December 2009
6 posts
6 tags
2 tags
Reclaiming Political Utopianism
By Michael Walzer.
Isaiah Berlin claimed that exciting utopian ideas can be dangerous to liberal democracy. Michael Walzer argues that dullness has its perils, too…
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“The Decline of Utopian Ideas in the West” is the title of an early essay by Isaiah Berlin, and it is one of the central themes of his work. ...
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Beneath the Many, One
By Peter Gordon.
Pluralism is only possible when we can agree how to disagree. But that deeper agreement shows that Berlin was a monist despite himself. A response to Isaiah Berlin and Michael Walzer.
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In response to Michael Walzer, I am tempted to say that Berlin’s greatest legacy may be his penchant for...
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Hubris
By Nadia Urbinati.
Italian democracy is in a state of emergency. We must reclaim our civic dignity.
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Mr. Berlusconi’s Government poses a serious threat to both civil liberties and democracy in Italy. It has also shown itself to present a serious problem for Europe. Hubrys dominandi seems to have rendered...
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Back the Crook. It's Important.
By Alexander Lee.
Silvio Berlusconi isn’t an ideal leader. In fact, he’s a crook. But sometimes, the crook is still the best option…
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By any ordinary standards, Silvio Berlusconi should have resigned as Prime Minister of Italy. In October, Italy’s Constitutional Court overturned the law granting him...
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Critical Exuberance
By Justin Fowler.
Forget sobriety: it’s time for architecture to get exuberant again!
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“Mourning is just extended self-pity.” -Don Draper, Mad Men
1. In the deftly arranged opening credits of AMC’s acclaimed television series, Mad Men, a silhouetted, well-tailored male figure falls deliriously through...