Ain’t ism
I’m “ain’t ism”. I ain’t any ism. If there’s any formal political persuasion you can put a name on, it’s virtually certain that I disagree with it in some way, on at least one substantial issue almost always because of practical evaluation of outcomes, given that I’m not particularly impressed by ideology … The whole point of my article was that I don’t think I fit into any boxes—Steven Den Beste
The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.—John Maynard Keynes The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1973 [1936]: 383-4).
25 years as an engineer has made me “ruthlessly pragmatic” (as one reader put it) and made me deeply suspicious of anyone who proposes solutions because they fit some established ideology, rather than because they actually bring about the best result. My orientation is on consequences and results …—Steven Den Beste
Doing social theory (never mind formulating social policy) would be a lot easier if “the best results” were as easily separable from “ideology” as the actual performance of a car is separable from its advertising campaign.
5 Comments