The Western “liberal” project has failed. This is what has appeared before us; we are seeing it, the failure of a system many of us have believed in since, Say the time of JS Mill. He suggested that the goal of a well-functioning democratic society was “the greater good.” And this: “to allow a more well-functioning and cooperative society”. This is an idea that comes from (https://www.philosophyincontext.com/ which looks to be a great website since instead of utilizing the usual liars it uses something on JS Mill written by a high school junior. Good move there!!
Western society claims to support good persons. This is the conventional claim. But, you don’t just get good persons. You need to have a cultural system that trains persons to be good. Being a good person is the result of the cultural transmission. But our culture says “just go and make money; I don’t care how you do it.” How does that support the goodness of the members of society? One day you wake up with no culture at all. These people also support things that eventually undermine the legal system. So that’s gone—and what of politics, the sytem of rule?
Ultimate power is held by the State. This is the way we have organized it, but the wealthy can have a lot of power as well, if they choose to. We assume there should be a State. But the way we have it organized, there are also the very wealthy. Those who are the most successful at what we call “making” money therefore conspire (with the olitical elite) to keep the population stupid. Education declines. Not only that. We see the decline of all institutions.
That includes journalism, so you are never going to know what is being done to you or what to do about it. The doctors, scientists, and politicians—they have been captured too, by the allure of money and the development of clever ways to “make” it for one’s self. For one’s self alone. That is “self-interest.” I don’t think this is what JS Mill was talking about. I could be wrong, because I never found his writing likable so I did not study him. So: Am I wrong? Let’s have a “political conversation.”
Let’s show ‘em that we can have a real discussion.