tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post8253718023999204790..comments2024-01-13T18:57:18.243-05:00Comments on Information Processing: American democracy: How can it work?Steve Hsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428333897272913660noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-70249282021176978752013-07-16T23:47:55.013-04:002013-07-16T23:47:55.013-04:00"Idiotic pseudo-profundity."
Indeed and..."Idiotic pseudo-profundity."<br /><br />Indeed and typical of the LRB.<br /><br />"After<br /> a book review in The Guardian of Antifragility by Nassim Nicholas <br />Taleb, that author referred to Runciman as the "second most stupid <br />reviewer" of his works, from more than 1,000 reviewers."<br /><br />Runciman<br /> is a don and viscount-to-be. Like most toffs Larry Darrellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-7085977510686003142013-07-16T19:54:38.634-04:002013-07-16T19:54:38.634-04:00I think perhaps everyone, surprisingly, has missed...I think perhaps everyone, surprisingly, has missed that the exceptional country of the late 18th and 19th centuries was the UK, not the US.<br /><br />The Industrial Revolution was a British revolution. Its protagonists were all British and mostly from northern England. The perfect screw, the steam engine, the power loom, mass production of interchangeable parts, etc. were all British inventions.Larry Darrellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-32341894963698421142013-07-16T09:21:54.530-04:002013-07-16T09:21:54.530-04:00This is an interesting statement and one I think a...This is an interesting statement and one I think around: <i> If you were really careful you might take it as an uncertain hypothesis that democracy is a big positive US differentiator.</i><br /><br /><br />I should read more history regarding it. It strikes me that until very recently, our Democracy effectively ran open loop. Now the control loop can close very quickly, and it does to our David Coughlinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-61542143330874278652013-07-15T19:13:42.351-04:002013-07-15T19:13:42.351-04:00http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCEDUiqfO-whttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCEDUiqfO-wLarry Darrellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-26332809962081616212013-07-15T19:06:40.997-04:002013-07-15T19:06:40.997-04:00The problem with Runciman is that he thinks of the...The problem with Runciman is that he thinks of the US as a democracy.<br /><br /><br />"The US isn't a country. It's a business."<br /><br /><br />I've subscribed to the LRB for a few years, but I mostly use it to start fires. It's a tabloid for pseudo-intellectuals.Larry Darrellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-66464595467165984082013-07-15T19:03:05.406-04:002013-07-15T19:03:05.406-04:00jkljjlkjkljjlkLarry Darrellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-30706169590754665762013-07-15T10:12:20.006-04:002013-07-15T10:12:20.006-04:00Agreed. If you were really careful you might take ...Agreed. If you were really careful you might take it as an uncertain hypothesis that democracy is a big positive US differentiator. As you noted we have many other advantages ...steve hsuhttp://duende.uoregon.edu/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-30979047655892558512013-07-15T07:02:24.635-04:002013-07-15T07:02:24.635-04:00Steve
Even as a discussion of American democracy,...Steve<br /><br />Even as a discussion of American democracy, I think Runciman is throwing lots of things in the pot, obscuring vital distinctions. So when he mentions "its extraordinary global power", he's implying people thought the US democratic system was itself the root of its power.<br /><br />In fact, loads of smart commentators of the mid/late 19th century foresaw future US georgesdelatournoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-19743992004743559242013-07-15T05:49:28.057-04:002013-07-15T05:49:28.057-04:00A fair point.
In earlier times, people weren'...A fair point.<br /><br />In earlier times, people weren't so careful with figures and accuracy. The bible is full of people having implausibly long lifespans, for instance. The ages just mean, "trust me, this guy was very old". And some war/battle casualty figures just mean, "this war was really bad".<br /><br />Plus, the attitude to casualties was almost exactly opposite georgesdelatournoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-38554290634810768062013-07-15T05:32:06.906-04:002013-07-15T05:32:06.906-04:00The death toll of several wars in China has probab...The death toll of several wars in China has probably been overestimated owing to deficiencies in censuses taken in their aftermath, but I agree with your essential point.5371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-81653388667892318642013-07-14T18:59:23.299-04:002013-07-14T18:59:23.299-04:00The violence / civil war thing isn't that cent...The violence / civil war thing isn't that central to his argument (in fact, technology and innovation are much more important). It's mainly about whether American democracy can continue to work, a topic I suspect you've thought about. He doesn't have a clear answer but states both sides of the argument pretty well.steve hsuhttp://duende.uoregon.edu/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-44586844122314000412013-07-14T16:01:19.157-04:002013-07-14T16:01:19.157-04:00I agree with georgedelatour's objection to des...I agree with georgedelatour's objection to describing WW1 as a European Civil War. In the U.S., North and South spoke the same language, had identical legal systems, and painted their war bonds with the images of the same heroes: Washington, Jefferson and Jackson. Both sides supported nearly identical statements of the constitution - the only difference being the legality of chattel slaveryLondonYoungnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-63518037779025656982013-07-14T14:04:24.622-04:002013-07-14T14:04:24.622-04:00Any inter-state war can be rhetorically described ...Any inter-state war can be rhetorically described as if it's a civil war between provinces of an imaginary unitary state. The War Of The Triple Alliance (1864-1870), fought between Brazil, Argentina and Uraguay against Paraguay, can, for instance, be rhetorically described as a South American civil war. Ultimately, even World War II can be rhetorically described as a planetary civil war, if georgesdelatournoreply@blogger.com