[EM] (2): UK 'post mortem', 2nd discussion between Steve and Fred Gohlke

[Fred Gohlke]

Good Afternoon, Alexander Praetorius

I've reviewed your comments a couple of times and find elements worthy 
of note.

It seems to me you stress self-reliance as the cornerstone of democracy 
and equate self-reliance to self-employment.  Don't we need to recognize 
that the opportunities for self-employment are more restricted than they 
once were?  The old saying, "Go West, young man.", doesn't have the 
promise it had years ago.  Opening your own sandwich shop is pretty 
tough when chains of fast-food joints flood the community.

We may disagree about the importance of self-employment, but we are in 
agreement about a basic need of society.  You said, the people "... have 
to start co-deciding with the people they meet every day and about the 
way they want to do business".  I would say the people have to start 
co-deciding with the people they meet every day and about the way they 
want to be governed.

You continue, "... Only if they do that, they will discover and want 
more influence in all kinds of aspects of their lives....", and you are 
right.  You echo the thoughts of Dr. Alasdair MacIntyre, who said that 
politics should be "a conception of political activity as one aspect of 
the everyday activity of every adult capable of engaging in it".  He 
went on to say, "Human beings, as the kind of creatures we are, need the 
internal goods/goods of excellence that can only be acquired through 
participation in politics if we are to flourish.  Therefore, everyone 
must be allowed to have access to the political decision-making process."

Because of the similarity in your views, you might enjoy The Political 
Philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre in The Internet Encyclopedia of 
Philosophy, at:

http://www.iep.utm.edu/p/p-macint.htm

Fred Gohlke