Synopsis
Historical observers of world politics confront an inescapable trade-off between being closed-minded but logically coherent or open-minded but logically incoherent. ~ American psychologists Philip Tetlock & Richard Lebow
▫ The selfishness of humans is the predicate for politics. If humans were truly cooperative, they would share the surpluses acquired and rationally organize themselves according to abilities and needs, so that all may equally enjoy the fruits of society’s labors. The failure to achieve this owes to the dynamics of politics conducted by short-sighted men.
▫ Political thought largely evolved in reaction to current events, propelled by those who found intellectual favor through cogent prose appealing to predetermined sentiment. The most striking characteristic is the frequent loopiness: political philosophy as paracosm construction, with lynchpin imagined ideals. Whereas politicians been grasping, political thought has often failed to grasp what is going on. Those closest to the mark have been the most cynical about man’s good intentions or competence.
▫ Under the aegis of capitalism, money talks and poverty is political silence. The rich rule the rubes. Such is political reality, as starkly contrasted to political theory.
