Philosophy Wire: Democracy. Monsters.

Democracy fosters economic growth, according to a study. Indeed, countries switching to democratic rule experience a 20 percent increase in GDP over a 25-year period, compared to what would have happened had they remained authoritarian states, the researchers report. [1] But do we need economic growth? Is economic growth something we should strive to achieve? Take a step back. Breath. Shells on the sand. Coins rusting into the water. You are dreaming that you are alive. Shouting within crowds. And no one is listening. Look at the things you perceive as obvious. And you will look into the eyes of monsters…

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Philosophy Wire: Spies. Modern stupid world.

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2017-05-12]: UK spy agencies 'broke privacy rules', says tribunal. [1] The world of political correctness cannot handle the (hash and non-“correct”) reality. Who will guard the guards? A centuries-old question. Which one simply cannot expect to be answered by a court… Because nothing correct ever came out from “correct” arguments.

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Philosophy Wire: France - Signs of oppression...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-03-08]:

Freedom of speech is denied [see Dieudonné case - 1, 2], but freedom of celebrating abnormal [see gay marriages - 3] and freedom of celebrating unethicality [see "French President Francois Hollande has confirmed his separation from his partner Valerie Trierweiler" - 4] is celebrated.

No, I am not saying that gay people should not have rights. I am saying they should not have the right to raise children as if they were "normal" - when it is obvious they are not.
No, I am not saying to allow racism. I am saying to stop seeing Nazi symbols everywhere by turning upside down/ right/ left any image we see only in order to look more "democratic".
And yes, I do say that we should not fuck other women when we are with another woman.

It seems simple. But "progressive" people have the tendency of making simple things complicated...
It is very hard to be considered one of the most progressive states in the world. You are somehow forced to have "progress" in every field of life, even there where the right decisions have already been made. Change is considered "progress" even if it is change to something worse. Being static is considered "bad". You want to move so that noone considers you "regressive". But you ignore the possibility that you may have already reached the right place.

"Newer is better".
"Modern is wiser".
"The old ones did not know".

Men with a childish way of thinking. Ruling nations...

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Philosophy Wire: Protests, "civilized", "Third World"...

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Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-07-19]: We see "Third World" countries in crisis and thank God we are "civilized". [1] But is it civilization NOT to protest about anything?


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Philosophy Wire: 1000 conspiracies!

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-06-20]: NSA chief announced that his agency averted 50 terrorism conspiracies due to its spy-on-my-citizens program. [1] Why stop at 50? Why not 100? Why not 1,000? Why not 1,000,000? ONE MILLION CONSPIRACIES AVERTED DUE TO SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM! Ouaou! I am so glad I am watched over!

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Philosophy Wire: Humor, regimes, dictators…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-05-27]: Syrian political cartoonist Ali Ferzat, shown earlier this month at the Oslo Freedom Forum, says pens have the power to topple dictators. The self-taught artist has mocked authority since he was a young boy. His hands were broken by the Syrian government recently, before he managed to leave the country. [source: CNN News] If regimes fear of a pen, then how powerful are they really?

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Philosophy Wire: Germans, Nazi, good, bad…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-05-18]: Germany 1939-1945. Weird… The good and law-abiding are the bad. The bad are the good. [1]

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Philosophy Wire: Associated Press, illusions, freedom...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-05-15]:

Associated Press news agency accuses US government of logging the phone calls of some of its members, who were investigating a CIA operation. [source: web news] We want to believe in the freedom of Press. We want to believe in the illusion of freedom. We want to feel surprised when we read such news. I dream of a world free. A world free from "freedom" (Loci).

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Philosophy Wire: La Nahuaterique... Blessing in disguise...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-04-19]: A village [La Nahuaterique] between countries, in the borders between Honduras and El Salvador. They feel abandoned because no one cares about them. They typically belong to Honduras, but no authorities from that state do anything for them or acknowledge their existence. They feel unlucky... [1]

 

At the same time tribes in Amazon feel unlucky because the state there thinks their territory belongs to it... [2]

Be careful what you wish for...

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Philosophy Wire: Activism, dying, knowing…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-08-28]: An Israeli court has ruled that the state of Israel was not at fault for the death of US activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed in the Gaza Strip by an Israeli army bulldozer in 2003. Ms Corrie's family had brought a civil claim for negligence against the Israeli ministry of defence. The judge said the 23-year-old's death was a "regrettable accident" and that the state was not responsible. She had been trying to stop Palestinian homes being pulled down in Gaza. Judge Oded Gershon, presiding at the court in the town of Haifa, said Ms Corrie had been protecting terrorists in a designated combat zone. He said the bulldozer driver had not seen her, adding the soldiers had done their utmost to keep people away from the site. "She [Corrie] did not distance herself from the area, as any thinking person would have done". Rachel Corrie's parents, Cindy and Craig, looked dejected after the verdict was read out. Friends and supporters in court offered hugs and handshakes. But nine years after their daughter was killed, they have failed in their attempt to get the Israeli army to take responsibility for Rachel's death. Speaking after the ruling, the family's lawyer was quick to say they would appeal against the decision in Israel's supreme court. For Cindy and Craig Corrie, that will prolong what must have already been an exhausting and expensive process. Their legal fight is believed to have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They regarded their daughter as a peace activist, passionately behind the Palestinian cause and trying to protect civilians. On Tuesday, they listened to a judge tell them the activists she was working with were acting as human shields for terrorists. He ruled the state of Israel did not have to pay any damages [source: BBC News].

They go to war but without expecting that they might die.

These are the modern “activists”…

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Philosophy Wire: Sweden and the hypocrisy of “neutral” states…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-06-17]: Sweden’s FOI (the Swedish Defence Research Agency – subordinated to the Ministry of Defence) has secretly helped Saudi Arabia build a ballistic missiles factory since 2007 [1]. TeliaSonera, a Swedish company (40% owned by Swedish government), has also been reported to provide the world’s worst dictatorships with the technological tools required to spy on their own citizens [2]. Sweden reminds us of something we always tend to forget: when something looks too good to be true, then most of the times it is much worse than you could imagine…

 

Related posts: Sweden tag

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Philosophy Wire: A man dies. So what? I did not hear about it…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-11-17]: A Chinese citizen set himself on fire in the Tiananmen Square [source: web news]. This happened a month ago however we lean it today because today the Chinese authorities decided to reveal the incident. The information we have on events which happen in the world are very much controlled – not only in China but also in every other country (and I might say that in US the phenomenon is more dangerous, since there the citizens "are fooled” that they are informed while they are terribly misinformed). A man dies. We learn nothing. Life goes on.

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Philosophy Wire: B53 retired. Who needs it anyway?

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-10-27]: US announced that it will decommission the B53 atomic bombs [source: web news]. But who needs atomic bombs today? Don’t you see Libya? The new government there ASKS for the western armed forces to stay more there!!! [source: BBC News] So long “sovereignty”… The difference between the coward and the brave does not lie in the deep knowledge of martial arts. It lies in the simple capability of opening your mouth and speaking up.

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Philosophy Wire: Germany, Doom and the Doom of Stupidity

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-09-02]: Germany lifted the ban of game Doom, after 17 years [source: BBC News] !!!!!!!!!!!! The country which had no problem electing, following and dying for Hitler, had issues accepting the existence of an electronic game with… 1x1 m pixels (while of course at the same time had no problem invading Afghanistan). Progress? Or boundless hypocrisy? I will go for Door No. 3: sheer stupidity! People who make decisions are still far away from the reality people live. And this is always dangerous.

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Philosophy Wire: Israel, commandos and the Blockade…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-07-20]: Israeli commandos have boarded a ship that attempted to break the Gaza blockade [source: BBC News]. The power of the State has always been an important issue of discussion regarding international Law. What determines the limits of this power? Is it only Force, or a sense of Universal underlying law which – based on the virtue of “Right vs Wrong” – dictates a state’s legal actions? How can an action of isolating some people from the rest of the world be legal?

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Philosophy Wire: Democracy and the Dictatorship of Journalists…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-06-06]: The separation of powers is a prerequisite for a functioning democracy. But even more important is the independence of journalists. If those who are supposed to inform us are dependent, then how can we control those in power? When journalists say there is no danger of radiation when thousands of tones of radioactive water is poured into the sea (Japan), when they say that Iraq is a terrible military nuclear power we have to destroy (USA), when they strike without warning a day after the largest protest of citizens in the history of the country (Greece), that how can one become a Citizen with the way ancient Athenians defined “citizen” ?

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Philosophy Wire: Revolution with no cause, journey with no destination...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-05-09]: Clashes between Christians and Muslims in Egypt continue... The Revolution is completed. But why did it happen? If you do not know where you want to go, you usually go nowhere...

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Philosophy Wire: Monarchy, democracy & antiphasis we do not want to see...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-04-30]: How many people watched the royal wedding yesterday? Which was the largest number of people who watched the wedding of an elected politician? Why? Antiphasis of our era or a message which we do not want to read? Raw questions demand raw answers...

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Philosophy Wire: Carlos - Bush 1-0

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-04-17]: The film Carlos makes a success in cinemas these days. In contrast, the corresponding film about Bush a few years ago passed rather unnoticed... The life and work of a terrorist excite more interest than the life and works of an "elected" (?) president of a superpower. Words are sometimes superfluous...

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Philosophy Wire: Western democracy - Regression camouflaged?

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-04-13]: Mubarak and his sons are in prison. Berlusconi, however, will soon pass a law that would protect him from going to jail. Who said that Western democracy is progress?

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