Comments on: Incarnation & History – Part I http://www.thedarkglass.net/2008/08/26/incarnation-history-part-i/ Trying to nail down the shifting signifiers Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:23:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Roger Green http://www.thedarkglass.net/2008/08/26/incarnation-history-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-3262 Roger Green Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:55:57 +0000 http://www.thedarkglass.net/?p=235#comment-3262 "However, we are undermining our way of being through the means we use to protect our being. This is ironic." Got THAT right. Yup. I'm also interested in The Post-American World By Fareed Zakaria, based on seeing him on CBS Sunday Morning recently. As 21st century U.S. turns into 20th century Britain, how will Americans cope? “However, we are undermining our way of being through the means we use to protect our being. This is ironic.” Got THAT right.

Yup. I’m also interested in The Post-American World By Fareed Zakaria, based on seeing him on CBS Sunday Morning recently. As 21st century U.S. turns into 20th century Britain, how will Americans cope?

]]> By: Anthony Velez http://www.thedarkglass.net/2008/08/26/incarnation-history-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-3259 Anthony Velez Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:08:20 +0000 http://www.thedarkglass.net/?p=235#comment-3259 Roger - Thanks for the recommendation. I am a critical fan of Bill Moyers, and I will certainly look for the episode you mentioned. As far as the book you mentioned, I am definitely interested. However, I have a huge reading list, so it may take awhile before I can get to it. Based upon your description, it seems like their might be some affinities between that book and the insights of Reinhold Niebuhr, of whom I am a bigger and less critical fan. What I particularly like about Niebuhr is his use of irony to analyze history and politics. Applying his idea of irony, one example of how I see it currently expressing itself in American society is in how we have increased our security in response to terrorism to protect the American way. The American way is supposed to be based upon the sovereign rights of the individuals and the utmost freedoms that a society will allow. However, we are undermining our way of being through the means we use to protect our being. This is ironic. Roger – Thanks for the recommendation. I am a critical fan of Bill Moyers, and I will certainly look for the episode you mentioned. As far as the book you mentioned, I am definitely interested. However, I have a huge reading list, so it may take awhile before I can get to it. Based upon your description, it seems like their might be some affinities between that book and the insights of Reinhold Niebuhr, of whom I am a bigger and less critical fan. What I particularly like about Niebuhr is his use of irony to analyze history and politics. Applying his idea of irony, one example of how I see it currently expressing itself in American society is in how we have increased our security in response to terrorism to protect the American way. The American way is supposed to be based upon the sovereign rights of the individuals and the utmost freedoms that a society will allow. However, we are undermining our way of being through the means we use to protect our being. This is ironic.

]]> By: Roger Green http://www.thedarkglass.net/2008/08/26/incarnation-history-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-3258 Roger Green Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:23:21 +0000 http://www.thedarkglass.net/?p=235#comment-3258 Anthony - It's largely secular POV, but I must recommend to you the August 15 Bill Moyers Journal http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/transcript1.html It's about the book "The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism" by Andrew J. Bacevich, a conservative military guy who, belatedly has determined that Jimmy Carter was right about our addiction to oil. But it goes much broader than that, talking about trade imbalance, the materialism-fueled desire for cheap goods, deficit spending (governmental and individual), exporting "freedom" when we need to put our own house in order, abdication of the Congress to the Presidency over more than a half century. The book, BTW, is one in a series called the "American Empire Project" that PBS is doing. "Several noted scholars and writers are examine American aspirations at home and abroad, looking for ways to foster democracy without succumbing to imperial ambitions." Anthony – It’s largely secular POV, but I must recommend to you the August 15 Bill Moyers Journal http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/transcript1.html

It’s about the book “The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism” by Andrew J. Bacevich, a conservative military guy who, belatedly has determined that Jimmy Carter was right about our addiction to oil. But it goes much broader than that, talking about trade imbalance, the materialism-fueled desire for cheap goods, deficit spending (governmental and individual), exporting “freedom” when we need to put our own house in order, abdication of the Congress to the Presidency over more than a half century.

The book, BTW, is one in a series called the “American Empire Project” that PBS is doing. “Several noted scholars and writers are examine American aspirations at home and abroad, looking for ways to foster democracy without succumbing to imperial ambitions.”

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