Why capitalists are coming out against democracy - “Does classical liberalism imply democracy?”

https://www.ellerman.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Reprint-EGP-Classical-Liberalism-Democracy.pdf

“There is a fault line running through … liberalism as to whether or not democratic self- governance is a necessary part of a liberal social order. The democratic and non-democratic strains of classical liberalism are both present today. Many … libertarians … represent the non-democratic strain in their promotion of non-democratic sovereign city-states.”

@sneerclub

You are viewing a single thread.
View all comments View context
14 points

We’re not talking about classical times at all. We’re talking about the Age of Enlightenment and a little after. But as for those classical liberals at that proper time? They’re some of the first real capitalists.

permalink
report
parent
reply
7 points

TIL “classical liberalism” has absolutely nothing to do with the “classical” part, great, who the fuck decided to name it that?

permalink
report
parent
reply
9 points

Oh no it’s just when you say classical time period that means something different than the word classical in different contexts. Classical music isn’t referring to the Greeks and Romans either.

permalink
report
parent
reply
6 points

and “classical music” was a retrospective label for reactionary purposes too

permalink
report
parent
reply
6 points
*

It’s “classical” in the sense that the columns on courthouses in Confederate states are, i.e., in ennobling an arbitrarily inequitable order.

permalink
report
parent
reply

@V0ldek @sneerclub The people who decided that they liked 18th & 19th century “liberals” a whole lot more than the modern ones. Basically Libertarians.

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

And yet they use humanism as a slur. Interesting, that.

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points

i.e. their nobly high-minded philosophical forebears are periwigged slaveholders.

permalink
report
parent
reply

SneerClub

!sneerclub@awful.systems

Create post

Hurling ordure at the TREACLES, especially those closely related to LessWrong.

AI-Industrial-Complex grift is fine as long as it sufficiently relates to the AI doom from the TREACLES. (Though TechTakes may be more suitable.)

This is sneer club, not debate club. Unless it’s amusing debate.

[Especially don’t debate the race scientists, if any sneak in - we ban and delete them as unsuitable for the server.]

Community stats

  • 191

    Monthly active users

  • 138

    Posts

  • 2.1K

    Comments