PhuturePriest Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) I'm unsure of which one I associate with. My parents are about as Republican as you can get, and agree with pretty much anything so long as a "conservative" or "real" Republican says it, and they denounce all other political philosophies and ideas. My sister and I were always a lot more open to other ideas, and my sister has ended up libertarian/conservative-esque whilst calling herself Independent, but I'm unsure of where I fall. I always thought I was a conservative, but it seems I conflict a lot with what conservatives think. It seems every republican/hardcore conservative holds dear to the idea that guns are an inherent human right, but I don't see how that makes any sort of logical sense. I honestly wouldn't flip out if guns were banned. The more radical conservatives think things such as welfare are an inherent evil, and I don't think that, either. I think those things should be done by the States rather than the Federal level, but I don't think they're inherently bad. I have heard that when it comes to welfare, there is a way to do this through private charity, but I've never heard an argument for how this could work. One thing I agree with libertarians on is the legalization of marijuana, but I've also heard libertarians advocate for the legalization of all drugs. I don't think a population on meth is a sound idea. In all, I'd like to hear peoples' opinions on issues (Guns or lack thereof, welfare, gay rights, drugs, economics, etc.) I don't want arguments and responses towards other posts. I don't want slander or name-calling. I just want your opinions and arguments for why your ideas are logically and practically sound. But really. I don't care if someone says they advocate the federal euthanization of puppies, don't argue with each other. P.S. An explanation on how private charity could work gets an A+. I really want to know the ideas behind that. Edited February 25, 2014 by FuturePriest387 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 "Heard libertarians advocate all drugs" means I've heard a few libertarians advocate that, not as in "Bob down the street told me libertarians as a whole advocate legalization of all drugs". Sorry for the confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not The Philosopher Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I used to be a pretty hardcore libertarian - even going so far as to argue for anarchism in a political philosophy paper. Now I am a vague Burkean Tory of sorts. There should be a defeasable presumption in favor of preserving traditional institutions, and a defeasable presumption in favor of less regulation. Aside from that things are still feeling very open ended and mushy for me right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 I used to be a pretty hardcore libertarian - even going so far as to argue for anarchism in a political philosophy paper. Now I am a vague Burkean Tory of sorts. There should be a defeasable presumption in favor of preserving traditional institutions, and a defeasable presumption in favor of less regulation. Aside from that things are still feeling very open ended and mushy for me right now. I used to be a hardcore republican when I was really young (Think 10-15), and then I was all about Ron Paul and libertarianism, but thanks to the masterful arguments I've seen on Phatmass, I'm unsure of anything. I do know what political institution I like the best in theory and in practice, but the political institution I identify with isn't strictly conservative or liberal. It can go any way you want it to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotreDame Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I don't see any way for this not to end up in a debate... I think it would be more productive to talk about what you've read and various things you could read to help you answer those questions yourself. Are there any specific blogs you follow or books you've read that have had a big influence on you in this area? Are there books you really wanted to read and haven't yet? I will say that to get a complete picture you need to get a basis in political philosophy, history, and economics. Many people will spend time on one or maybe two and they'll end up with an incomplete picture of the issues, ie. you need at least three legs on a stool (and I think a good fourth leg would be theology - but that will have less weight in a secular conversation.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not The Philosopher Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 By "institution" I don't narrowly mean political parties, etc. but cultural/political traditions more generally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilllabettt Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 history is the terrible story of man's attempt to find something besides god that will make him happy. e.g., ideologies. they all ultimately fail in some crucial facet - some more or less completely than others. we long for a perfect interlocking system. it evades us. a relatively successful ideology is the one that can admit that it is flawed. most can't do that and they go on to dehumanize and annihilate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 I don't see any way for this not to end up in a debate... I think it would be more productive to talk about what you've read and various things you could read to help you answer those questions yourself. Are there any specific blogs you follow or books you've read that have had a big influence on you in this area? Are there books you really wanted to read and haven't yet? I will say that to get a complete picture you need to get a basis in political philosophy, history, and economics. Many people will spend time on one or maybe two and they'll end up with an incomplete picture of the issues, ie. you need at least three legs on a stool (and I think a good fourth leg would be theology - but that will have less weight in a secular conversation.) It can not be a debate by people practicing self-restraint and not arguing with other posts. Quite easy, in fact. By "institution" I don't narrowly mean political parties, etc. but cultural/political traditions more generally. Yeah. I identify as a Monarchist, but obviously in America I understandably won't be able to see such a political institution put in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotreDame Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 It can not be a debate by people practicing self-restraint and not arguing with other posts. Quite easy, in fact. OK, I'm glad you have such faith in phatmass posters... beyond that, any thoughts on the rest of my post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 OK, I'm glad you have such faith in phatmass posters... beyond that, any thoughts on the rest of my post? I haven't particularly read any economic books. My sister had me read parts of a few economic books that were hardcore libertarian, but I can't remember what they were called. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 we long for a perfect interlocking system. it evades us. a relatively successful ideology is the one that can admit that it is flawed. most can't do that and they go on to dehumanize and annihilate. 'The history of the world is a sad attempt to construct ideologies that cannot admit that they are flawed and imperfect, unlike my ideological system which was given to man by God and is infallible." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotreDame Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I haven't particularly read any economic books. My sister had me read parts of a few economic books that were hardcore libertarian, but I can't remember what they were called. What about politics and history? And do you have anything like a "wish list" of books you'd like to buy and read? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 'The history of the world is a sad attempt to construct ideologies that cannot admit that they are flawed and imperfect, unlike my ideological system which was given to man by God and is infallible." Now, now, Hasan. Play nice and utilize this opportunity to indoctrinate me to the Dark Side of the Force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilllabettt Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 'The history of the world is a sad attempt to construct ideologies that cannot admit that they are flawed and imperfect, unlike my ideological system which was given to man by God and is infallible." not debating as per op's request Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I personally have recently gotten into the pragmatists. I'd recommend Richard Rorty and Richard Posner. I'd also recommend looking into Kuhn. For politics I'd recommend Ivo Andric, a great Conservative Bosnian-Croatian writer. I'd also recommend reading Paul Krugman's blog, Jacobin Magazine, Bleeding Heart Libertarians, Crooked Timber. Herbert Gintis is an economist I really like. He writes some interesting reviews on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/review/R26YBOD86NQRGB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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