A few thoughts on the recent, very thoughtful and interesting discourse and debate, between Professors Brookes and Wolff, linked in the video below: To Professor Wolff:Bravo – brilliant crystalization. To Professor Brookes:Great respect for your human decency and moral sentiment of basic justice and compassion, certainly, but are you not
Continue readingTag: ideology
Dead Wild Roses: Cognitive Frames for Defining What Government Is – Richard Morrison
While reading Richer Morrison’s essay called Self-Defeating Environmental Activism this particular paragraph caught my eye ( I recommend reading the entire essay). “I call this unconstrained in part as a reference to the distinction the economist Thomas Sowell advanced, of a constrained vs. unconstrained view of society and government. The
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Further Reflections On Nationalism
I would emphasize there are better and worse forms of nationalism, but stress that nationalist political-economic policies can be highly beneficial for the people, as opposed to neoliberalism, globalism or neoconservatism, so long as they are combined with robust democracy, human rights and freedom, and a spirit of friendliness and
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Looking For New Maxims – Freedom, Exchange of Ideas, and Rights
I’m tired of being lied to by the Left and the Right. It’s been a rough couple of years for me as I’ve been riding a bit of a roller-coaster when it comes to demarcating my political position and adopting a cognitive frame in which to reasonably process the world.
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Is It Time For The NDP To Rebirth Itself
The North American right wing has been overtaken by a vile hateful Donald Trump inspired populist MAGA movement that has spawned the Freedumb Convoy types and infected the Canadian Conservative Party and what was once a principled conservative tradition in Canada, although you have to go back awhile to the
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Left, Right or Centre – Explainer
In today’s age of populism, with ideology apparently dead, how do you now if you are on the left or right or in the centre. There are indeed some basic philosophical positions that determine if you are on the right, left or in the centre. If you are on the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Origins of Woke Ideology – The Signal Productions
You cannot fight against what you do not know and understand. A helpful primer on what how the radical revolutionary left has come to power and influence in our society.
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Another Way of Looking at Political Parties in Canada
With Pierre Poilievre as the Tory leadership front runner I anticipate the Conservative and People’s parties fighting for the right wing fringe vote and collectively becoming the Party of the Deplorables. Wishful thinking sees the New Democratic Party returning to it’s ideological roots as a party of principles fighting for
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The God Fetish, the God Phobia, and the Fetish of Words: Or, The Idolatry of Ideology
There are some who will read my writing and think – he’s a dangerous right-winger! But if they read more, they will realize that is obviously untrue. Others will decide I am a dangerous leftist extremist; but if they read on, they will understand that I advocate non-violence, freedom, democracy
Continue readingScripturient: Will communism as a dominant political ideology ever make a comeback
I took the title from a discussion on Quora about whether Communism is dead or will re-emerge, and if so under what conditions. I don’t believe that the author of the post (Susanna Viljanen, from Aalto University in Finland) who opens that discussion wanted to see Communism arise again, but
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Fantasy and Indoctrination: Rough notes on a few fantasy novels: part two
Here are two more fantasy books that I could not get through. That makes three in a row. And to think, I had a love affair with Terry Brookes’ Shannara series! (I read something like 20 Shannara novels in a row, and loved all of them, other than the last
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Arbourist’s Anecdata – When Do Standards Get in the Way?
I’m not buying into the idea that there is some sort of perfect way of living one’s life – some ways are better than others, and those various ways appeal to different people…and so on and so forth. We’re not here talking about *your* choices and and preferences, but
Continue readingAlberta Politics: A Tale of Two Traitors: Or, does President Donald Trump even get this betrayal thing?
PHOTOS: Donald J. Trump – American Caligula, or just an American idiot? President Trump may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: H.A.R. Philby, as portrayed in a Soviet stamp, and Igor Sergeievich Gouzenko, Cold War side switchers. Sally Q. Yates, fired by Mr. Trump for “betraying” the Justice Department. Harold
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Changing Education Curriculum
The Alberta Government kicked off a major review and overhaul of the province's school curricula in June of 2016. Given that large tracts of the curricula haven't been reviewed or changed in a very long time, this seems to be a perfectly reasonable task for any government to undertake. The
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Changing Education Curriculum
The Alberta Government kicked off a major review and overhaul of the province's school curricula in June of 2016. Given that large tracts of the curricula haven't been reviewed or changed in a very long time, this seems to be a perfectly reasonable task for any government to undertake. The
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Gay/Lesbian Conversion Therapy for Liberals – Magdalen Berns
Well let’s take a look at the issue of sexual orientation and sexual preferences when it meets with some of the gender ideology that is popular today. It would seem, at least according to Ms.Berns, that it just homophobia dressed up to look and sound like its progressive and inclusive.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Conversations with Genderists
Spotted this conversation illustrating the oft heard charge (and wonderful riposte) that radical feminists are all about the biological essentialism. As demonstrated below, being aware of scientific fact and material reality is quite reasonable. The nerve of these radical feminists not bowing and scraping to gender ideology that fundamentally ignores
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: Podcast: The improbable rise of Jeremy Corbyn
So far this week, Jeremy Corbyn has caused over 100,000 new members to join the UK Labour Party he leads, has apologized for a war he opposed from the beginning and appears to have survived a coup attempt on his leadership. And despite his backstabbing MPs, he’s one of the few party leaders left […]
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Empiricism and Dogmatism
Or, Evidence-based opinion versus ideological fundamentalism There is a major difference between evidence-based opinion and opinion-based evidence. The former is empirical, and sane, the latter, dogmatic, and either insane or dishonest. There are always a few people, many in fact, who adopt an ideology first, then mold the facts to
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Empiricism and Dogmatism
Or, Evidence-based opinion versus ideological fundamentalism There is a major difference between evidence-based opinion and opinion-based evidence. The former is empirical, and sane, the latter, dogmatic, and either insane or dishonest. There are always a few people, many in fact, who adopt an ideology first, then mold the facts to
Continue reading