On 1 Jan 2005 20:33:23 +0700, "Chris Lasdauskas"
wrote:

Gunner quoting, with seeming approval, a liberal (real, not american
definition) who tended towards socialism in his old age... what next?

Chris

Im a Liberal, (not American definition), so why would I not quote
Mills?

Well, because you seem more of a right-wing liberal (what a lot of
people call libertarian, although I think a better description of you
would be economically conservative/ socially liberal) whereas as dear
old JS was a left-wing liberal in most people's view (and a Utopian
Socialist from an economist's point of view) ; and because you spend
an inordinate amount of time slagging off liberals (I'm with you
there, Comrade! )


Chuckle..I am what is called a Classical Liberal, not the twisted
political hodgepoge known as New Liberal or New Socialist that uses
the label liberal in the USA. And indeed, that may be well defined as
a fiscal conservative/social liberal.

As to his lapse into an interest into socialism, senile dementia is
such a terrible thing in the elderly.

Given that his 'lapse' is recognisable in
_Principles_of_Political_Economy_ which was published when he was 43,
I doubt that senile dementia comes into it

Chris

G

They went mad earlier G

Mills did indeed have some interesting Ideas, and I approve of some,
disapprove of others. Very much like classical composers, there is
music written by a composer that I like and he may also have written
something that sucks big green loggies.

Mills dabbled in many political philosophies. Mills like many others
of his and later times, explored many different ideas. The
Enlightenment was an interesting time frame.

Of course the fathers of modern conservatism are Burke and
Locke...with contributions from many others.

Later day savants like Russel Kirk are interesting to read as well.

Shrug

"Even a stopped clock is right twice a day"
G

Gunner

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling
which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight,
nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being
free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
- John Stewart Mill