Jul 10, 2004
A Concrete Example
[cross-posted at Austro-Athenian Empire]
After the libertarian (r)evolution, when there's no more news about presidents and senators and occupation forces, what will fill our newspapers?
After all, as Gertrude Himmelfarb teaches us, the political realm is the Realm of the Rational. So after the death of politics, as Karl Hess called it, won’t we be thrown back on what Himmelfarb considers the irrational"inanimate forces" of civil society?
On the other hand, Hess described politics as a form of"residual magic" that"denies the rational nature of man." So maybe, just maybe, there's scope for rational activity outside the political sphere. And in a libertarian society some of the front page space currently devoted to blather about the State might give some attention to actual, rational achievements of the sort that under the current régime get buried somewhere in the back pages.
Which brings me to a subject far more interesting, and far better deserving of respectful attention, than the sanguinary antics of the ruling class. I refer of course to concrete.
The concrete of the future, that is. Concrete that's stronger, more flexible, and – would you believe transparent?
Well, translucent anyway.
Check out the story here.
After the libertarian (r)evolution, when there's no more news about presidents and senators and occupation forces, what will fill our newspapers?
After all, as Gertrude Himmelfarb teaches us, the political realm is the Realm of the Rational. So after the death of politics, as Karl Hess called it, won’t we be thrown back on what Himmelfarb considers the irrational"inanimate forces" of civil society?
On the other hand, Hess described politics as a form of"residual magic" that"denies the rational nature of man." So maybe, just maybe, there's scope for rational activity outside the political sphere. And in a libertarian society some of the front page space currently devoted to blather about the State might give some attention to actual, rational achievements of the sort that under the current régime get buried somewhere in the back pages.
Which brings me to a subject far more interesting, and far better deserving of respectful attention, than the sanguinary antics of the ruling class. I refer of course to concrete.
The concrete of the future, that is. Concrete that's stronger, more flexible, and – would you believe transparent?
Well, translucent anyway.
Check out the story here.