Hey, it’s my first blog post in like 20 years. I feel like I have stuff to say. https://medium.com/@mike.brock/the-politics-of-virtue-versus-the-politics-of-consequence-dfbe6932ab83
Discussion
Great write up Mike.
When you politicize everything you destroy faith and gain nothing of value while exposing the truths of how we got here.
I’m slowly reading The Party. It’s abundantly clear that whether you believe in Communism or Democracy.
Whether you lean left or right, whether your a capitalist or socialist. They’re all stealing the “best” from each other. Each group takes from their opponents what works in one dogmatic approach and embeds it in the their cultist system and then seeks to take on the world as a stronger group with a “better” approach.
We are thousands of years in and still facing the problem without eradicating the central problem rooted in us all… human greed.
This character flaw creates a spectrum we all lie on in the pursuit of money. Until we right this flaw history will repeat as it always has with one group trying to destroy the other for personal gain.
Se for estudar a Bíblia vai perceber que o Cristo disse que "meu reino não é desse mundo" "virei outra vez" e "vou dar a cada um segundo suas obras, quer sejam boas ou más".
Não vejo uma perspectiva da humanidade criar uma sociedade perfeita sem problemas. Porque se olhar na perspectiva bíblica o problema é esse que levantas: o caráter humano corrompido.
Então o que Deus revelou aí? Se preparem, busquem a mim e procurem acertar suas vidas, porque voltarei a acertar as contas com a humanidade. Então, darei fim ao mundo como o conhecem, e quem se purificar e estiver comigo vai viver eternamente, os outros vão morrer.
Então virá o reino dele, onde não haverá morte, choro ou dor, e tudo será perfeito.
Até lá temos que conviver e tentar minimizar as consequências do mau caráter humano nas sociedades aqui.
Congrats on writing and publishing!
Really great article. I know this is somewhat hyperbolic, but extending this, the logical conclusion to the politics of virtue is that we've all done wrong things in our lives and made mistakes so none of us have any business intervening when we see any wrong being committed.
Well, the politics of virtue is not terribly logical. It’s filled with arbitrary lines being drawn all over.
No it's not. It's a cynical combination of whataboutism and ad hominem - neither of which are logically valid arguments.
I prefer to think of it as a rolling cauldron of incoherent normative ethical claims.
Agreed. Politics of virtue is highly influenceable, and has been for a long time - religion, culture, gov’t, media.
Perhaps why it’s so messy right now is because there is no longer a single source of information - and people are trying to figure out what it means to have other takes.
I think one thing to also consider is that politics of consequence involves a lot of self sacrifice - and so even without politics of virtue, only a tiny fraction will participate it in. Politics of virtue on the other hand has little to no consequence on them.
It’s a good piece Mike. Hope you write more
Great article Mike!
Interesting article. I'd like to see you write one on either net outmigration from states like California or new frontiers of diaspora into avenues of technology in space / low earth orbit.