Comments on: The Sober Pessimist http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/ n. the principle of good order<br /><br /> "Observe the strange inversion of all order and sense! Dignity debased; how vilely is the function of a consul prostituted!" ~The Craftsman Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:02:13 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 hourly 1 By: I may look skinny, but I’m not made of straw « Upturned Earth || John Schwenkler http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/comment-page-1/#comment-10875 I may look skinny, but I’m not made of straw « Upturned Earth || John Schwenkler Tue, 20 May 2008 16:11:55 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/#comment-10875 [...] I may look skinny, but I’m not made of straw May 20, 2008, 9:11 am Filed under: conservatism, economics, government | Tags: big business, communitarianism, economies of scale, farming, free markets, infrastructure, Jim Manzi, libertarianism, Patrick Deneen, Peak Oil, regulation, small business, sprawl, Tim Carney In my post yesterday on the Patrick Deneen-Jim Manzi spat on Peak Oil and the appropriate responses thereto, I argued against using the state as a mechanism of social change: … in addition to being a reactionary neo-agrarian, I am also a somber, sober, what’s-the-point-anyway pessimist with a spectacular distaste for politics and political “solutions” and an abiding fear of what would happen if someone tried to tell my subdivision-dwelling, gas-guzzling father in law to change his lifestyle. (He’d shoot, that’s what.) While I’m all for, e.g., the prospect of slowly pulling the rug out from under the big air carriers, opening the skies to real competition, and waiting to see how things shake out, the idea that we - “America”, I mean, as opposed to the businesses that will stand to profit hugely if indeed this is the solution - ought to start building high-speed trains strikes me as foolish. I am, in short, a Deneen-loving Manziite, a Libertarian-Communitarian, one of those folks who wants to have his MacIntyre but Nozick, too. [...] [...] I may look skinny, but I’m not made of straw May 20, 2008, 9:11 am Filed under: conservatism, economics, government | Tags: big business, communitarianism, economies of scale, farming, free markets, infrastructure, Jim Manzi, libertarianism, Patrick Deneen, Peak Oil, regulation, small business, sprawl, Tim Carney In my post yesterday on the Patrick Deneen-Jim Manzi spat on Peak Oil and the appropriate responses thereto, I argued against using the state as a mechanism of social change: … in addition to being a reactionary neo-agrarian, I am also a somber, sober, what’s-the-point-anyway pessimist with a spectacular distaste for politics and political “solutions” and an abiding fear of what would happen if someone tried to tell my subdivision-dwelling, gas-guzzling father in law to change his lifestyle. (He’d shoot, that’s what.) While I’m all for, e.g., the prospect of slowly pulling the rug out from under the big air carriers, opening the skies to real competition, and waiting to see how things shake out, the idea that we – “America”, I mean, as opposed to the businesses that will stand to profit hugely if indeed this is the solution – ought to start building high-speed trains strikes me as foolish. I am, in short, a Deneen-loving Manziite, a Libertarian-Communitarian, one of those folks who wants to have his MacIntyre but Nozick, too. [...]

]]> By: That sound you just heard was the gauntlet being thrown down « Upturned Earth || John Schwenkler http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/comment-page-1/#comment-10824 That sound you just heard was the gauntlet being thrown down « Upturned Earth || John Schwenkler Mon, 19 May 2008 19:05:22 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/#comment-10824 [...] But the difficulty is that in addition to being a reactionary neo-agrarian, I am also a somber, sober, what’s-the-point-anyway pessimist with a spectacular distaste for politics and political “solutions” and an abiding fear of what would happen if someone tried to tell my subdivision-dwelling, gas-guzzling father in law to change his lifestyle. (He’d shoot, that’s what.) While I’m all for, e.g., the prospect of slowly pulling the rug out from under the big air carriers, opening the skies to real competition, and waiting to see how things shake out, the idea that we - “America”, I mean, as opposed to the businesses that will stand to profit hugely if indeed this is the solution - ought to start building high-speed trains strikes me as foolish. I am, in short, a Deneen-loving Manziite, a Libertarian-Communitarian, one of those folks who wants to have his MacIntyre, and Nozick too. [...] [...] But the difficulty is that in addition to being a reactionary neo-agrarian, I am also a somber, sober, what’s-the-point-anyway pessimist with a spectacular distaste for politics and political “solutions” and an abiding fear of what would happen if someone tried to tell my subdivision-dwelling, gas-guzzling father in law to change his lifestyle. (He’d shoot, that’s what.) While I’m all for, e.g., the prospect of slowly pulling the rug out from under the big air carriers, opening the skies to real competition, and waiting to see how things shake out, the idea that we – “America”, I mean, as opposed to the businesses that will stand to profit hugely if indeed this is the solution – ought to start building high-speed trains strikes me as foolish. I am, in short, a Deneen-loving Manziite, a Libertarian-Communitarian, one of those folks who wants to have his MacIntyre, and Nozick too. [...]

]]> By: Little Boots http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/comment-page-1/#comment-10804 Little Boots Sun, 18 May 2008 02:12:10 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/#comment-10804 That's a nice thought. Wish I could have that thought. Wish I could believe it still. That’s a nice thought. Wish I could have that thought. Wish I could believe it still.

]]> By: Benny One Six http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/comment-page-1/#comment-10790 Benny One Six Sat, 17 May 2008 21:27:01 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/#comment-10790 Things do come and go, but it seems to me that the important things stay the same... Man is no worse or better than he once was and maybe knows a little more about this and a little less about that than our ancestors... For me that is reassuring and not pessimistic... Things do come and go, but it seems to me that the important things stay the same…

Man is no worse or better than he once was and maybe knows a little more about this and a little less about that than our ancestors…

For me that is reassuring and not pessimistic…

]]> By: Little Boots http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/comment-page-1/#comment-10778 Little Boots Sat, 17 May 2008 15:32:33 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/05/17/the-sober-pessimist/#comment-10778 Other optimists cling to the idea a perfect God with a perfect love who will resolve things in a perfect heaven after we finally achieve the ultimate decline of death. They seem equally deluded, at least to me. The meaninglessness goes so much deeper than that. I hope Rod gets back soon with that round of beers. Or did we switch to whiskey? Other optimists cling to the idea a perfect God with a perfect love who will resolve things in a perfect heaven after we finally achieve the ultimate decline of death. They seem equally deluded, at least to me. The meaninglessness goes so much deeper than that.

I hope Rod gets back soon with that round of beers. Or did we switch to whiskey?

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