DAILY KOS PHILOSOPHY

If you want an example of the babytalk that passes for philosophy on Democrat cheerleader blogs like Daily Kos, check out "wilbur's" long ramble on Progressivism and liberalism. Note the detachment from the concrete and the Eurocentrism of a 19th-century American history that mentions "liberty" with no regard for a context of chattel slavery, wage slavery, male domination, or the genocide against First Nations peoples.

Let's start with the metaphysical intro: "I do believe (faith based perhaps?) that it is possible to unearth truths from history." Right, only the truths we unearth from history today spring not from metaphysics but rather from world-systems theory. And then I love the succeeding conclusion about the "dangers" of liberalism: "But there is a great deal of danger built in to the liberal position. If you believe you can make the world a better place through your vision, then you are willing to engage in any type of activity to achieve your vision. When you have competing ideologies this can lead to disaster." Another catch-all metaphysics about ideals, ostensibly applicable in equal manner to the ideals of a Gandhi or of a Hitler.

Lastly, you have this characterization of Dewey's beliefs:

1) Human beings were better at solving problems as a community rather than individually, but they often came up with ideas individually. If you could create a community where individuals listened to each other's ideas respectfully and worked together (without ego) to figure out which one was best, humans could accomplish enormous things even in the face of the gravest problems.

If you could create a community where individuals listened to each other's ideas respectfully, rather than ceding group power to a leader, you'd have a basis for democracy. Are the folks at Daily Kos going to classify democracy as idealism or realism? Stay tuned.