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By all accounts, this looks to me like it's nothing else but a politically motivated decision - and it gives ever more credence to my take that there is no free
by vik0 2y ago
By all accounts, this looks to me like it's nothing else but a politically motivated decision - and it gives ever more credence to my take that there is no freedom of speech in Europe
As a side note, this is somewhat reminiscent of how the Catholic Church operated at the height of its power - do what we say or burn at the stake. We should then not be surprised that no longer does technological innovation happen in Europe - at least one that's actually important or has the potential to be
- whimsicalism 2y ago> this is somewhat reminiscent of how the Catholic Church operated at the height of its power I think the most surprising thing I've realized as I've gotten older is the way in which these cultural and legalistic norms, even 100 years+ bygone, still have considerable influence on modern cultures. Europe, and particularly France, is very Catholic, ex-Holy Roman brained. US is very protestant brained. China cribs tons of stuff from their old imperial system.
- vik0 2y ago>I think the most surprising thing I've realized as I've gotten older is the way in which these cultural and legalistic norms, even 100 years+ bygone, still have considerable influence on modern cultures. Oh yeah, definitely. I've noticed similar patterns Anyway, and I know this is completely random, but I think you'd enjoy reading Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind by Tom Holland. It gives a nice overview of the influence of Christianity on modern Western civilization; though, after reading Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy (which does, of course, have flaws of its own), I do think Hollnad places a bit too much importance on the influence of Christianity, as it is not the only thing that has influenced modern Western civilization, nor did Christianity develop in a vacuum - completely uninfluenced by the societal pressures of the time it found itself existing in - which I think Holland forgets to mention as you continue reading the book deeper and deeper. Nonetheless, both are great books and I recommend them
- d0mine 2y agoIt is unrelated to technological innovation (in the short run). I expect the same result in US. Europe is not united enough to have a separate from US opinion.
- vik0 2y agoI really hope the US doesn't become like Europe (Europe in general, as I know it's not an actual untied enough polity at the moment) when it comes to free speech, and, come to think of it, in many, many other aspects as well. It may sound funny to read, especially if you're an American, but I do still see America as the city upon the hill. I've lived in America, and I'm currently in (sigh) Europe, but I wish to return to that shining city in the future. It may also sound even funnier to read, but I probably love America more than a surprising amount of Americans (not a dig directed to any obvious or non-obvious group within the country currently), even though I wasn't born there. The US has just left a huge impression on me.