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I'm not even vaguely "left leaning", at least not economically. I think capitalism has done a fantastic job of improving living conditions in the West. But I

I'm not even vaguely "left leaning", at least not economically. I think capitalism has done a fantastic job of improving living conditions in the West. But I can see that capitalism is coming to its end in the next several decades. Things change. That's the constant. There must be something that's post-capitalist, because capitalism is very close to becoming unsustainable. It's not going to be the old leftist ideas, but it's not going to be capitalism either. We need to adapt. Not like we have a choice, really.

blumkvist 11y ago
I'm not advocating against reforms. I'm advocating against people tripping over ideas who sound too good. The majority of people I've talk to, who believe in basic income, have put very little thought about the ramifications of it. They have very little understanding of politics and social sciences. They read a bunch of articles, like this one, and thought "Hey, that's great, gimme free monies, I read an article that says people are more productive when they are not motivated by money". Next thing you know, they are advocating for it, convincing their friends how great it is. Politicians are always ready to ride the wave, chasing their grandiosity. The conservative way has proved to be a very stable path towards improvement. Slow, but stable. Stability and balance, are in my opinion, the most important characteristics of meaningful improvement.
- mrrrgn 11y ago
  "The conservative way has proved to be a very stable path towards improvement. Slow, but stable. Stability and balance, are in my opinion, the most important characteristics of meaningful improvement." Can you give some evidence supporting the idea that this has been proved? My thinking is that technologies are improving at a non-linear pace, and technological change leads directly to social change. Given that, a conservative approach often leads to policies which are out of touch with reality (as political/social trends diverge).
  - chiaro 11y ago
    A strange point to make, given that the second biggest factor leading to economic growth over the last century (after the information revolution) was women joining the workplace post WW2.
    - blumkvist 11y ago
      Conservatism does not mean clinging to the status quo. I'm not sure if there is any point in replying at all since you can't make the difference. Conservatism is about slow, but deliberate moves. Carefully contemplated, but decisive actions.
      - chiaro 11y ago
        Was not the opposition of equal participation based on enforcing traditional gender roles? My apologies if you mean something different, you just can't ignore that this position is very strongly aligned with conservatism as most understand it.

blumkvist 11y ago

I'm not advocating against reforms. I'm advocating against people tripping over ideas who sound too good. The majority of people I've talk to, who believe in basic income, have put very little thought about the ramifications of it. They have very little understanding of politics and social sciences. They read a bunch of articles, like this one, and thought "Hey, that's great, gimme free monies, I read an article that says people are more productive when they are not motivated by money". Next thing you know, they are advocating for it, convincing their friends how great it is. Politicians are always ready to ride the wave, chasing their grandiosity. The conservative way has proved to be a very stable path towards improvement. Slow, but stable. Stability and balance, are in my opinion, the most important characteristics of meaningful improvement.

mrrrgn 11y ago
"The conservative way has proved to be a very stable path towards improvement. Slow, but stable. Stability and balance, are in my opinion, the most important characteristics of meaningful improvement." Can you give some evidence supporting the idea that this has been proved? My thinking is that technologies are improving at a non-linear pace, and technological change leads directly to social change. Given that, a conservative approach often leads to policies which are out of touch with reality (as political/social trends diverge).
- chiaro 11y ago
  A strange point to make, given that the second biggest factor leading to economic growth over the last century (after the information revolution) was women joining the workplace post WW2.
  - blumkvist 11y ago
    Conservatism does not mean clinging to the status quo. I'm not sure if there is any point in replying at all since you can't make the difference. Conservatism is about slow, but deliberate moves. Carefully contemplated, but decisive actions.
    - chiaro 11y ago
      Was not the opposition of equal participation based on enforcing traditional gender roles? My apologies if you mean something different, you just can't ignore that this position is very strongly aligned with conservatism as most understand it.