[lit-ideas] Re: Dare one hope?
- From: Phil Enns <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:03:25 -0400
Chris Bruce wrote:
"I know of no-one who foresaw the opening of the iron curtain, the
collapse of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany until
those events were upon us. It seems that even the most optimistic of
Germans thought that all lay centuries in the future."
From what I understand, there is no consensus even to this day as to
why the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union collapsed. It is
certainly possible that a similar set of events could happen in the
Middle East, and the current Arab Spring may be the precursor of
better things. However this perspective has the feel of waiting for a
deus ex machina. If one is hoping for unforeseeable events, how does
one decide what sort of public policies to advocate for?
Yet, I am hopeful. With Kant, I believe and hope that human history
tends towards an increase in freedom.
Sincerely,
Phil Enns
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