“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
-Issac Asimov

this observation has never been more relevant

 

Similarly, Idiocracy and the Handmaid’s Tale were not intended to be prophesies, yet here we are…

 

Wow. APC needs a blue check mark.

 

Fascinating. This was a very odd response to a one off book rec.

You just copy/pasted a laundry list of academic achievements and awards from some very impressive universities, but somehow that makes him unqualified to write a book about the genesis of political theory from a specific school of thought that's been evolving in Europe for the past 300 years (at least)?

If you want an excellent Cliff Notes version of Mosca, Pareto, Schmitt, Jouvenel, Francis, etc, you'll find it here. He's an excellent writer and summarizer, which is what you'd expect from someone with those credentials. It might even stimulate interest to read primary sources (it did for me), which is it's intent. Not to "give you political advice."

I'd be curious to know just who you'd think was a good teacher of the mechanics of actual politics would be?

Not original sources, please. No one here is going to read Montesquieu, Gibbon, Plato, Locke, or even just your basic Alexis de Tocqueville.

Who? I'm genuinely curious.

 

I don’t know how your brains can contort this. He is a theatre major with a degree in Shakespeare. Why would you take geopolitical advice or even give his thoughts consideration? If he’s talking about hamlet, I will listen (if I care at the time) because that is in his wheelhouse. I’ll trust someone else when it comes to consolidating the Eurasian landmass. Bunch of daisies…. Have an independent thought. Not everyone that gets published deserves it.

 

He’s an English major for undergrad with a phd in comparative literature. Reading comprehension goes a long way in the social sciences and is a transferable skill. You should work a bit more on yours, tbh.

A breadth of knowledge is quite useful in politics, as much as it might seem like ivory towered extravagance. I’m not sure how you’re contorting intellectual and academic accolades into a lack of qualifications.

 

Reread the authors qualifications that you quoted. Especially the second sentence.
Then reread Delta's response to you.

 

It's not unique to the US. It exists everywhere in human nature.

 

Oh lawd….. happy Easter 🐣

 

I was a history major and forced to read Gibbon. It was a chore then.

Decades later I've read the entire "Decline and Fall," and consider it one of the greatest works of literature or history ever written. A truly enjoyable experience.