Thursday, September 27, 2018

Every man or Everyman

In Straw Dogs John Gray famously observed that "Humanity does not exist. There are only humans, driven by conflicting needs and illusions, and subject to every kind of infirmity of will and judgement."

Yesterday an auditorium full of multilateralists laughed at a self-styled patriot. If it had been a room full of patriots listening to a multilateralist they had pre-disrespected, there would probably have also been a few guffaws picked up on the mikes. It's always fun to mock someone else's needs and illusions. 

It seems to me that the key question now is which of these illusions might be better equipped to handle the catastrophes to come: the every man (as long as he's a patriot) for himself worldview, or the wishful thinking approach to everyman worldview.


1 comment:

norm said...

In the case of England trying to cut its ties with the political group across the channel, it will be about the money should it all go down in March. If the action costs too much, the money folk will come up with something that scopes that money off the table that leaving the union will maybe necessitate. For the Europeans to prosper, to really take advantage of their economic power and demographic size, federalism is where they will go in the future. The current fandango will pass.
Here in the US, the first sign of a real downturn will see Mr. Trump under the bus.