Paul Krugman found a great quote from The Economist which was written in response to a proposal to build a sewer system in London. The Economist opposed the proposal using a traditional conservative rationale. The beneficent intentions of government lead to great harm. It is a mistake for governments to attempt to change the world before the public is ready for change. David Brooks could have written that opinion if he had been around in the good old days of Edmund Burke and others who thought like him.
The opposition of Republicans to beneficent intentions, like reducing carbon emissions, contains and element of conservative opposition to government directed change. In our modern world, however, politics are not based on philosophy. Lobbyists are more effective than philosophers in the legislative process. They are able to fund campaigns. The role of conservative philosophy is to provide a superior rationale for greed. Republicans need a higher order principle to justify their support for blocking government from doing things that are in the public interest.
No comments:
Post a Comment