- Capitalism and Alternatives -

I dont know if this is any use but I wish you luck.

In Reply to: How do realism,capitalism and democracy relate? posted by Mike Cook on February 02, 19100 at 11:51:26:

: I have to write a five page essay on that subject but it has to be related to the following works: N.Machiavelli-the discourses, I.Kant-political writings, T.Hobbes-The leviathan, M.Friedman-capitalism and freedom, M.Weber-From modernism to postmodernism, A.Giddens-beyond left and right.
: I am having trouble finding a common relation between the topics in the previous readings. Any help as well as a suggestion for a good thesis would be appreciated. I just need a push in the right direction to get the juices flowing. I am a first year political science student.

That seems like a wil' ol' collection of books there can't you introduce any of your own titles into the work?

Right basically what you've got there are a selection of books which trumphet laissez faire, unmoderated capitalism, Weber and Giddens think we live in an age where this is quality becoming inevitable and irrestible (hey did anyone catch the Seality conflict, it's unresistable, yeah right!), Firedmann thinks it is the idealic order, a recipe for freedom (yeah only if your rich), I dont know about Kant but Hobbes book is about how terrible the state is, that people end up admiring it like an earthly god when they should all be content with subserviance to the masters of the market place (Hobbes writes with a very cynical and religious tone, man is evil because of original sin, therefore a no nonsense capitalist regime should police him into the ground), I've not read any Kant but I think he suggested that people could change things if they so willed it, that the only criteria for change was the human will, Machavelli is remembered as the devilish original spin doctor who advised the autocracy of Italy how to create an all prevailing statism BUT in The Discourses he is a sincere Republican who suggests that the most democratic decisions are the most popular and any measure that is not democratic or popular is not going to be sustainable for long, or will be easily resisted.

Now I dont know if this is any use but I wish you luck.

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