Difference between revisions of "Tem"

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==APR 5==
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==NOV 30==
  
Audio from class: [http://alfino.org/audiofromclass/30114APR03.m4a] [http://alfino.org/audiofromclass/30117APR03.m4a]
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:*3 scenarios:  Mega Car Wash, [http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/nov/01/smelter-plans-raise-concerns/#/0 Newport Smelter], Amazon HQ2
  
===The Moral Foundations of Social Conservatism and Nationalism (Trumpism)===
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===Galbraith, Dependency Effect===
  
::*Major demographics of current political scene: fate of non-STEM economy, rural working whites earning depressed, suicide epidemic in this demographic; US in foreign military interventions with bad or ambiguous outcomes.  
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:*Problem of intertemporal comparison: Who's to say that status pleasures aren't as important to us now as basic satisfactions were to our poor predecessors?  It is repugnant to think that desires never lose their urgence, but maybe that's the case.
  
:*The following is a pretty general "CFLAS" analysis of both traditional conservatism and more recently nationalist versions. Important not to assume that all conservatives or all nationalists believe everything below.  
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:*Flaw in the view of someone who accepts this case: If our desires and wants are "contrived by the process of production", they are not original with us and therefore can't be "urgent" for usThe whole case for accommodating business production (through infrastructure, tax breaks, etc.) falls apart if the production system is creating the needs.   
::*Care/Harm: primary arena for promoting care is within family structure and private associations.  Rejects collective movements to prevent group harms (civil rights).
 
::*Fairness/Cheating:  For conservatives, a more proportional than egalitarian way of looking at this. Gov't regulation unfair to elites who deserve more respect and authority, Gov't spending unfair redistribution to those often perceived as undeserving.
 
::*Loyalty/Betrayal: Differential success of workers in stem economy feels like betrayalMultilateralism in international politics also.
 
::*Authority/Subversion: Sensitivity to police over Black Lives Matter; more willing to allow powerful to be authoritative (plutocracy); perceives collective regulatory action as limitation of authority of elites.
 
::*Sanctity/Degradation: Shift from sanctity of environment, to seeing (among isolationist) "impurity" in immigration, advocacy of white cultural identity.   
 
  
:*Random bumper sticker on a truck in downtown Spokane, seen just after election'''Annoy a LiberalWork. Succeed. Be happy.'''
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:*Develops his view in Section 2Not against consumer wants, but little doubt that many are contrivedCites Keynes on insatiability of status needs. "the desire to get superior goods takes on a life of its own" "The urge to consume is fathered by the value system which emphaasizes the abilityt of the society to produce." (GDP)
  
===Singer, One World Now, Ch 3, "One Law"===
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:*Section 3: advertising and salesmanship (no social media yet).  It's a problem if the producer makes the goods and the desire for the goods.  Note that is calling into question the idea that the consumer is really autonomous.  "independently determined wants"
  
:*Issues addresses: genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, crimes against humanityCites biblical source authorizing genocide against the Midianites.  Pretty typical for pre-ag humans.    125 detail  This is the 1st reason.
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:*Read Section 4.   
:*Pinker hypothesis in ''Better Angels of Our Nature'': violence down globally by every measure. 
 
:*2nd reason: groups don't need much of a cause to commit violence
 
:*3rd reason: human historical tribal violence seems to fit with evolutionary predictions: kill the men, boys, and most of the women, capture the virgins.
 
:*Chimps have similar capacity for violence. Countervailing force: We're also good at making relationships (note relevant moral foundations).  cites difficulty in getting European soldiers to kill each other. 
 
:*Conclusion he draws:  You need a bigger authority to create fear of punishment.
 
  
:*Rise of Inter'l Criminal Law
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===Bruni & Zamagni, Chapter 1: What is Civil Economy?===
::*Nuremberg, 1984 Conventional Against Torture,
 
::*Problem of universal jurisdiction, history of cases 131: Eichmann, Hissene Habre, Pinochet
 
::*2001 Princeton Principles on Universal Jurisdiction.  - still, potential to politicize judicial process.  structural problem.
 
::*better strategy might be international criminal courts.  1998 ICC.  International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Handled Milosevic case in the Hague, which is where ICC is.  US relationship to the treaty.  136
 
::*2006 Thomas Lubanga case, Congo.  child soldiers, atrocities
 
  
:*From Judicial intervention after the fact to "responsibility to protect"
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:*With globalization, we've stopped talking critically about capitalism and simply treat it like a fact of natureThere are still lots of critics, but they don't agree and leave is trapped, as if still in the womb.
::*what is criterion for intervention (in the sovreignty of another country): "shock to the conscience"  problems of subjectivity in both directions: false positives/negatives.
 
::*Kofi Anan: UN charter commits to standard of protection of civilians.141
 
::*work of ICISS commission to address this question, "responsibility to protect" accepted at 2005 UN Summit.
 
::*Invoked in Cote d'Ivoire election standoff with Laurnet Gbagbo.  Libyan case 148. 
 
::*Does a state need the UN Security council to approve intervention:  Anan raised question hypothetically in relation to Rwanda.   
 
::*Some limits to UN model under current charter.  Obligated to respect state sovereignty. Reconciling intervention with charter depends upon any of three possibilities:
 
:::*1. Violating human rights is a threat to peace.
 
:::*2. Tyranny is a threat to peace.
 
:::*3. Sovereignty doesn't include committing crimes against the ruled.
 
  
:*1. Violating human rights is a threat to peace.
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:*"Civil Economy" refers to the idea that we ought to assess the performance of the economy in relation to its effect on the "civitas" the citizens and community(Historically connected to a "golden age" of thought in economics in the 18thc, 2nd half, but also, to earlier Roman concepts such as "felicitas publica".
::*Used in 91 Iraq, 90s Somalia, 04 Haiti 11 Libya
 
::*Singer is sympathetic to the consequentialist thinking behind this claim, but thinks it is a fiction and likely to be abused.
 
  
:*2. Tyranny is a threat to peace.
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:*But civil economy isn't an alternative to capitalism. More of a "laboratory of thought" to help us tell a different story about relationship of capitalism to the common good'''Not''' about the freedom of the individual ''from'' the society, but not anti-capitalism.    
::*Similar problem here.  There are counterexamples ("democratic" states that still commit crimes against citizens), but general problem is same as 1.  too broad a standardNo strong theory of link between democracy and peace.
 
  
:*3. Sovereignty doesn't include committing crimes against the ruled.
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:*Civil economy may involve different way of thinking about cooperation in capitalism. Current model: strong intentional cooperation within the firm, weak non-intentional cooperation outside the firm.  But you can have different models.  Italian familial capitalism (Olivetti, Ferrero (Nutella) planned industrial capitalism. (Lots of other examples not referenced here: managerial capitalism in Netherlands and many Scandinavian countries, which are also highly competitive economies.)
::*best standard, supported by ICISS, tight connection to UN charter language.
 
  
:*Does democracy prevent genocide?  
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:*The American Model: Anonymous markets, communities compete for businesses (Newport smelter). Financialization of the economy, finance capitalism: fr. Wiki: "Finance capitalism or financial capitalism is the subordination of processes of production to the accumulation of money profits in a financial system. Financial capitalism is thus a form of capitalism where the intermediation of saving to investment becomes a dominant function in the economy, with wider implications for the political process and social evolution: since the late 20th century it has become the predominant force in the global economy, whether in neoliberal or other form.   
::*Rwanda moving toward democracy, but most cases not democratic states157
 
  
:*Does Military intervention cause more harm than good?
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:*"With the financialization of the economy has come the idea that speculative finance creates much more wealth, and far more quickly, than productive labour."14  "Exaltying the merits of themarket, narrow conformist hinking reached the conclusion that the world is what markets make it to be, and not citizen, not even governments, should have the power to correct it s course." 18.   
::*Good example might be Iraq, (650,000 dead) in which intervention created a political vacuumA failed state. Also Libya.
 
  
:*Cultural Imperialism, Relativism and a Global Ethic
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:*Need to bring demomcracy and capitalism into coherent, cooperative relationshipArguably, global capitalism has weakened the power of nation states and communities.   Competition of communities for business.
::*mistake to argue that all forms of intervention are imperialismcomplete relativism doesn't make sense.  Must be possibility of argument across cultures.  Respecting a culture and critiquing it are compatible activities
 
::*right to intervene & duty to intervene.  
 
::*UN reform: Security Council veteos dont' make sense anymore.  Super majorities might.
 
::*problem with General Assembly.  Represents states, not populations.  170
 
  
===Group Discussion===
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===Bruni & Zamagni, Chapter 6: Why GDP is not enough?===
  
:*Locate your views in relation to our discussion of both the moral appeal of isolationism and conservatism and Singer's advocacy of a form of world government. Keep track of questions and concerns that arise in the discussionReport on Google group form.
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:*Thesis:  We need additional measures of well-being to add to or replace our reliance on GDP.  Analogy of multi-stage cycling races: There are many things to compete for in addition winning the overall race.  GDP is just the sprinter's jersey.  Promoting SWB is the overall goal.
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:*Historical discussion:  Smith's Wealth of Nations not just about individual production and riches, but well-being.  Examples of texts from Neopolitan School Genovesi: "Work for your own interest, of course, but don't make others miserable by your gain, work also for public happiness. ....p. 88.  Adds "public happiness" to "liberty, fraternity, and equality"
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:*Critique of GDP: lumps good and bad economic activity together, some stats keepers even consider illegal economic activity.  job creation predicts economic activity, but doesn't tell you about the quality of the jobs.  "There are awful jobs." (smelt, smelt).  GDP relatively new concept (1930s, against background of mercantilist approach which includes wealth of land, resources, labour, capital and stocks.  (A stock is any supply of goods of any kind. Stock Market.)
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:*More critique of GDP: Arguably, "stocks" matter more than "flows" (GDP).  Concern about environment is concern about stocks, migration is about human resources, a "stock", security is a stock(In food studies, egronomists argue about soil and aquifer quality as a neglected stock.)

Revision as of 20:08, 30 November 2017

NOV 30

Galbraith, Dependency Effect

  • Problem of intertemporal comparison: Who's to say that status pleasures aren't as important to us now as basic satisfactions were to our poor predecessors? It is repugnant to think that desires never lose their urgence, but maybe that's the case.
  • Flaw in the view of someone who accepts this case: If our desires and wants are "contrived by the process of production", they are not original with us and therefore can't be "urgent" for us. The whole case for accommodating business production (through infrastructure, tax breaks, etc.) falls apart if the production system is creating the needs.
  • Develops his view in Section 2: Not against consumer wants, but little doubt that many are contrived. Cites Keynes on insatiability of status needs. "the desire to get superior goods takes on a life of its own" "The urge to consume is fathered by the value system which emphaasizes the abilityt of the society to produce." (GDP)
  • Section 3: advertising and salesmanship (no social media yet). It's a problem if the producer makes the goods and the desire for the goods. Note that is calling into question the idea that the consumer is really autonomous. "independently determined wants"
  • Read Section 4.

Bruni & Zamagni, Chapter 1: What is Civil Economy?

  • With globalization, we've stopped talking critically about capitalism and simply treat it like a fact of nature. There are still lots of critics, but they don't agree and leave is trapped, as if still in the womb.
  • "Civil Economy" refers to the idea that we ought to assess the performance of the economy in relation to its effect on the "civitas" the citizens and community. (Historically connected to a "golden age" of thought in economics in the 18thc, 2nd half, but also, to earlier Roman concepts such as "felicitas publica".
  • But civil economy isn't an alternative to capitalism. More of a "laboratory of thought" to help us tell a different story about relationship of capitalism to the common good. Not about the freedom of the individual from the society, but not anti-capitalism.
  • Civil economy may involve different way of thinking about cooperation in capitalism. Current model: strong intentional cooperation within the firm, weak non-intentional cooperation outside the firm. But you can have different models. Italian familial capitalism (Olivetti, Ferrero (Nutella) planned industrial capitalism. (Lots of other examples not referenced here: managerial capitalism in Netherlands and many Scandinavian countries, which are also highly competitive economies.)
  • The American Model: Anonymous markets, communities compete for businesses (Newport smelter). Financialization of the economy, finance capitalism: fr. Wiki: "Finance capitalism or financial capitalism is the subordination of processes of production to the accumulation of money profits in a financial system. Financial capitalism is thus a form of capitalism where the intermediation of saving to investment becomes a dominant function in the economy, with wider implications for the political process and social evolution: since the late 20th century it has become the predominant force in the global economy, whether in neoliberal or other form.
  • "With the financialization of the economy has come the idea that speculative finance creates much more wealth, and far more quickly, than productive labour."14 "Exaltying the merits of themarket, narrow conformist hinking reached the conclusion that the world is what markets make it to be, and not citizen, not even governments, should have the power to correct it s course." 18.
  • Need to bring demomcracy and capitalism into coherent, cooperative relationship. Arguably, global capitalism has weakened the power of nation states and communities. Competition of communities for business.

Bruni & Zamagni, Chapter 6: Why GDP is not enough?

  • Thesis: We need additional measures of well-being to add to or replace our reliance on GDP. Analogy of multi-stage cycling races: There are many things to compete for in addition winning the overall race. GDP is just the sprinter's jersey. Promoting SWB is the overall goal.
  • Historical discussion: Smith's Wealth of Nations not just about individual production and riches, but well-being. Examples of texts from Neopolitan School Genovesi: "Work for your own interest, of course, but don't make others miserable by your gain, work also for public happiness. ....p. 88. Adds "public happiness" to "liberty, fraternity, and equality"
  • Critique of GDP: lumps good and bad economic activity together, some stats keepers even consider illegal economic activity. job creation predicts economic activity, but doesn't tell you about the quality of the jobs. "There are awful jobs." (smelt, smelt). GDP relatively new concept (1930s, against background of mercantilist approach which includes wealth of land, resources, labour, capital and stocks. (A stock is any supply of goods of any kind. Stock Market.)
  • More critique of GDP: Arguably, "stocks" matter more than "flows" (GDP). Concern about environment is concern about stocks, migration is about human resources, a "stock", security is a stock. (In food studies, egronomists argue about soil and aquifer quality as a neglected stock.)