Enlightenment v.2.0

[ddstory]

Modern society seems to have lost its taste for consensus, its appreciation of shared values. If a couple of decades ago there was a drive for democracy in what we today call the "young democracies", and a craving for a market economy and a modern civilizational choice, now that's all mostly gone. But a similar process is going on in the older and

Comments

[sandwichwarrior]

It seems that post modernism's chickens are finally coming home to roost.

Good, It's about time.

Edit to elaborate:
Prominent authorities in the media and academia have been telling us for years that the "common truth" you speak of was a lie and that "the enlightenment' itself was a bill of goods forced on us by Bourgeoisie Western Patriarchs (dead white guys). "Judgement" and "Discrimination" themselves have become dirty words.

Under such circumstances is anyone really surprised to see that the "common truth" has been forsaken in favor of ideology?

That said, I find that I am cautiously optimistic because I suspect that Kipling's old Gods are about to reassert their influence.

Edited again..:
Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew

Libertarianism is an ideology, too.

[ddstory]

Under such circumstances is anyone really surprised to see that the "common truth" has been forsaken in favor of ideology?

Says the guy who regularly cites Friedman.

RE: Libertarianism is an ideology, too.

[sandwichwarrior]

Yes it is, yes I do, and yes I said that.

What's your point?

ETA:
More to the point, what does Libertarianism being an ideology, or quoting Friedman, have to do with my statement above?

RE: Libertarianism is an ideology, too.

[ddstory]

It has everything to do with it - my point is that you can't presume to be passing judgment about people forsaking common truth and indulging in ideology, while personally doing the same thing, unless you'd like to admit you're yourself a hypocrite.

[stewstewstewdio]

Pockets of extremism, conspiracy theory and looney tune ideas have always existed. The internet is not another enlightenment, it is a communication method that has been turned into Megaphone 2.0™. The ideal that humankind has always risen above them and survived is a testament to humankind's resilience.

[garote]

Or inability to change ;)

[luzribeiro]

Conspiracy theories have always been very popular in the US. The United States of Paranoia is a book I'd recommend.

[garote]

Inconvenient as it may be for this kind of dystopian narrative, the world is (still) largely driven by things that happen offline and in person, and the new-fangled electronic bullhorns only play catch-up and/or echo-chamber to those things, and that applies just as much to politics as anything else. Mainly this is so because the bullhorns may broadcast indiscriminately, but they are definitely not received indiscriminately. They are received by only those whose filtering allows them in.

The true novelty these days is that now, we can actually look back through the one-way mirror and check out the zillions of microcosms all around us that we used to believe - or pretend - didn't exist at all. All the other bullhorns that we don't like, that we wish would stop. They were always there in minds all around us; now they have records in search engines to mark their existence as well.

This is not enlightenment, in any version. It's just a new form of entertainment.

[sandwichwarrior]

There's a concept that gets thrown around in Social Justice called "Distress of the Privileged", The basic idea is that a privileged group that's used to getting their way will feel attacked if they don't.

I wonder if that's what we are seeing here. Certain ideological groups have gotten used to being able to control the mainstream narrative, and are freaking out now that their control is no longer complete.

[luvdovz]

Yep, privilege could be a tempting fruit that those in a position of privilege would want to retain at any cost - sounds familiar?

You make social justice sound almost as if it's a dirty word.

Social justice is two words

[montecristo]

The phrase is an oxymoron.

IT?!

[montecristo]

On the other hand, a well-planned, well-measured, aggressive position of confrontation with the elites and the established institutions, may have nothing to do with pluralism or encouraging various opinions. It may well be aiming to replace one dogma with another.

The implication in this statement would be that the conspiracy theorists are themselves in a...wait for it...vast, sinister, meta-conspiracy! How evil.