tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post6670459588162378146..comments2024-03-28T17:44:11.289+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: 2008 - My dawning awareness of the systematic dishonesty of economics, and then the rest...Bruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-77908707670231815512017-11-30T10:13:37.649+00:002017-11-30T10:13:37.649+00:00There are some evil followers as well as fools (an...There are some evil followers as well as fools (and the terrorised)...Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-72542367509753450072017-11-30T10:05:36.120+00:002017-11-30T10:05:36.120+00:00Well, and who would follow evil leaders other than...Well, and who <i>would</i> follow evil leaders other than fools?Chiu ChunLinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03519192610708043962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-62289837690459649312017-11-27T15:25:01.176+00:002017-11-27T15:25:01.176+00:00@CCL - Yes, incompetence and plain short-termist-s...@CCL - Yes, incompetence and plain short-termist-selfishness are surely commoner personality types than purposive evil - but such persons are put into key positions - in large numbers, and then protected, by purposive evil. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-821561182038565922017-11-27T14:23:47.766+00:002017-11-27T14:23:47.766+00:00Well, but as you mention, the cause of collapse is...Well, but as you mention, the cause of collapse is (as always) the ascent to power of those who hate the happiness and freedom of others. It is characteristic of every civilizational collapse for it to be deliberately agonizing as possible to the people because the ascent of those motivated by hatred is why there is a collapse at all.<br /><br />Mere incompetence, untainted with malevolence, can do great damage to the progress of civilization but it is ultimately amenable to correction by wisdom. Incompetent malevolence will be kept out of power by a healthy society, including a civilized one, but can kill a declining civilization.<br /><br />I see a mix of diabolical and incompetent malevolence in the current situation. The incompetence is more easily visible, and predominates in quantity...particularly as it includes many who are lacking in any real malevolence of their own, but are led by diabolical agendas.Chiu ChunLinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03519192610708043962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-11920216485671059572017-11-26T06:55:16.195+00:002017-11-26T06:55:16.195+00:00@CCL - "our civilization is going to collapse...@CCL - "our civilization is going to collapse, is already in irreversible catastrophic decline" - What makes it irreversible is that the collapse is strategically planned from the top (this is the overall, net motivation of the Establishment). And that this is demonic in essence.<br /><br />But even the fact of deliberate contrivance of collapse is denied - despite that it has been implemented over many decades, and without any learning or backswing of the pendulum. This is, of course, due to our metaphysical assumptions being poisoned, such that people cannot coceive of the reality. <br /><br />I would add that the collapse is intended to be slow, as drawn-out as possible - in order that the maximum of human fear and resentment and such sins may be encouraged. If mere destruction was the goal, collapse would have happened long since, since nobody with power/ no institution is doing anything substantive to stop or reverse it.Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-79368626366655628042017-11-26T00:29:28.834+00:002017-11-26T00:29:28.834+00:00I think that's a key point, that the deteriora...I think that's a key point, that the deterioration in the authoritative claims of institutions is a curve, it represents a change over time rather than a perennial aspect of civilization.<br /><br />There are many who believe that the current situation, in which all major claims of institutional competence and authority are utterly false, is just the way things always are and always will be, some respond to that by becoming doctrinaire anarchists of some stripe, others by shrugging and leaving it as "the way things are". But I feel that both are unconsciously making the same essential choice as those who refuse to acknowledge the problem at all.<br /><br />They are avoiding the harsh and inevitable logical conclusion...that our civilization is <i>going</i> to collapse, is <i>already</i> in irreversible catastrophic decline. They don't pretend they can't see the writing on the wall, but they refuse to interpret it correctly or even find it remarkable.Chiu ChunLinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03519192610708043962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-13157279927447531452017-11-25T10:48:05.986+00:002017-11-25T10:48:05.986+00:00@Dexter - True, but it would be a mistake to regar...@Dexter - True, but it would be a mistake to regard the social sciences and humanities as any different from anything else; except for being a generation ahread of the curve which All major social institutions have by now followed. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-46413786025106576192017-11-25T01:17:16.104+00:002017-11-25T01:17:16.104+00:00"that I gradually became aware that economics..."that I gradually became aware that economics was a thoroughly dishonest and self-blindedly-incompetent field and subject."<br /><br />I have yet to find a humanities / social science field that isn't. And the most galling aspect of it is how aggressively the incompetent "experts" in these fields defend their faulty conclusions and deny job and publication opportunities to those who challenge conventional (non)wisdom.Dexterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07748293799490877339noreply@blogger.com