Andreas, Fukuyama in countless places, even in the article I just posted praises Liberal Democracy. He loves Liberal Democracy. He wants it to succeed. He points out that Hegel, who thought wars were necessary for the exercise of thymos, was right for his time, but now (as Hegel was replaced in Fukuyama's thinking by Kojeve) there are other less violent means for exercising thymos. Bill Gates can conquer in the modern world in a way impossible in the age of Hegel short of a major war. Britney Spears and Madonna I'm quite sure do not feel deprived. They are megalothymotics par excellence. Do you think Barry Bonds is feeling deprived of his ability to be a megalothymotic? Well, perhaps he is a bit because some men with no chests want to put an asterisk by his numbers because of steroid use. Did you ever watch Ward Churchill on CSPAN? I have, and saw megalothymos in action. Look about our society and you see enormous opportunity for thymos. As long as people feel fulfilled with such opportunities as these, we will not need war and we will not become men with no chests. This is all in Fukuyama's book. It is too soon to tell whether such opportunities as the ones available to us today will satisfy Liberal Democrats indefinitely. He hopes they will, for if they won't then bored megalothymotics may start history up again. Lawrence -----Original Message----- From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Andreas Ramos Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 8:24 AM To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: It Doesn't Stay in Vegas From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx> > America isn't a man with no chest. America is > the preeminent example of Liberal Democracy today and it is a good thing - > regardless of the whining of the continental European men with no chests. Let's distinguish carefully here: America that fights wars is good; America that doesn't fight wars is a European weakling. You see now, don't you? For Fukuyama, democracy has an inherent flaw: the legal system gives everyone equal recognition, regardless whether they deserve it or not. Or, said large, a global legal system (treaties, etc.) gives every country equal recognition, regardless whether they deserve it or not. Iran is a country, therefore it has rights. That's the error of European diplomacy. That's the whole point of thymos, the core idea in the book. yrs, andreas www.andreas.com