Apollodorus

I'm not "VERY preoccupied" at all. I believe in democracy and freedom and that's why I'm against totalitarianism. I don't see what's so hard to unders...

My question was "And what makes us so defensive when discussing opposite views?" You're saying "some prefer Nazism to Communism" and "Communism kills ...

God doesn't have to be a person. In Platonism, and to some extent in Christianity, God is the (impersonal) principle of truth, goodness, beauty, order...

That was exactly why I started this topic, because I was looking at the thread on Democracy vs Socialism and I could see that people find it extremely...

I agree that people shouldn't engage in trading insults. However, we can't keep going on and on about "Nazism" when in fact it no longer exists as a p...

Yes, but would it be less left-wing? That is the question.

Neither do I, don't get me wrong. I was just saying that philosophy ought to be able to come up with something a bit better that just quasi-religious ...

I see what you mean, but we mustn't be too harsh on Christianity. The Church banned animal sacrifices and blood sports. Besides, it could have been wo...

Well, the cyber activities of the Chinese Communist Party division called "United Front Work Department" are well known. Ask the CIA and MI6. But I do...

That's a perfectly reasonable imagination you've got there. I for one couldn't dispute that even if I tried. As I said before, it looks like the divis...

I think we also need to consider the close links between the Irish nationalist movement and the London Fabian Society and its front the Labour Party. ...

I agree. But as we’ve seen from the thread Democracy v Socialism (that actually inspired this one), “democracy” seems to be a nebulous concept. Was th...

Those rosy views must have acquired a rather deep red hue by now. But you better be careful how you talk about Marxism-Leninism these days or else you...

How is it "anecdotal"? The inconsistency of concepts like "the withering away of the state" is all over the Internet and in hundreds of articles and b...

Personally, I do tend to accept reincarnation as many Platonists and even non-Platonists do. Obviously, I can't say it's a "fact" as I don't remember ...

Hi there. It wasn't "philosophizing" I was talking about. I meant more something like "justification" in the sense of what would amount to "proof" fro...

But some aspects of culture are internalized "blindly" without our being aware of it. And people do speak of things like "national character" and "psy...

But people may choose to hide the reasons behind their views, depending on the culture. Brits might be less open that Americans, and Scandinavians mig...

In the old days behavioral aberrations were judged in terms of ethics. Nowadays political correctness tends to provide the standard of reference in de...

Quite possibly. What I had in mind was diversity of political or cultural views. Diversity seems to be incompatible with unity. There was less disunit...

Well, "traits" is perhaps not the most useful term to use in this context. But how is this system built, supported and maintained, and what role do "t...

That was exactly one of the points I was making. Being confronted with opposite views does tend to make you more aware of your own and reinforce them ...

Well, animals seem to get along just fine. Some "less evolved" cultures where materialism is not as pronounced as in "more evolved" ones seem to be do...

And presumably you're the new C G Jung?

I have. I can't find consistent definitions for any of the Marxist/Marxian concepts I've mentioned here and on the other thread. And it looks like nob...

And bearing the practical aspect in mind, perhaps we should also look into what ought to be the objective of philosophy in relation to society. Unless...

There is nothing wrong with poetry but it must have practical application. If "mathematical methodology" helps validate philosophical tenets or make t...

As I said before, I'm not a professional writer or debater. If anyone has any suggestions how the OP could be rephrased to make it more intelligible a...

Yes. This will definitely account for the inconsistencies in Marxist concepts like "the withering away of the state". Or maybe not.

That's exactly what I'm saying. That the majority is convinced of Marxist theory being sound does not determine the soundness of it.

Correct. Unfortunately, as can be seen here, the left uses "psychology" and "science" to demonize the right but they scream blue murder the minute the...

It wasn't my methodology. It was a line of inquiry suggested by Psychology Today and other publications. If it turns out to be wrong, so be it. I don'...

That sounds cool. Just don't tell @frank, he tends to get upset a bit too easily. Have a great remainder of the day.

That is some extrapolation, I must say. There are thousands of reasons why life has a purpose for most people. Having fun is one of them. Life just is...

Maybe they smell sweeter due to the ice cream's sugar content that reminds sharks (at least the more clever among them) of blood? So you are a cat per...

Well, critics of Marx don't always phrase it that way. I only did it to clarify my own position. But historians do point out for example that Marx use...

You must have spent a lot of time making that drawing and you have my respect and admiration for your effort. However, I doubt very much that anyone w...

However, if that someone has the statistics to back up his conclusion then his investigation can hardly be dismissed as "nonsense". It's all a matter ...

It may well do. What matters is which direction is the main one and where the original source lies.

That was just a suggestion and it wasn't even mine. It isn't my fault that people don't read critiques of Marx or his theories by reputable historians...

That sounds very interesting, but I don't think it explains how the state "withers away". As we've already seen, the state can't assume an administrat...

Well, you may not be a Marxist in theory, but from your comments you may still be a Marxist in the context of this discussion, given that you seem to ...

I still can't find the thread, I don't know what they've done with it.

That's very interesting because on the other thread I was attacked for questioning whether Marxism is a philosophy and not something else.

Well, you have no choice but to agree given that the statements are there, black on white. I would recommend you read the articles I suggested because...

I think it's the other way around. Rhetoric is an expression of political thought. Rhetoric may well inform our views of politics but it doesn't origi...

The center doesn't shift of its own accord. It shifts further and further to the left under pressure from the left. When conservatives are determined ...

Another related key concept is the "dictatorship of the proletariat". As already noted, Marxist theory has it that capitalism must progress to sociali...

"In politics, the term Left derives from the French Revolution as the political groups opposed to the royal veto privilege (Montagnard and Jacobin dep...

I'm not talking about "rhetorical ploys". Historically, liberals were opposed to the ruling conservatives, and socialists to the ruling liberals or co...