tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post4247182598619320624..comments2024-03-25T19:48:24.624+11:00Comments on Oz Conservative: Tackling neutralityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-48583460476703111792007-02-18T18:28:00.000+11:002007-02-18T18:28:00.000+11:00thordaddy, Good point - the same argument applies...thordaddy, <BR/><BR/>Good point - the same argument applies to the other concepts. <BR/><BR/>I think many liberals do genuinely try to be neutral. In a liberal society, that's all that's needed for liberalism to march ahead. In the U.S., liberals hope the Republicans will become more moderate, that is, liberal. <BR/><BR/>Being "neutral" also helps one avoid the discomfort of taking certain stands or facing certain realities.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14706063764772370845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-37853369658267977572007-02-18T17:55:00.000+11:002007-02-18T17:55:00.000+11:00Steve,An additional point would be that concepts l...Steve,<BR/><BR/>An additional point would be that concepts like "diversity," "compassion" and "justice" have legitimate meaning and a positive practical effect <I>if</I> they are applied within a larger framework that tries to prevent their distortion and corruption <I>at</I> the individual/subjective level.<BR/><BR/>Liberalism doesn't just involve the ability to author one's self, but has the inherent call to transform one's self into that which has never been, see what has never been seen, do what never has been done. Such a calling compels one to distort all that is known with the hope that one's transformation can be believed. There is truly nothing new under the sun with regards to the depravity, selfishness and greed that man can succumb to. Likewise, man has always been reaching for the stars. <BR/><BR/>Extreme liberalism compels one to take concepts like "neutrality" and imbibe meaning within them that serves one's personal interests and distorts the wisdom that created such fascinating and life-affirming concepts.Thordaddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887901925655428541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-10766906416160486472007-02-18T17:30:00.000+11:002007-02-18T17:30:00.000+11:00There is certainly an invisible notion of “neutral...There is certainly an invisible notion of “neutrality” at the heart of much liberal discourse, though it’s rarely referred to as such. More prominent are concepts like “diversity,” “compassion,” and “justice," all implying the aim of doing away with unequal power relations and distribution of goods. “Neutrality” then appears as the ideal of impartial administration of society. This is good in its place - e.g. in the administration of the law. <BR/><BR/>In a liberal society where, as per Auster, non-discrimination is the highest value and there is no larger framework of values, “neutrality” morphs into “complete non-discrimination.” This inherently works to destroy the majority people and culture, by raising the alien and inferior, as you say. <BR/><BR/>As for the psychology of “neutrality,” I think of the lifeless tone of American liberal commentators on National Public Radio who discuss matters of life and death to their own country and people as if they were reporting on a golf game. “Hezbollah, which the U.S. government calls a terrorist group….”Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14706063764772370845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-70005987030570964262007-02-18T12:15:00.000+11:002007-02-18T12:15:00.000+11:00Mark,The problem with "neutrality" as a philosophy...Mark,<BR/><BR/>The problem with "neutrality" as a philosophy or guiding principle is that it can't be important because it's neutral.<BR/><BR/>Therefore, as you alluded, "neutrality" transforms into something entirely different in practical terms. It has characteristics that betray its neutrality in the real world.<BR/><BR/>It seems as though those that brought forward such a philosophy did so with the full understanding that the were using and abusing a innocuous term for their own self-interest.Thordaddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887901925655428541noreply@blogger.com