Author: christo

Where does this leave liberalism? “Cynical Theories”, a forthcoming book by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay, two writers, argues that the two systems of thought are incompatible. One reason is that the constellation of postmodern thinking dealing with race, gender, sexuality and disability, which they call “Theory”, disempowers the individual in favour of group identities, claiming that these alignments are necessary to end oppression. Another is Theorists’ belief that power is what forces out entrenched

Source: In the balance – Enlightenment liberalism is losing ground in the debate about race | International | The Economist

While a politics of ethno-racial identity have roared into the mainstream of both the Democratic and Republican parties, this parallelism by no means entails moral equivalence. For one side the goal is to complete the march through the institutions in order to end the four-centuries-long legacy of white supremacy. For the other it is about a last-ditch defense of the longstanding privileges associated with that history. What the collapse of racial liberalism means is that Americans of every race no longer can defer the choice between those two visions of the country’s racial future.

Source: The Collapse of Racial Liberalism – The American Interest

Newark has citizen clergy: “residents who agree to take classes on public safety and conflict prevention, who are then called in to assist in volatile situations. They helped to ensure that the city’s protests against racism and police brutality remained peaceful” https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2020/07/06/ras-baraka-on-reforms-to-bring-communities-and-police-closer-together

The stories people tell about other people are really their own personal stories.

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Do what your hands find work to do. This advice is meant to encourage you to not over think what you should do to make a living and contribute something to the world. It encourages patience in search of a vocation and discourages contempt for working in the weeds. more →

A poll that asked UK residents if they subscribe to the following found a correlation between this statement and an opinion to remain in the EU:

Christians with a strong belief in the unique power of Jesus Christ to redeem humanity from the consequences of sin.

The connection between Brexit and lukewarm Christianity.

These are two different ways of bidding for the confidence of the users. In the old way, one says: “I don’t have a horse in this race. I don’t have a view of the world that I’m defending. I’m just telling you the way it is, and you should accept it because I’ve done the work and I don’t have a stake in the outcome…” In the newer way, the logic is different. “Look, I’m not going to pretend that I have no view. Instead, I am going to level with you about where I’m coming from on this. So factor that in when you evaluate my report. Because I’ve done the work and this is what I’ve concluded…”

Source: The View from Nowhere: Questions and Answers – PressThink – Jay Rosen

Sociality is not an active reaching out to others; it is mutual awareness instead of action together. Sociality thus contrasts to solidarity. [there two different kinds of solidarity: unity and inclusion] P 39

The good listener detects common ground more in what is another person assumes than says. (P.19, Richard Sennett’s Together)