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From the comments I see here so far, I don't see evidence that people have read the article (which is a transcript of part one of a radio talk that just went ou

From the comments I see here so far, I don't see evidence that people have read the article (which is a transcript of part one of a radio talk that just went out over the air on the UK's Radio 4). It seems people are responding to the title. Here are some quotes: The totalitarian system, I learned, endures not simply by getting rid of democratic elections and imposing a one-party state. It endures by abolishing the distinction between civil society and the state, and by allowing nothing significant to occur which is not controlled by the Party. ... In the underground universities of communist Europe, my friends and colleagues studied those things, and prepared themselves for the hoped-for day when the Communist Party, having starved itself of every rational input, would finally give up the ghost. And the lessons that they learned need to be learned again today, as our politicians lead us forth under the banner of democracy, without pausing to examine what democracy actually requires.

Afforess 13y ago
>From the comments I see here so far, I don't see evidence that people have read the article That would be because the Article is bland and devoid of interesting or original content, but the title is provocative and Democracy is so frequently taken for granted.
ApertureHour 13y ago
>>>>> the Communist Party, having starved itself of every rational input, would finally give up the ghost. That statement really gets me thinking. Without wading down into full-blown social Darwinism, it wouldn't surprise me if human organizations are subject to a kind of memetic fitness. Maybe a trade off between ideological rigity or purity, and actual, objective inputs about their environment. When the Soviet state exiled, executed or imprisoned just about anyone who contradicted party doctrine, they systemically starved themselves of opportunities to make evidence-based decisions. It reminded me of the Stephen Hawking quote; "Science wins because it works".
mattsouth 13y ago
Perhaps it is a dry article, but I heard it on the radio this morning and really appreciated it (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037vb15 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037vb15 - may be blocked outside uk). I was grateful to see the text version. Summary is that Roger Scruton believes that democracy needs an independent judiciary, property rights and the right to free speech and opinion in order to succeed.

Afforess 13y ago

>From the comments I see here so far, I don't see evidence that people have read the article That would be because the Article is bland and devoid of interesting or original content, but the title is provocative and Democracy is so frequently taken for granted.

ApertureHour 13y ago

>>>>> the Communist Party, having starved itself of every rational input, would finally give up the ghost. That statement really gets me thinking. Without wading down into full-blown social Darwinism, it wouldn't surprise me if human organizations are subject to a kind of memetic fitness. Maybe a trade off between ideological rigity or purity, and actual, objective inputs about their environment. When the Soviet state exiled, executed or imprisoned just about anyone who contradicted party doctrine, they systemically starved themselves of opportunities to make evidence-based decisions. It reminded me of the Stephen Hawking quote; "Science wins because it works".

mattsouth 13y ago

Perhaps it is a dry article, but I heard it on the radio this morning and really appreciated it (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037vb15 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037vb15 - may be blocked outside uk). I was grateful to see the text version. Summary is that Roger Scruton believes that democracy needs an independent judiciary, property rights and the right to free speech and opinion in order to succeed.