#political thinkers

[political-science-solution]

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[airplanefoodblackmarket]

We talk about “brain worms” a lot on this site, but it will never not be funny that the current leading figure of the anti-vax movement and the chief Ratfucker in the 2024 election campaign claims to have literal, actual, honest-to-god worms in his brain.

Could not even imagine more perfect news to wake up to this morning.

[thefinaljohnson]

This 👆

[flyinglowdown]

i have a dream. and that dream is cressida/eloise/lord debling

[aibidil]

On “Civilization” from The Dawn of Everything

One problem is that we’ve come to assume that ‘civilization’ refers, in origin, simply to the habit of living in cities. Cities, in turn, were thought to imply states. But as we’ve seen, that is not the case historically, or even etymologically. The word ‘civilization’ derives from Latin civilis, which actually refers to those qualities of political wisdom and mutual aid that permit societies to organize themselves through voluntary coalition. In other words, it originally meant the type of qualities exhibited by Andean ayllu associations or Basque villages, rather than Inca courtiers or Shang dynasts. If mutual aid, social co-operation, civic activism, hospitality or simply caring for others are the kind of things that really go to make civilizations, then this true history of civilization is only just starting to be written.

As we’ve been showing throughout this book, in all parts of the world small communities formed civilizations in that true sense of extended moral communities. Without permanent kings, bureaucrats or standing armies they fostered the growth of mathematical and calendrical knowledge. In some regions they pioneered metallurgy, the cultivation of olives, vines and date palms, or the invention of leavened bread and wheat beer; in others they domesticated maize and learned to extract poisons, medicines and mind-altering substances from plants. Civilizations, in this true sense, developed the major textile technologies applied to fabrics and basketry, the potter’s wheel, stone industries and beadwork, the sail and maritime navigation, and so on.

A moment’s reflection shows that women, their work, their concerns and innovations are at the core of this more accurate understanding of civilization. As we saw in earlier chapters, tracing the place of women in societies without writing often means using clues left, quite literally, in the fabric of material culture, such as painted ceramics that mimic both textile designs and female bodies in their forms and elaborate decorative structures. To take just two examples, it’s hard to believe that the kind of complex mathematical knowledge displayed in early Mesopotamian cuneiform documents or in the layout of Peru’s Chavín temples sprang fully formed from the mind of a male scribe or sculptor, like Athena from the head of Zeus. Far more likely, these represent knowledge accumulated in earlier times through concrete practices such as the solid geometry and applied calculus of weaving or beadwork. What until now has passed for ‘civilization’ might in fact be nothing more than a gendered appropriation – by men, etching their claims in stone – of some earlier system of knowledge that had women at its centre.

—The Dawn of Everything, Graeber and Wengrow

[waugh-bao]

Henna from the Fes Old Medina (July, 2024)

[empirearchives]

“What is fatality to us of today? Policy is Destiny for us.”

— Napoleon to Goethe

Source: Emil Ludwig, Goethe: The History of a Man

[sskk-manifesto]

(´･ᴗ･ ` )

[athenov]

greek "leftists" who whitewash russian imperialism are the most annoying people on earth. happy last month of 2024

[theidealistphilosophy]

Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good.

Thomas Sowell, Source Unlisted.

[a-god-in-ruins-rises]

is anyone else interested in joining my server? not quite ready to invite people yet but should be soon. just gauging interest right now. “like” or reply to this post and when i’m ready i’ll send you an invite.

server will probably be dual purpose. 

there will be (1) a semi-public side oriented toward general discussion (topics like politics, books, history, philosophy, religion, media, science, tech, etc) and community building (nothing is set in stone yet but i am imagining activities like book club, movie watching, playing games, contests and giveaways, etc). and there will be (2) a private side dedicated to more focused discussions and internal cult matters.

the server won’t be a “safe space” -- i’m fine with a bit of edge (within ToS. not trying to get terminated.) -- but i do want this server (at least the semi-public side) to be /relatively/ welcoming and civil. so if you’re egregiously toxic or vulgar or prone to shitflinging or sperging out you won’t be welcome here. neither will you be welcome if you’re overly sensitive.

otherwise, as long as you follow the rules, you will be fine. though i always reserve the right to executively veto your presence for any reason.

[tmarshconnors]

“I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them.”

John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism. (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873.)

Proponent of Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill was a leading advocate of utilitarianism, a moral philosophy originally developed by Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that actions are right if they promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Mill expanded on Bentham's ideas, emphasizing qualitative differences in pleasures.

Author of "On Liberty": Mill's seminal work "On Liberty" (1859) is a cornerstone of liberal political philosophy. In it, he argues for the importance of individual freedom and autonomy, asserting that society should only restrict individual actions if they harm others, encapsulating this idea in what is known as the Harm Principle.

Advocate for Women's Rights: Mill was an early and passionate advocate for gender equality. In his book "The Subjection of Women" (1869), he argued for the legal and social equality of women, making a strong case against the oppression and disenfranchisement of women in Victorian society.

Influence on Political Economy: As a political economist, Mill made significant contributions to economic theory. His "Principles of Political Economy" (1848) was a comprehensive survey of economic thought and policy, covering topics such as supply and demand, labour, and the role of government in the economy. It was a standard textbook for decades.

Early Education and Intellectual Development: Mill had an extraordinary early education, rigorously guided by his father, James Mill. By the age of three, he was reading Greek, and by eight, he was proficient in Latin. His intensive and broad education laid the groundwork for his later intellectual achievements, making him one of the most learned individuals of his time.

[unlimitedbutchworks]

it’s kind of insane how normalized aggression and insane distrust towards china there is like that post about americans not seeing the rest of the world as real is right because there’s no other way you trust so much nonsense from the us govt and the media. like bro that’s a state which is opposed to the us of course our govt gonna be insane to them. the us has done almost all the same shit that we accuse china of and often we’ve done worse and refuse to accept responsibility on it but nobody fucking thinks critically about it because I guess it’s just easier to be racistly insane and reboot yellow peril instead of considering geopolitics

[filthforfriends]

How are ya pookie?

I swear you guys have a spidey sense for when my mood takes a deep dive.

Hey pookie♥️ Thank you for your thoughtful response to my last post (& thank you to the other thoughtful responses). Your perspective educates me.

Honestly, I was surprised by how the expected, uninspiring rebuttals enraged me this time. It's that horrendous napalm/Vietnamese joke. Even coming from devils advocates I can't fucking stomach it. Days later, I'm still too pissed to craft a productive follow up, but I feel compelled. Even though, in the case of "Napalm Girl," the U.S. didn't drop the bombs, they supplied the napalm. The American curriculum barely touches on the subject, despite the U.S. war on Vietnam being the most infamous use of napalm a.k.a. Agent Orange. (388.000 tons in a decade). Perhaps other people are ignorant, not hateful.

"Napalm Girl" is a real person

Her name is Kim Phuc Phan Thi. In 1972, at nine years old, she was severely burned by napalm bombs dropped by South Vietnamese forces. Nick Ut photographed Kim Phuc fleeing with her brothers & cousins - all young children. The photograph is called "The Terror of War" & has been widely published. Not included here because the image is very disturbing & Kim Phuc is completely naked. She'd torn off her burning clothes & is screaming in pain. Luckily, she survived because Ut drove her to the hospital.

 "I started to see people come out of the fireball...First there was a grandmother carrying a baby who died in front of my camera. Then I saw through the viewfinder of my Leica, the naked girl running...I saw her skin coming off and I stopped taking pictures. I didn't want her to die...Kim kept screaming, “I’m dying! I’m dying!” Her body was burned so badly."  - Nick Ut

Kim Phuc Phan Thi & Nick Ut (photographed by Mark Edward Harris)

What's the joke?

Context: ravidememe gives irreverent dating/sex advice. If he's deciphering texts, then presumably the person asking is at least sexually interested in the source.

So with that context, he's asked about "Chinese girl" emojis and thinks of Kim Phuc in "The Terror of War." There is something so fucking twisted about that.

Why did he think of "Napalm Girl?" Because her nakedness is relevant to the undertones of this post? Because when he thinks of Asian or Vietnamese women, this is the first thing that comes to mind? Their suffering as a clever cultural reference. Because when he wants to slight Asian or Vietnamese women and this was an acceptable option? There's no acceptable option. It's all racism.

[anarchotolkienist]

I will miss Zephenia a lot. May he rest in peace.