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Not logged in on "Richard Rorty’s legacy"

Not logged in — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:35:51 +0100

"Pragmatism is controversial, but its more recent followers have, on the whole, managed to avoid its more paradoxical implications - such as that the core doctrines of feminism must be true since it is useful (at least in an American university) to assent to them, but that they must certainly be false, given the disaster that would come from espousing them in rural Iran."

That is one of the most insulting interpretations of pragmatism I have heard. wow.

Francesco Sinibaldi on "A world split apart"

Francesco Sinibaldi — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:45:54 +0100

I love your behaviour...

I love your
behaviour, the light
of a blackbird
and a luminous
farm; I listen
to you when
a care disappears
and then, in the
sound of a new
day, a magical
dreamland invites
me to cry....

Francesco Sinibaldi

deteodoru on "Georgi Markov: the truth that killed"

deteodoru — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:15:14 +0100

It is ironic that so many of us who were Markov's soul mates fighting against Communist World Domination are now fighting Communist neocons on the right. They stick to their Leninist "polarization" tactics in the pay of the aerospace industry, asking them to gin up strategic arms expenditures to Cold War levels through fear of "Islamofascists." But the only Fascists in America are their so called "Christian Right" Bible-babble crazies, who will turn on them and become the SS that rounds up American Jews at minimum wage. Marko must be now crying, his head folded under his wings wondering: "Is this crap what I died for?"

Francesco Sinibaldi on "A world split apart"

Francesco Sinibaldi — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:37:15 +0100

Devoted to you.

It's night, the
fall of an absent
caprice leaves
in the country
a sullen behaviour,
the sound of
a fancy and
always that care,
like a beautiful
fortune.

Francesco Sinibaldi

L.W. on "Georgi Markov: the truth that killed"

L.W. — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:36:53 +0100

Well,

It's hard to find justice for a political crime from 30 years ago given that communism has been abolished for decades now and the politicians responsible for that crime most of them are already dead!

In that country people no longer want to remember what it was 30 years ago. People have moved on with their lives and don't care for political crimes from 30 years ago comitted by people most of whom are either dead or in their 80s and 90s. People in their 30s who have already lived most of their lives in democracy don't even remember communism in that country. Communism is ancient history to them.

Markov was not the only victim thou. There were people who suffered much worse than he did, yet they get no publicity. How come all the spot light on one man only who had the privillege to escape even thou for a short time, unlike the rest millons of people who never had even that much chance?

sue caldwell on "Alexander Solzhenitsyn: the line within "

sue caldwell — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:58:16 +0100

I would take Roger much more seriously if he wasnt so closely associated with all those on the "right" who loudly support the never-ending "war on terror" and who are also fully paid up boosters of the military-industrial-"entertainment" complex.

willow28 on "Alexander Solzhenitsyn: the line within "

willow28 — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:00:13 +0100

Quote:

Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either - but right through every human heart - and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains . . . an uprooted small corner of evil.

Wow! Now, let me get this straight! All humans are imperfect. Some more so than others. Most of us don't have to endure decades in Siberian death camps to come to that realisation. While I perfectly understand why, for someone who suffered so much for much of their adult life, their remaining years of freedom should be made as pleasant as possible; part of the deal for Solzhenitsyn was conferring upon him the accolades of literary genius/insightful philosopher. All bolstered by the old myth that true art is always born out of suffering (many great artists, of course, lead quite cushy lives). In reality he was far from a genius and hardly given to profound and original insights (see above!) Although I'm sure he sincerely believed the claims. I'll accuse him of vanity,but not of fraudulence. Also, contrary to Mr Scruton's claims, Solzhenitsyn did not 'alert' the western world to the presence of the gulags. These were known about long before his writings were translated into English. To place Solzhenitsyn more fairly in literary history, I think it should be as a chronicler of life under oppression. Somewhere alongside the (much younger) Anne Frank.

George Ross on "Alexander Solzhenitsyn: the line within "

George Ross — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:51:49 +0100

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a complex character and his output was, alas, not entirely positive: fervent, fanatical Leninist in his youth, he became the famous and admired implacable and indomitable foe of communism, whose horrors he revealed in his devastating works of maturity. But his formidable attack was not launched from a position of firm belief in liberal values and intense hatred not only for communism, but for all isms, for all over-arching systems of ideas, blueprints or grand meta-narratives: this is why he was to embrace, and, alas, forcefully propound, in his senectitude, an ideology consisting of a messianic belief in Orthodoxy, the idealisation of the Russian peasant, condemnation of the Enlightenment, xenophobia and anti-Semitism, and entailing a virulent condemnation of Western liberalism. It's a pity, but history will be kind to him and - in spite of his negative aspects - he deserves the gratitude of humanity for the fatal wounds he inflicted on the communist system

opendemocracy on "Alexander Solzhenitsyn: the line within "

opendemocracy — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:33:27 +0100

Anthony,

Are you and Roger simply using 2 meanings of "political", or is there a more substantive disagreement between the 2 of you?

Roger argues that "systems of government" have a limited role in solving the problem of evil. That needs "a change of life." So that is one sense of "political" - what "systems of government" do.

The "change of life" has all sorts of causes and consequences, which I imagine you want to include in the realm of the political. But I imagine that Roger would agree with the point about causes and consequences -- this is exactly why this is important.

So is there substance in the disagreement?

Tony

Anthony Barnett on "Alexander Solzhenitsyn: the line within "

Anthony Barnett — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:26:35 +0100

This is a masterly and very helpful account. But two modest points:

Roger, you write, "But we should not deceive ourselves into believing that the solution to the problem of evil is a political solution, that it can be arrived at without spiritual discipline and without a change of life." But a 'change of life' is in part political - not merely or only private.

You say that S saw religion as a compatriot in understanding that evil is "drawn through the human heart". But many religions also see themselves as 'system' solutions for dealing with this, while a politics that recognised this, which I agree we need, would in its own way be quite a change.

To put it another way, the conservative implication that there is an almost pre-political solution lost by both communism and consumer or corporate capitalism seems unconvincing.

Karen Z on "Youssef Chahine, the life-world of film "

Karen Z — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:05:28 +0100

Excellent piece depecting the life of a true legend. May he rest in peace.

Youssef Chahine is also credited with discovering actor Omar Sharif, whose first starring role was in Chahine's 1954 film The Blazing Sun.

One of Chahine’s most controversial and one of his first major works, often cited as his finest, was Bab al-Hadid [Cairo Station] in 1958. He shocked viewers both by the sympathy with which a "fallen woman" is depicted and by the violence with which she's killed. The other was “The Sparrow” which attacked Egyptian corruption and blamed it for the defeat in the Six Day War.

Strike on "Nelson Mandela: assessing the icon "

Strike — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:57:25 +0100

A great piece of work - well done. It is still disheartening to say the least, to have characters like Paul Kruger who till today regards Madiba as a terrorist who planted bombs to kill innocent White lives. Forgetting that the bigges torrorist of that time was the very apartheid government that indicriminately killed, maimed and displaced the entire Black populance. The miracle of Madiba was convincing the nation to let by gones be by gones and get on with the challenge of nation building - a taskl that is surely going to extend beyond Mandela's lifesan

jubineau48 on "Nelson Mandela: assessing the icon "

jubineau48 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:25:33 +0100

Mr Lodge,

Have you been to South Africa recently ??? Well if not you will witness decay and chaos : years and years of marxist (a.k.a anti apartheid resistance) preparation for power have created this situation plus may i dare say a typical (cultural for you ??) african mentality regarding goverment skills. Mr Mandela was ans is stil is a creation of the western medias.His personal bravoury in the afrikaaner jails should not over shadow tons of weaknesses and monumental ignorance of what is the modern world.Just look at the african countries involved with communism and look at the one ones that did not : i'm thinking of a little country that nobody talks about and is doing quite well despite it's problems (aids) and that's Botswana.

Francesco Sinibaldi on "Nelson Mandela: assessing the icon "

Francesco Sinibaldi — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:06:31 +0100

Facing the sea...

A delicate and
soft wind is
blowing near an
empty space,
while the curtain
covers a silky
notepaper describing
a picture and the
love for the youth;
I call you my
darkness, I wait
for a dream......

Francesco Sinibaldi

peter.vodicka on "Nelson Mandela: assessing the icon "

peter.vodicka — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:59:31 +0100

Nelson Mandela has been greatly diminished by his total failure to speak out against Mugabe's gangster regime in Zimbabwe. A few choice words from Mandela would have guaranteed Mugabe's demise. Instead, his lame near silence when coupled with Mbeki's near criminal 'softly, softly' approach can only lead one to the conclusion that because Mugabe was a fellow black 'liberation' fighter then a lesser standard of 'freedom' applies. Breathtaking hypocrisy and a great tragedy. However, it's still not too late for Mandela to make amends...he can crack jokes with the Queen so he should use his moral standing to help crack the Mugabe regime.