Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Only Enlightened Collectivism Can Save Us — Caitlin Johnstone


It can be objected that enlightened self-interest* could do it. But enlightened self-interest as viewing one's personal interest in the context of system optimality can also be seen as a form of collectivism that moderates  individualism by restricting it, whereas the "correct" paradigm of self-interest is one in which individual maximization spontaneously generates Pareto optimality (even though history shows that it does not tend to do so).

My view, which is characteristic of one form of left libertarianism, is that enlightened self-interest is sufficient only if it exists in a culture whose collective consciousness is sufficient "high," that is, universal. This requires love, which, as it turns out, Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson is advocating. She is alone in this though.

Consortium News
Only Enlightened Collectivism Can Save Us
Caitlin Johnstone

see also by CJ

Caitlin Johnstone — Rogue Journalist
Eight Thoughts On Marianne Williamson
Caitlin Johnstone

* See also Alexis DeTocqueville, Democracy in America, "HOW THE AMERICANS COMBAT INDIVIDUALISM BY THE PRINCIPLE OF SELF-INTEREST RIGHTLY UNDERSTOOD," Book II, Chapter 8

See also

Consortium News
The Great Reckoning
Andrew J. Bacevich | Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University

1 comment:

Kaivey said...

Some people say we only ever do things for our own pleasure. It's pleasuable to love and care for someone, for instance. But when selflessness is pleasuable, it's the selflessness that comes first, the pleasure second.