Has anyone read this little book?

[Epimethean]

I found it while looking for a book by John Dewey, and it had a strong vibe to it, so I took it home only to find it online as a pdf.

http://tarnac9.noblogs.org/gallery/5188/...nglish.pdf

[Chido-Wan Kenobi]

I found it while looking for a book by John Dewey, and it had a strong vibe to it, so I took it home only to find it online as a pdf.

http://tarnac9.noblogs.org/gallery/5188/...nglish.pdf

Epi, as a veteran of the 60's "culture wars", I believe I have a decent perspective of this rambling mess. A few points:

1. Society was not invented by anybody. It is simply the aggregate of smaller groups, motivated by common - and very simple - needs: food, shelter, security, Iphones, 3-D movies, etc. Hence, it is preposterous to think that fairly complex ideas on the Philosophy of Culture, Freedom and the Meaning of Life will ever constitute a rallying point for humans to drastically change their ways and behave.

2. The Lowest Common Denominator - the mob mentality - will win every time. This is why we need an organized society, with laws and their enforcement, to help keep the morons in line. Please watch a video of any street demonstration organized by the Tea Party, or a celebration of the fans of the winning team in any soccer tournament. We are our worst enemy. The People watch both reality shows and the stupid Royal Wedding on T.V. They listen to Limbaugh and Camping. They are proud to be as ignorant as Sarah Palin. More importantly, they are manipulated mercilessly by Fox News. Good luck getting this shapeless mass to do anything that requires thinking.

3. In the 1968 Paris uprising, a large number of young people impulsively followed a few radical leaders... until they got serious (for instance, by actually attacking government facilities). Then everybody remembered that they had homework to complete, college to finish and a job to find, to support themselves. I can't tell you how quickly the mob dissipated and the radicals were left holding the bag. Depending on your point of view, this may be a sad commentary of the nature of the human animal, but there you go...

4. The moment the powers that be detect a real danger to the status quo, they will land on top of the organizers like a ton of bricks. A commune that cultivates a few tomatoes and talks for hours and hours about the Revolution will never be perceived as a threat. How do I know? Well, they're still around.

May the Force be with you, or some such crap...

[Epimethean]

Fair points, chido. The fact that this sort of literature proliferates at certain times, and the fact that France and Greece are experiencing massive upheavals these past few years suggests that it is slightly more than imagination which spawned it, regardless of the terminology it uses to articulate the issue. I can imagine the same poo-pooing occuring in England during America's revolt, and for good reasons then, too.