To: NativeNewYorker
Anyone who has read Mill, of course, realizes that to him, and in 19th century England generally, "liberal" meant being free market oriented as opposed to those of inherited wealth in the British aristocracy, who believed in status. The terms have almost, but not quite, been completely reversed today in America. A "liberal" in 19th century England today in America would be considered libertarian conservative. It is somewhat dishonest for a professor of philosophy at a leading university to use Mill's version of liberalism as if it were equivalent to the Statists who call themselves liberal in America today. Mill had no confidence in the mechamisms of the State nor in the kind of speech fascism that is attendant upon modern American "liberalism." The trashing at Duke today of what today are labeled "conservative" thinkers and speakers and students would be appalling to John Stuart Mill.
30 posted on
02/11/2004 9:58:58 AM PST by
AmericanVictory
(Should we be more like them, or they like us?)
To: AmericanVictory
You are dead-on right. Interesting how philosophy professors feel perfectly at ease flat-out lying.
To: AmericanVictory
Excellent response.
74 posted on
02/11/2004 10:35:48 AM PST by
Helms
(Liberals believe we are Crash Dummies on the hectic highway of the Cosmos)
To: AmericanVictory
Anyone who has read Mill, of course, realizes that to him, and in 19th century England generally, "liberal" meant being free market oriented as opposed to those of inherited wealth in the British aristocracy, who believed in status.
The terms have almost, but not quite, been completely reversed today in America. A "liberal" in 19th century England today in America would be considered libertarian conservative. It is somewhat dishonest for a professor of philosophy at a leading university to use Mill's version of liberalism as if it were equivalent to the Statists who call themselves liberal in America today. Mill had no confidence in the mechamisms of the State nor in the kind of speech fascism that is attendant upon modern American "liberalism." Right. John Stuart Mill was a 'classical liberal' and a a rationalist would be aghast at the socialistic pretensions and irrational behavior of the 'liberal' elites.
The trashing at Duke today of what today are labeled "conservative" thinkers and speakers and students would be appalling to John Stuart Mill. Any decent intellectual would be ashamed of the vast wasteland that US humanities depts have become. They are barbaric palaces where yahoos scream insults at people and things that are decent, honorable and wise. The base their belief systems on easily refutable foundation and survive only through intimidation of views that are contrary; the whole PC facade survives through repression of opposition. They are the inmates and they run the asylum. Mill would be appalled.
84 posted on
02/11/2004 11:13:30 AM PST by
WOSG
(Support Tancredo on immigration. Support BUSH for President!)
To: AmericanVictory
You are exactly right here. In fact when Hayek wrote revisions of his famous work "The Road to Serfdom", he took considerable time and space in his forward to explain the word liberal as it was defined in that time; which was completely different than the definition of the word in our times. Either this professor is being deliberately missleading here, or he actually doesn't know the difference in the two meanings of the word liberal. Which wouldn't reflect very well on his intelligence!
To: AmericanVictory
I always admired another Scotsman, Adam Smith, for his spot on description of the average university as a "sanctuary in which exploded systems and obsolete prejudices find shelter and protection, after they have been hunted out of every other corner of the world."
To: AmericanVictory
" It is somewhat dishonest for a professor of philosophy at a leading university to use Mill's version of liberalism as if it were equivalent to the Statists who call themselves liberal in America today." Perfectly put AV.
121 posted on
02/11/2004 1:41:14 PM PST by
subterfuge
(John eFing Kerry, John eFing Kerry; John eFing Kerry!)
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