Elementary proposition again. We must recognise two levels of discourse about politics. I think discourse about politics would be much better were we capable of recognising this. We should recognise it – philosophically. The reason we do not recognise it, or are not reminded of it often enough, certainly not by politicians, is because its denial is of political benefit. We do not recognise it – politically.
Is that clear? I think there are two levels of discourse. There is the level of the philosopher, who stands outside politics, and the level of the politician, who stands within it. But this truth is obscured by the fact that for those in one of those levels of discourse (i.e., where the politicians are) it is found useful to deny this and also to move between one level and the other without saying so. The science!
1. If we are political in our discourse, then we are within the world of politics and its problems and we are taking sides on those problems.
2. If we are philosophical in our discourse, then we are attempting to stand outside the world of politics and we are refusing to take sides on those problems.
I say: there is too much political discourse in politics, and not enough philosophical.
I am not saying this to engage in fantasies of a Thomas More or Plato.
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I was once criticized at work by a US American lady who quite rightly said people wearing ties should not swear.
Now we have a US President who swears and he is to be labelled a philosopher?
Regardless of his promises (mainly good) and achievements (sadly disappointing), his language is more that of a spoilt child suffering from continual tantrums.
Just consider his recent Truth Social post on Iran:
Why would the so-called “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so. As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie. His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life. I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, “THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!” In fact, in the final act of the War, I demanded that Israel bring back a… Read more »
The “discourse” today is centred on philosophical Socialism, where the State is supreme, where there are no moral absolutes, sprinkled with abstractions, slogans, where conclusions are delivered as fact without evidence, where it is demanded we believe what we know not to be true, and reject what we do know to be true, we are told what words must not be used, and told what words must be used, and any who question, dissent, or oppose are vilified, demonised, cast out, harassed by the police or even prosecuted under restrictive legislation.
Is that philosophical or political or just a citizen who is pissed-off and fed up with the whole circus of clowns?
Trump wasn’t a politician which is why his first term was so rocky. He learned politics between 2020 and 2024.
Philosophical Socialism?
What other sort is there?
Let’s see how it works out for the UK. 🙂
The Trump is quite wrong. Russia knows what it is doing – fighting for its existence.
The entire weight of NATO against it. $ 1 Trillion spent fighting it, using the Uke army as a proxy. 1 million dead Ukes, 100.000 dead Russians – for what? So Trump and NATO can annexe the Uketopia and take its resources and set up bases facing Kursk?
So philosopher Trump, whom I broadly support, is missing the philosophical point. An existential struggle induces clarity and desperation. The Russians are very clear about their reasons to fight. Maybe people should listen.
Trump the philosopher could end that war by withdrawing all support. Maybe he needs to be more of a statesman, not someone swearing whilst missing the main reasons there is a war – the CIA and NATO.
I have said it numerous times before. Listen to what Putin says, not what Western propagandists say he said.
And in Trump’s case, listen to what he says, not how he says it.
Or rather pay attention to what he does not what he says.
Where do you get your casualty figures from? Most wars that are slugging
Matches, like this one, end up with about the same casualties on both sides.
Absolutely correct. Here’s the outstanding historian Professor Jeffrey Sachs:
https://tuckercarlson.com/tucker-show-jeff-sachs-2025
Notice that in our “Empire of Censorship” we are never allowed to hear a single word that Russia has to say. Speeches, Press Conferences, Interviews by Russian officials such as President Putin, Foreign Minister Lavrov, press spokesman Peskov are happening all the time, at the UN Security Council, at the G20 meetings, all over the world, YET OUR MAX-CENSORSHIP MEDIA prevents a single word from the Russians from being heard by the British people.
My own summary, pushed through the doors wherever I saw a Ukraine flag, resulted in the majority being taken down, in essence:
America started the Ukraine war as long ago as 2014, when it led the illegal coup in Kiev, along with Britain & the EU. By 2015 there were 12 CIA bases in Ukraine, and US military personnel in Crimea, looking for sites for a NATO base.
* 2014 EU/US/UK coup in Kiev, CIA enters Ukraine, 12 CIA/NATO bases set up, covert military ops against Donbass …Russians, & inside Russia itself. Revealed in New York Times 25 February 2024 (NYT paywall mirrored by Hawaii Herald):
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/02/26/nation-world-news/the-spy-war-how-the-cia-secretly-helps-ukraine-fight-putin/
* 2014 on: New Ukraine gov., backed by US… Read more »
Both Angela Merkel and François Hollande admitted they purposely used the Minsk agreements to enable Ukraine to have more time to build up its military and receive more arms from the West.
Both leaders of France and Germany tricked Putin and lied to enable a more devastating and longer future war against Russia.
Disgraceful behaviour and yet our Western press insists that Putin is evil and Russia is bad. Sadly, the opposite is the case: our governments are evil and we are bad.
“For the West, the conflict in Ukraine is an issue of geopolitical advantage; for Russia, the conflict is an existential issue” – President Putin