This link has been bookmarked by 3 people . It was first bookmarked on 09 Jun 2008, by Gerhard Stoltz.
-
12 Jun 08
amar kasapThe age calls for a politician who has a sense of a mission which is informed by ideals, but also has a firm grip on the art of the possible, and an unshakable resolve to do his utmost to achieve it. And most significantly, Weber believes this figure mus
-
11 Jun 08
-
09 Jun 08
-
When Weimar fell, and the Nazis began their process of “leveling” the German academic world, they found little more than a whimper of opposition. Max Weber saw that coming.
-
He saw his country about to be pulped between the arrogant indifference of the cultural conservatives and the Machiavellian plottings of the Bolsheviks, for whom any tactics could be justified by the objective of realizing the socialist state.
-
Weber considered Bismarck to be little short of disastrous in the way he was crafting the internal political landscape of Germany. Instead of a vigorous and healthy democratic dialogue leading to the formation of political consensus, Germany had a powerful conservative establishment that placed all trust and confidence in the institutions and trappings of imperial power, starting with the military.
-
He sees that in the radicalization of the nation’s political landscape, in the stubborn refusal to seek out a “politics of the possible.”
-
Those who reject the political world as something beneath reproach, who refuse to “dirty their hands” with its business, draw Weber’s scorn.
-
The age calls for a politician who has a sense of a mission which is informed by ideals, but also has a firm grip on the art of the possible, and an unshakable resolve to do his utmost to achieve it. And most significantly, Weber believes this figure must be capable of holding these ultimately irreconcilable thoughts in mind, drawing inspiration from them, being sustained by them, without collapsing under the weight of the many inherent contradictions that the political process presents.
-
America does face a choice with great consequence for itself and for the entire world. And America in a sense does not just govern itself. The policies its government adopts mean the difference between life and death for millions beyond its frontiers. The responsibility faced by America’s voters is therefore especially earnest.
-
Avoid holding all those who contend as politicians in contempt, he says, but strive to hold them to account. Remember that they will shape the world in which you live and that each of you has the ability to affect somewhat whether it is more a bit of heaven or a bit of hell.
-
Would you like to comment?
Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.