Jack of Clubs has Chomsky Again:
There are two ways of defeating bad philosophies. One is to attack them directly and refute them point by point. The other is to promote better and more attractive ideas of your own. We can call these the Military and Marketing metaphors, respectively (if you will pardon the alliteration). I make no secret that I incline to the Marketing approach, but both approaches have their virtues and each may be necessary in any given situation. There are certainly times when a knock-down, drag-out fight is called for, in intellectual arenas as well as physical ones. But one advantage of the Marketing metaphor is that it steals the initiative from the opponent and makes him react to you or risk becoming irrelevant. Though he has not been definitively defeated yet, I think Chomsky and all his ilk are on the verge precisely such an irrelevance in the face of the enormous success of the American vision.
Well said.
Posted by: schmeg at July 2, 2004 03:12 AMSimon - I followed the link to your blog from Truth Laid Bear. I don't know if you have any religious convictions, and if you don't, I'm not here to proselytize. I am a pastor though and I thought I would share a parallel thought with you from the theological sphere, which supports what you have written here. Thomas Chalmers was a 19th century Scottish preacher and theologian who wrote the following in a sermon called "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection."
There are two ways in which a practical moralist may attempt to displace from the human heart its love of the world; either by a demonstration of the world's vanity, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon simply to withdraw its regards from an object that is not worthy of it; or, by setting forth another object, even God, as more worthy of its attachment; so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon, not to resign an old affection which shall have nothing to succeed it, but to exchange an old affection for a new one. My purpose is to show, that from the constitution of our nature, the former method is altogether incompetent and ineffectual and that the latter method will alone suffice for the rescue and recovery of the heart from the wrong affection that domineers over it. After having accomplished this purpose, I shall attempt a few practical observations.
From what little I know of Chomsky, he wouldn't truck with Chalmers' religious convictions, but the principles are similar. Using your terms here, Chalmers would support the superiority of the marketing approach. Anyway, just thought you might like to hear that another discipline supports your position.
Posted by: David at July 2, 2004 05:40 AMI really liked the military vs. marketing metaphor. Very apt.
I wish Russ had comments enabled so I could've left this comment there.
Posted by: Harvey at July 4, 2004 05:45 PMThere ought to be an equivillant of "Godwin's Law" for anyone who stars to quote Chomsky.
Posted by: Jeep Crew at July 4, 2004 05:50 PM