David Sirota came and talked about his new book, 'The Uprising' at the Oakland Democracy for America meet-up on June 11, 2008. During the Q and A, I asked David how conservative values have failed and he talked about the failure of Conservative Economic Darwinism. The full video of his 70 minute talk is now online.
Social Darwinism is a theory that competition among all individuals, groups, nations or ideas drives social evolution in human societies. The term draws upon Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, where competition between individual organisms drives biological evolutionary change (speciation) through the survival of the fittest.
The term was popularized in 1944 by the American historian Richard Hofstadter, and has generally been used by critics rather than advocates of what the term is supposed to represent.
While the term has been applied to the claim that Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection can be used to understand the social endurance of a nation or country, social Darwinism commonly refers to ideas that predate Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species. Others whose ideas are given the label include the 18th century clergyman Thomas Malthus, and Darwin's cousin Francis Galton who founded eugenics towards the end of the 19th century.
Failed Conservative Values I ask for your assistance to systematically build the arguments and tell the stories that reveal how Conservative Values have Failed. Join in our effort to create a documentary and book on the subject by contributing articles, posts, chapters for the book and video clips. Check our website for more information and a growing outline of tasks that need to be done on this project.
as you can see values are more feeling based and principles are more reason/intellectually based concepts.
the values behind social Darwinism is that each person is in it for themselves. a survival of the fittest. it's a justification for the values of; selfishness, greed, indifference, self-centeredness, etc.. What other actual values come to mind?
by
Edwin Rutsch (57 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 139 comments)
on Friday, June 13, 2008 at 5:47:10 PM
The left side of the aisle would be wise to can the propaganda about "Failed conservative vaules."
There is no such thing as failed values.
Humans fail, values are timeless and as good for man today as they were 10,000 years ago, and will be 10,000 years from now.
Values don't change. People do.
So instead of saying "Failed conservative values" which is not true to begin with and mere propaganda spin to demonize the right with... I would say "the conservatives have failed the values" we all hold dear.
Simple as that!
KG
by
Levin Sheridan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 174 comments)
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 8:39:44 AM
"70 percent of the country says we're going in the wrong direction."
On this point we agree.
You said: "that's failed conservative values."
On this point we shall continue to disagree. I will only accept this statement as "That's failed conservatives." Failed humans. NOT values. Values can not fail and I am not able to get this across the table here.
This is nothing more than a political proaganda spin phrase from the left wing who want to focus the attention of whoever hears this to contemplate that what really failed here was not the humans, but the values those humans put forward. Why that is what failed! Right? Wrong. The spin stops here.
There is no such thing as failed conservative values.
Let me show you an example. I am a conservative and I say stealing is wrong. This is the value I want to put forward. And if I steal while putting this forward does NOT mean the value of it has failed. It means that I have failed to live up the expectation of that "value" of not stealing.
Stealing today is the same as stealing 100 years from now. The values DO NOT change. The humans do. Values are absolute. Carved in stone. The Hebrew 10 commandments are an example of this value system carved in stone for all time. The values DO NOT fail.
For anyone to utter the phrase "failed conservative values" shows to me they are doing so for political purposes centering on 'vote grabbing' with phrase-ology which is really nothing more than a political cheap shot with a simple play on words for political gain is all this is to me.
So let's just agree to disagree on this one. You have your spin on it and I have mine!
KG
by
Levin Sheridan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 174 comments)
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 1:13:58 PM
it's like the adult telling the spoiled child to behave. You still love them, but you have to teach them to play fair and not be like spoiled self centered brats. They may not like to hear that their self centernesss is destructive, but it's important for their personal growth and for a good society.. It's very different from the name calling, demeaning , talk that conservatives do.
by
Edwin Rutsch (57 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 139 comments)
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 9:23:15 AM
"It's very different from the name calling, demeaning , talk that conservatives do."
I am an ultra-extremist right winger. I am so far right wing the middle can't see me!
Anyways... I still say values can't fail. And to date I have yet to see any such "values" carried out by either side...
Greed and power rule on both sides as well as the nastiness as we all just witnessed with the failed Hillary campaign.
Politics is not the solution for the problems we are presently facing. I think it will go beyond that in time when all conditions are in place... Republican, Democrat, lefty, righty, it won't make any difference then.
KG
by
Levin Sheridan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 174 comments)
on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 12:58:22 PM
also, I think your confusing virtues and ideals with values.
also, I think your confusing virtues and ideals with values.
Values themselves are what actually is. For example the Failed Conservative Values of self-righteousness and hypocrisy. There are whole websites with the lists of conservatives with this hypocrisy. i.e. chasing after young congressional pages, etc. etc, etc,
Greed (i.e. as an example and the Conservative culture of corruption) are the actual lived experiences. What is, is the value.
Conservative Values of self-righteousness, hypocrisy, greed have definitely failed.
