I'm sure no one will be surprised that my education included readings from Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, de Chardin, and Thucydides. Some won't be surprised that I also read Trotsky and Huey Newton. I'm also proud of having read Adam Smith, Hobbes, and Milton Friedman!
Moving from old to new, the notion of class as a fundamental element of political economy grows larger, not always adding much to philosophy or economics.
Perhaps the inverse is true in terms of rhetoric. Plato and Aristotle provided real enlightenment on the nature of epistomology and language. They also understood the power and risk associated with language. Later on, the true masters of language in the service of power demonstrated the consequences of the big lie and of words like master race and political rehabilitation.
Today, we face a new rhetoric. I refuse to label it with carcinogenic words like fascist or socialist.
However, when the topic of the distribution of wealth and our obligation to insure both social and individual well-being, class warfare comes out of the closet. "Makers and takers" are code for this concept, like many other words.
Let's be clear here. If there's war involved, I think it's useful to know whose winning and whose losing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QPKKQnijnsM
It will come as no surprise that I believe the current situation serves neither social nor individual self-interest. I also think the current situation is inherently unsustainable. I hope our democracy can, as it has in the past, adapt and endure.
Addison Steele
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