have in mind; the reported uptick in support for “socialism” during Bernie Sanders
1 Like
I don’t recall giving an opinion on authoritarian regimes. If I did, please refresh my memory. For what it’s worth, I think all authoritarian regimes, whether they be left-leaning or right-leaning, suck big time.
You will have to argue with Christopher Hitchens on that. He is a believer now…
well we can agree on your last sentence. And the original point was a question from Mervin in a post so farrrrr back in time here…
I have also hoped the seeds Wilson planted bore fruit on Hitchens death bed.
Always possible
For an interesting trip down the rabbit hole, go to Warren Throckmorton’s blog and click on the Eric Metaxas topic. Only problem is this is all getting far too political as he is political, so we may well be near the end of this post should it go further south. But, I think the author’s creditials are relevant to the book review, so are worth looking at. Eric Metaxas – Warren Throckmorton
3 Likes
Thanks jpm…I did click on the site you provide in your above comment and I reviewed pretty much as much as I could take…the rabbit hole indeed!! In Alice’s case. I think there was a bit of mushroom tasting involved. OK…and you are right to step in here…Have a good one!!
2 Likes
The reason I didn’t find it interesting is because one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms will only fit together one way. When they join the properties of the atoms determines the angle between the hydrogen atoms and this gives rise to the characteristics of water that Metaxes mentions. The characteristics would be there even if there was no life.
To be honest I haven’t really been keeping up with the fine tuning arguments for the simple reason that the ones I have heard are always based on “life as we know it” even if it isn’t stated. The problem is with a small change a different type of life might be possible. There is no way to prove that it isn’t possible.
4 Likes
Well, true…life as we know it…but we are here…and an amazing set of circumstances worked very well — see that Stephen Hawking quote again. For it to have happened haphazardly — Like I said, no one thinks their car tuned itself. No one looks at a line of cars in the parking lot and thinks they just arrived mysteriously. Like the quote “The more I examine the universe and the details of its architecture, the more evidence I find that the universe in some sense must have known we were coming.”
― Freeman John Dyson
3 Likes
I agree that fine-tuning arguments cannot be used to prove the existence of a Fine Tuner, but I still like this rebuttal to the fine tuning self-selection effect argument:
I’d also like to mention that some countries go from the hell of a right wing dictator to the hell of a communist dictator. Cuba and Nicaragua are examples.
Both are totalitarian states and suffer from the megalomania of those at the top.
1 Like
There’s no comparison whatsoever.
In the case of Cuba, Castro was much worse than Batista. Under both regimes the people suffered.
Choose your suffering.
1 Like
What have you been talking about?
Thanks Beaglelady. I am not sure that we want to discuss this sort of thing forever. Mervin raised a particular issue and I think we beat that horse to death long ago.
I was more interested in people’s thoughts about the book – that is, those who have read it, not just the front cover. But there were one or two contributions…and that is about all.
@MarkD MarkD–agree about megalomania being one of the main characteristics.
3 Likes
Nobody is obliged to discuss this.