Francis Fukuyama, arguably America’s most profound political scientist, enriched our understanding of man and history by an important notion of Greek origin – „thymos“. This term, used extensively by Plato in „The State“, is well suited to illuminate our present situation. The Greek philosopher speaks of thymos to describe a decisive dimension of human action. In his opinion, man does not obey reason alone; in truth, something else is added, namely will, desire, passion, anger, self-assertion – in short, „thymos“. Whoever ignores this driving force hardly understands human behavior. Thymos and Logic – Why we know, yet do not act weiterlesen
Kategorie: prospects
Strong Men, Weak Peoples – the Uncertain Future of Democracy
A critical reviewer would probably have to accompany this essay in the manner of Wikipedia: „additional evidence required“. Nevertheless, I dare to publish it, because I fear that there will never be enough evidence on this topic – but instead lots of different opinions. What I may offer the reader are mere impressions, everyone may supplement them in his own way and with his – hopefully better – knowledge. Strong Men, Weak Peoples – the Uncertain Future of Democracy weiterlesen
Fake Reality – two Reasons why even the Greens are only telling half the Truth about Climate Change
Dedicated to William E. Rees Fake Reality – two Reasons why even the Greens are only telling half the Truth about Climate Change weiterlesen
Apocalypse – When?
Military competition is certainly no invention of our time, nor is war. We saw that comparatively simple but revolutionary technical innovations such as the use of horses, stirrups and combat bows were able to wreak havoc in the hands of nomads. Apocalypse – When? weiterlesen
To „sinn“ or not to „sinn” – that is the question
Since the old Babylonians looked up to the stars, man has been thinking about the future, trying to read it from tea leaves, from the livers of sacrificial animals or derive it from the stars of the zodiac. Nowadays, we tend to be more modest: at most we ask what will happen in the next ten to twenty years – for example, how people will judge the Merkel era after her successor occupies her position. To „sinn“ or not to „sinn” – that is the question weiterlesen
Climate Change and Mass Migration
I am fortunate enough to live in a country where nobody is hungry, nobody is persecuted because of his or her faith, color or race and where even at night people need not fear to be ambushed or murdered by starving people, desperate thieves or political fanatics. Climate Change and Mass Migration weiterlesen
Forebodings of war: US against China – hopefully a trade war only
As late as the end of the last century, one could read in Der Spiegel, a German magazine, that after the downfall of the Soviet Union the super-power US had achieved complete victory. In fact, Hollywood movies were on display all over the world, people dressed in jeans, singing and making American music, drinking Coca-Cola, and spreading Windows, Apple, and the American-made Internet all over the world. In the nineties, no world power seemed to exist or even to be conceivable other than the mighty United States of America. Forebodings of war: US against China – hopefully a trade war only weiterlesen
The Meaning of Economic Philosophy
In ‘The Open Society and its Enemies’, Karl Popper strongly defended the position that major interventions in the economy, especially when ideologically motivated, are usually disastrous and should therefore be avoided. The Meaning of Economic Philosophy weiterlesen
Electromobility – When the wish is the father to the thought …
„The car of the future has a problem: there is no tank, only a bulky battery, which weighs several hundred kilograms but delivers no more energy than a few petroleum bottles. The car of the future does not need a filler neck. It draws its food from a cable. And this process is about as fast as filling a canister with a doctor’s syringe“. Electromobility – When the wish is the father to the thought … weiterlesen
Huxley’s Brave New World revisited
Even during the writing of his masterpiece, Huxley seemed to have been in doubt as to how it was to be understood. Should one take it as a satire, a prophecy or a guide to political action? Huxley’s Brave New World revisited weiterlesen
Private Property – does it create free men or lead to revolutions and serfdom?
No more immediate, no more elementary private property can be thought of than that which constitutes my own body. If I am put in chains, imprisoned, or my normal sphere of activity severely restricted, I lose the right to this innate property – my liberty is annulled. Proceeding further on this way you transform free people into slaves, by depriving them of the right to dispose of their own being. Private Property – does it create free men or lead to revolutions and serfdom? weiterlesen
Ownerless society – from Marx to neoliberalism
Marx wanted it – but neo-liberalism achieved it: societies without property and owners. The term is, however, inherently contradictory. Someone always exercises control over the physical environment, i.e. e. the houses, offices, workshops, factories, even rivers, lakes, and every square meter of forest. In other words, somebody always acts as the owner of property. In this sense, ownerless society is based on illusion. Ownerless society – from Marx to neoliberalism weiterlesen