That’s not a philosophic question – it’s the raison d’ etre for The Agonist.
 
John Adams’s answer: “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain. |
Why we must keep fighting…
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Chris Hedges has been doing interviews on TheRealNews.com. There are or will be seven in all. Some I could only find in video but I read what transcripts I could find.
They discuss where we’re at, how we got there and where (if anywhere) we go from here.
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Yeah, you can.
h/t to Ian Welsh for this link to Dissident Voice
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A socialism for the 21st century must include and stress the importance of micro-level social transformation at the base of society in the workplace. Ending exploitation in workplaces is that transformation. Instead of workers producing surpluses for others to appropriate and distribute, they must now do that for themselves collectively.
I’ve been rereading a lot of unhappy writers of the past few weeks, particularly 25 essays by Joe Bageant, published post-humously at Waltzing at the Doomsday Ball.
In my addiction to gloom, I also reread many not yet in paper but available on Joe’s website.
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Some time ago, I posted or commented about the fact that the liberal establishment was failing politically because it no longer shared the practical concerns as most Americans and was therefore irrelevant to most voters.
Chris Hedges has an essay on Treason of the Intellectuals over at Truthdig. It is typical Hedges: succinct, passionate and to the point.
The power elite, especially the liberal elite, has always been willing to sacrifice integrity and truth for power, personal advancement, foundation grants, awards, tenured professorships, columns, book contracts, television appearances, generous lecture fees and social status. [ ] And they will, should their careers require it, happily sell us out again.
The man on the street knows the .5% is out to screw him. He accepts that. What really pisses him off is the pseudo-supportive claptrap from the lefist camp: sympathy but no empathy; lip service rather than a helping hand; theories based on ignorance of what his life is really like.
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