"The essence of the Liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment."
Well yes. But it's important to point out that when Russell talks about "new evidence" he is talking about scientific evidence, and not the latest polls. http://bit.ly/s8nL0n
It's also worth noting that though "Liberal" is capitalized in the original work, the usage is what we would call 'small-L liberal', and not the Liberal party.
I have long asserted that my politics are derived from my science, rather than the other way around. The derivation of science from political belief or ideology is a failing that I observe characterizes the right. And though (to my mind, ironically) the New Democrats are described as ideologues, it is toward the policies of the NDP that my science leads me.
This, I think, is because there is a third force to which Russell does not allude, and to which he was, to a certain (limited) extent, blind, and that is the politics purchased by capital. We read even today about the money lined up behind SOPA http://t.co/fg75WL5B and behind C-11 despite widespread opposition http://bit.ly/vgcgUU and it's clear that this third major force, over and above ideology or science, is the dominant force in politics today.
Indeed, I would call it a mis-statement to say that liberals of any stripe are today motivated primarily by science or by scientific evidence in general, except via some narrow route so far as that evidence advances their economic interests. The fall of the Liberal Party has come precisely because of the incursion of the interests of the wealthy into the core of the party.
Which 'science' would that be? Would it be a science that is in the faculty of sciences at any legitimate university or are we talking about the pseudo-sciences of sociology, psychology, and so many other 'ologys' that don't deserve the suffix?
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Well yes. But it's important to point out that when Russell talks about "new evidence" he is talking about scientific evidence, and not the latest polls. http://bit.ly/s8nL0n
It's also worth noting that though "Liberal" is capitalized in the original work, the usage is what we would call 'small-L liberal', and not the Liberal party.
I have long asserted that my politics are derived from my science, rather than the other way around. The derivation of science from political belief or ideology is a failing that I observe characterizes the right. And though (to my mind, ironically) the New Democrats are described as ideologues, it is toward the policies of the NDP that my science leads me.
This, I think, is because there is a third force to which Russell does not allude, and to which he was, to a certain (limited) extent, blind, and that is the politics purchased by capital. We read even today about the money lined up behind SOPA http://t.co/fg75WL5B and behind C-11 despite widespread opposition http://bit.ly/vgcgUU and it's clear that this third major force, over and above ideology or science, is the dominant force in politics today.
Indeed, I would call it a mis-statement to say that liberals of any stripe are today motivated primarily by science or by scientific evidence in general, except via some narrow route so far as that evidence advances their economic interests. The fall of the Liberal Party has come precisely because of the incursion of the interests of the wealthy into the core of the party.
Which 'science' would that be? Would it be a science that is in the faculty of sciences at any legitimate university or are we talking about the pseudo-sciences of sociology, psychology, and so many other 'ologys' that don't deserve the suffix?
Hello! I've been reading your blog for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Tx! Just wanted to mention keep up the good work!
My homepage : ridiculously photogenic guy
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