Comments on: David Brooks’ Jihad Against Individualism

By: Workwear

Workwear — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:20:17 +0000

Well interesting, alot to think about.

By: $umdude

$umdude — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:04:02 +0000

Mark Twain was a determinist and advocated egalitarianism (see: What is Man?) so I don't see how he fits in any ideological line with Rand.

By: Creative Class » Blog Archive » Happiness, Money, Self-expression - Creative Class

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:01:29 +0000

[...] Neededby Richard FloridaThu Sep 25th 2008 at 10:01am EDTHappiness, Money, Self-expression Wil Wilkinson takes David Brooks’ – and John McCain’s – “country first” calls for a new [...]

By: Jacob Grier

Jacob Grier — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:23:35 +0000

Goldwater refuted by mirror neurons…

I am in awe of David Brooks. Who else could gaze into the Republican Party and see that what’s currently holding it back is an excess of Goldwaterism?
…it is the main impediment to Republican modernization. Over the past few weeks, Republic…

By: VABALOG » Blog Archive » Indivdualismist, televisioonist, eratuletõrjujatest, mullast ja isegi moekatest plaastritest

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:02:44 +0000

[...] näib puudust tundvat kollektivismist. Huvitav pole aga mitte niivõrd Brooks’i jutt kuivõrd Will Wilkinsoni järelkaja, mis tundub olevat üks paremaid individualismi kaitsekõnesid, mida mina olen viimasel ajal [...]

By: Wirkman Netizen: Insert ideas into head; observe at safe distance.

Wirkman Netizen: Insert ideas into head; observe at safe distance. — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:38:06 +0000

[...] is the basis of most human society . . . including a society based on liberty, as Will Wilkinson recently explained, contra the amazingly obtuse David Brooks. Sphere: Related [...]

By: twv

twv — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:42:17 +0000

Let me quibble one little bit. The “line” of liberty, “Paine, Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Garrison, Spooner, Tucker, Twain, Mencken, Hayek, Friedman, Rand,” neglects the one libertarian thinker who addressed sociality straight on, and as a foundation for his ethics of freedom: Herbert Spencer.

Rand and many of the others under-emphasized sociality. Indeed, it is Rand's goofy take on “selfishness” that has allows so many loopy collectivists to pretend that individualism is all about atomism and conflict.

Spencer was much better on the subject. He did, indeed, go on about sociality and sympathy. And what he said made sense.

By: Captain Quirk

Captain Quirk — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:37:21 +0000

There is no individual without the social. All individuals are the product of individuals combined with a broad and deep social temporal (historical) and spatial network of ideas, techniques, morals, myths, and manners.

By: John Thacker

John Thacker — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:09:18 +0000

On the other hand, at least I agree with Sen. McCain that Buy American provisions by the US government are "shameful." Sen. Obama is willing to make the charge that being again protectionism is unpatriotic:

"Just ask the machinists in Pennsylvania who build Harley-Davidsons," Obama said of McCain's record. "Because John McCain didn’t just oppose the requirement that the government buy American-made motorcycles, he called Buy American provisions 'disgraceful.' Just ask the workers across this country who have seen their jobs outsourced. The very companies that shipped their jobs overseas have been rewarded with billions of dollars in tax breaks that John McCain supports and plans to continue.

"So, when American workers hear John McCain talking about putting 'Country First,'" Obama said, "it’s fair to ask –- which country?"

Ugh. That service forum didn't make me happy about either candidate, certainly.

By: dWj

dWj — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:23:53 +0000

It's a shame that Republicans deny their social nature, which obviously is a need that can only be filled by government telling people how to relate to one another. Instead, Republicans are all hermits, rarely marrying or seeking to gather in groups according to how they individually see fit — er, since one can't individually see fit to gather in groups. Obviously.

By: E. Barandiaran

E. Barandiaran — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:17:28 +0000

Will, I'd like to know your view of Haidt's essay on what makes people vote Republican (see http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/haidt08/haidt08...). Haidt's argument is based on a view of Republicans that appears to be the opposite of Brooks'.
I suggest to read the comments to Haidt's essay that follow it in the same archive.

By: Michael Drake

Michael Drake — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:37:04 +0000

“that’s just the sort of surprise that makes David Brooks such a consistently interesting thinker.”

Well-played.

By: Greg N.

Greg N. — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:32:54 +0000

Palmer dealt with David Brooks and others on this a while back:

http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/cpr-18n5...

By: Steve M.

Steve M. — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:31:18 +0000

“richly embroidered but intellectually vulgar”

A surprisingly accurate general summary of David Brook's writing.