Monday, December 20, 2010

Balance between Compromise and Zombie Ideas

NYT: When Zombies Win

This piece details the repeated failure of Democrats' compromise strategy, but raises a more general point about when comprise hurts more than it helps; specifically, its implications for holding back learning from experience - otherwise known as the empiricism of science - when old ideas are clearly wrong. I'd say this concept is relevant to any intellectual venture where social systems i.e. bureaucracies are involved.

1 comment:

  1. I see this more as an indirect criticism of a society that shouts down people willing to talk to the other side.

    The author points to Reagan who compromised in action but not in rhetoric. People love him. Obama seems to be compromising in both avenues and is being punished for it.

    Something I think is sad.

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