In the last resort, the conservative position rests on the belief that in any society there are recognizably superior persons whose inherited standards and values and position ought to be protected and who should have a greater influence on public affairs than others.
-- Friedrich Hayek (Why I Am Not a Conservative)
"... as [Stafford] Beer noted in his diary, [Friedrich] Hayek even complimented him on his vision for the cybernetic factory, after Beer presented it at a 1960 conference in Illinois. (Hayek, too, ended up in Chile, advising Augusto Pinochet.) But they never agreed about planning. Beer believed that technology could help integrate workers’ informal knowledge into the national planning process while lessening information overload."
#EvegenyMorozov, 2014
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/13/planning-machine
The Chris Hedges Report: The Secret History of Neoliberalism
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/10/18/the-chris-hedges-report-the-secret-history-of-neoliberalism/
“It disenchants us with everything which cannot be measured in dollars and cents” — George Monbiot on his new book, Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism. By Chris Hedges The Chris Hedges Report The current world order is designed…
#Politics #Books #ClimateChange #Commentary #Economy #Greece #IncomeInequality #Indonesia #U.s. #UnitedKingdon #AdamSmithInstitute #AmericanEnterpriseInstitute #AugustoPinochet #Brexit #Bureaucracy #Capitalism #CatoInstitute #CenterForPolicyStudies #ChrisHedgesReport #ConservativeParty #EmileDurkheim #FriedrichHayek #GeorgeMonbiot #HannahArendt #HeritageFoundation #IanHargreaves #InstituteOfEconomicAffairs #InvertedTotalitarianism #LudwigVonMises #MargaretThatcher #MontPelerinSociety #NationalHealthService #NaturalCapitalAgenda #Neoliberalism #PeterHutchinson #PrimeMinisterTonyBlair #RentierSociety #RonaldReagan #SheldonWolin #TaftHartleyAct #TheConstitutionOfLiberty #TheRoadToSerfdom #Totalitarianism #WalterLippmann #WarlordCapitalists #WilliamDavies
A bit tangential, but I highly recommend this #book...
"Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed" by Andrew Koppelman
I found this book very helpful to understand a) what #capitalism is, b) why (in a well-managed form) it is probably the best economic system we're going to get, c) how conservatives have perverted and shaped it, and d) how to push back.
Let's talk about the Tyranny of the Majority 
! This concept warns us about the potential dangers in a democratic system where the majority can oppress the minority. 
Alexis de Tocqueville 
, in his classic "Democracy in America" (1835), highlighted how majority rule can sometimes lead to the suppression of minority rights. Tocqueville admired American democracy but cautioned against this very risk. 
John Stuart Mill 
, in his influential work "On Liberty" (1859), argued passionately for individual freedoms and protections against societal and governmental tyranny. Mill believed that safeguarding minority opinions is crucial to a just society. 
James Madison 
, in Federalist No. 10 (1787), discussed the dangers of factions and the tyranny of the majority while framing the U.S. Constitution. He emphasized a system of checks and balances to mitigate these risks. 
Edmund Burke 
, a critic of the French Revolution, also spoke about the potential for majority rule to become oppressive. He advocated for representative government to protect against such dangers. 
Friedrich Hayek 
, in "The Road to Serfdom" (1944), warned that unchecked majoritarian democracy could lead to totalitarianism. Hayek stressed the importance of individual freedoms and the rule of law. 
Key Idea: Democracy must balance majority rule with protecting minority rights. Constitutions, laws, and institutions play crucial roles in ensuring this balance. 
Modern Context: Issues like civil rights, freedom of speech, and the rights of marginalized groups still reflect concerns about the tyranny of the majority. 
Analogy: Imagine a garden where the tallest flowers (the majority) overshadow the smaller ones (the minority). A good gardener (a well-functioning democracy) ensures all flowers get the light and space they need. 
Real-World Example: The Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. showed how majority-supported segregation and discrimination needed significant legal and societal change to protect minority rights. 
Reminder: Protecting minority rights ensures a more just and equitable society for everyone. 
#Democracy #TyrannyOfTheMajority #CivilRights #Freedom #Justice #JohnStuartMill #AlexisDeTocqueville #JamesMadison #EdmundBurke #FriedrichHayek
All right minded football fans should gather together and stand up for the rights of 'State Sponsored Teams' to operate as they choose to! #EPL #LFC #Soccer
The Tyee: How to Defeat Poilievre’s Politics of Abandonment https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2023/09/08/Defeat-Poilievre-Politics-Abandonment/ #bcnews #TheTyee - via @tyee@mstdn.ca #PierrePoilievrepolicies #PierrePoilievrepolitics #PierrePoilievre #FriedrichHayek #HughSegal
