tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post9032240581545012218..comments2023-11-03T06:36:27.305-04:00Comments on Phronesisaical: Expertise and the Demagoguery of Moralshelmuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069600766378586919noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-71477797666529744362008-09-23T00:39:00.000-04:002008-09-23T00:39:00.000-04:00Admiration for gut judgment almost seems to have a...Admiration for gut judgment almost seems to have a theological premise about it--like Zens have about "no mind," or like the idea of "instinctive goodness" that betokens the actually good characters in fairy tales and old movies. Or as in all of us being born angels, as incapable of evil as of ratiocination. If you stop to think, that's the Devil talking to you.MThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02341704109256270557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-63925750088380414742008-09-14T14:24:00.000-04:002008-09-14T14:24:00.000-04:00Great point, Steve, about "robust partisanship" be...Great point, Steve, about "robust partisanship" being crucial to any sort of return to the political, though I would disagree that Obama is really emphasizing this.(I think he believes in the "unified middle", a squishy, milktoast realm) but to Helmuts point:<BR/>Politics means accepting loss gracefully at times and believing in future gains, whereas modern discourse normatively disqualifies any challenge to the democratic-capitalist ideology.Neither is there compromise on "moral" stands or respect for the views of heathens, pagans, the Other, etc.. Politics now is about who would make the best CEO.troutskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16020298501632120830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-22516924044290156192008-09-13T22:53:00.000-04:002008-09-13T22:53:00.000-04:00You are right on the money here. We have let the ...You are right on the money here. We have let the right substitute moralizing for moral deliberation. It was a crucial part of their rise. They were on the wrong side of every major moral battle of the second half of the 20th century, from civil rights, to women's rights, to gay rights to war and the environment. <BR/><BR/>So, to reclaim the morality mantle, they did two things: (1) point to the moral failings of particular Democrats in 70s-90s: ABSCAM, Congressional pages, Keating Five (McCain was the only Republican of the bunch), Gary Hart, Wright and the straw purchases/speaking fees,...and contrast themselves, and (2) redefine public morality down to opposing abortion and gay marriage (which got framed as protecting the institution of marriage).<BR/><BR/>Redefining morality to moralizing was crucial to their brand because it had been their albatross. Reagan was able to reshape racism into protecting American self-reliance.<BR/><BR/>We, then shot ourselves in the foot on the issue because the rise of political correctness in the 80s made talk of anything as strong as ethical claims evidence of oppressive power structures. Now, it is certainly true that cultural biases and power structures are crucial elements of why we condemn what we condemn and why we promote what we promote, but when this hit the larger stage it got transformed into naive ethical relativism. We saw the moralizing absolutists as a bunch of holier-than-thou jerks and so went to the other extreme. <BR/><BR/>What you are seeing is hopefully the last gasps of this hiccup in our public discourse. The whole idea of Obama's post-partisanship is not split the baby brand Lieberman-style "bi"partisanship, rather it is a call for a return to robust, but respectful partisanship. The man's greatest virtue is his ability to take seriously conflicting views and trying to reconcile their insights. It is the photographic negative of the other side's biggest vice.SteveGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12340421785402103210noreply@blogger.com