. Ship Of Fools #1 NYT's Best Seller List.This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every persons position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties.
Apr 12, 2010 - The ship of fools is an allegory with a long history in Western. Plato's democracy, it is worth noting, is not the modern notion of a mix of. The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato’s Republic, about a ship with a dysfunctional crew: Imagine then a fleet or a ship in which there is a captain who is taller and stronger than any of the crew, but he is a little deaf and has a similar infirmity in sight, and his knowledge of navigation is not much better.
Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate and remove the ads - it's free! Tucker Carlson man, what can I say.long long ago back when I used to watch TV, in fact I was long a cable news junkie, I sorta liked him.he tended to make sense more than a lot of the other people yakking.but who ever thought that he would be at the forefront of a Rebellion!Not me, that is for sure.I read the intro and skimmed the rest as I sat at Barns and Noble up at Pacific Place in Seattle.
The intro was great but then it seemed to get weaker, like he ran out of time to do it right. Still it was great because he is almost completely right and it was a fun fast read. I read nothing that I disagreed with, though he could have prioritized things better.and like I said I got the idea that he could have worked harder.$26 or $28 or whatever it is full price is not OK though, I mean this is a part of an afternoon read, basically an essay, it could be more accessible.This bodes well for the Rebellion this election, I am not assuming a massive Blue Wave.PS: I LOVE how this guy can have fun.needs to have his fun!.Like me and Trump.Watch his little clip at the link for a treat. I really liked the bow tie, it was distinctive!Has anyone read this book? It is #1 on the NYT's Best Seller List so presumably someone has.I am looking for reviews. I only skimmed it, I was not going to pay $30 after tax for this book.
I did note when I did this last week that this book was hard to find at the Pacific Place store.they have all of the best sellers and other stuff they think might be especially interesting on tables and racks near the middle of the store, I knew that this one should be there but I could not find it.I had to ask. Turned out that they had it in a rack kind of set aside, and at the very bottom.Figuring I guess that Lefty Seattleites would not be that interested. They had several conservative books more prominently displayed.
Has anyone else actually read this book? I've been planning on reading a book or two by a conservative since I've been on a tear lately. But this one quite frankly seemed like it would be more of an Ann Coulterish type book. Lots of name calling, lots of attacks, lots of way overly broad generalizations and not much else.
If a few others actually recommend it's going on the reading list. But I'd be very very surprised if there's anything thoughtful in the book.He makes an argument, a thoughtful one, in my opinion a right one. Overall, Ships of Fools is a targeted snipe at the Democrats and Republicans and their elite enablers. Carlson despises the fact that, until the rise of Donald Trump, both parties agreed with each other.
Both support the endless deployment of U.S. Troops abroad and both support globalized financial capitalism that has utterly destroyed the Midwest and America’s manufacturing base.Even worse, the collusion between Democrats and Republicans has bred a type of arrogant elitist who is insulated from all mistakes.
Characteristic of this new elite class are people like Max Boot, the war hawk who constantly eggs on American invasions; William Kristol, the self-proclaimed guardian of the Republican Party who will never refuse his guilt for the Iraq War debacle; Maxine Waters, the notoriously corrupt race baiter who lives in a posh all-white neighborhood; Mark Zuckerberg, a child of privilege who uses the power of his monopoly to suppress the opinions of the American majority.Ship of Fools is a broadside full of rage. Carlson’s targets are our mindless elite, most of whom are sheltered in the time-warp known as Washington, D.C. At its heart, this book has a very dire warning: the current path of self-destruction in American life can only end in two ways: 1) the suspension of democracy and the installation of authoritarian rule, or 2) the gutting of the elite and a return to the practice of mass democracy. Carlson would prefer the latter, but Ship of Fools points out with great relish that, in America, our elite seem hell-bent on not listening to voters at all.
He makes an argument, a thoughtful one, in my opinion a right one.I just don't see, based on the review, how that turns in to a thoughtful argument. It seems like a long book of complaints. I didn't hear anything about actual solutions. And alot of the (I'm assuming) attacks (like pointing out the Zuckerberg came from a privileged family) seem to be so far nothing more than very cheap and ugly attacks. It is far much easier to complain about things than to offer solutions, especially to etherial, very broad, complaints like 'we don't manufacture anything any more! Must be the out of touch elitists fault!' And then there's this.
Ship of Fools is a broadside full of rage. Carlson’s targets are our mindless elite, most of whom are sheltered in the time-warp known as Washington, D.C. At its heart, this book has a very dire warning: the current path of self-destruction in American life can only end in two ways: 1) the suspension of democracy and the installation of authoritarian rule, or 2) the gutting of the elite and a return to the practice of mass democracy. Carlson would prefer the latter, but Ship of Fools points out with great relish that, in America, our elite seem hell-bent on not listening to voters at all.When I hear people take complaints that you could apply to almost any time in history and act as though it is somehow unique to right now, I kind of have to assume that they haven't thought it out well or just want to complain like an old man about the kids on the lawn. Good luck naming a time in history where people were not complaining that the elected weren't listening to the electors, or that the leading 'elite' are out of touch etc. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a chapter about the laziness and terrible music of the present day youth, lol.
I just don't see, based on the review, how that turns in to a thoughtful argument. It seems like a long book of complaints. I didn't hear anything about actual solutions.
And alot of the (I'm assuming) attacks (like pointing out the Zuckerberg came from a privileged family) seem to be so far nothing more than very cheap and ugly attacks. It is far much easier to complain about things than to offer solutions, especially to etherial, very broad, complaints like 'we don't manufacture anything any more!
Allegory Of The Ship Explained
Must be the out of touch elitists fault!' And then there's this:When I hear people take complaints that you could apply to almost any time in history and act as though it is somehow unique to right now, I kind of have to assume that they haven't thought it out well or just want to complain like an old man about the kids on the lawn. Good luck naming a time in history where people were not complaining that the elected weren't listening to the electors, or that the leading 'elite' are out of touch etc. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a chapter about the laziness and terrible music of the present day youth, lol.Figuring out that there is a problem is the first step in solving that problem. There is nothing wrong with working on step one only if step one has not been accomplished yet.Your objection is without merit.
In Book VI of Plato’s Republic, Socrates, illustrating a thought experiment, describes a mutiny aboard a ship. During the mutiny, every member of the crew begins to jockey for the position of captain, and each sailor makes his case despite his apparent unfitness for the job. Without true steerage, or any qualified captain for the job, the ship drifts aimlessly. The sailor who might actually be able to command the ship—one who is attentive to the wind, stars, and other minute details of navigation—is never considered. Instead, Socrates explains, his fellow shipmates regard him as “a real stargazer, a babbler, and a good-for-nothing” (Plato 162).This analogy of the “ship of fools,” which functions as one of Plato’s more potent critiques of democracy, provides an interesting way into examining Herman Melville’s famously difficult 1857 novel The Confidence-Man, His Masquerade. Plato lends his focus to his “true captain,” intending his audience to consider the qualities he believed a leader should possess. Yet, in his novel—even invoking Plato’s “ship of fools” in Chapter Three—Melville takes the opposite tact.
Rather than emphasize democracy’s failings by denouncing groupthink and the tyranny of the majority (as Plato does), Melville examines the philosophical viewpoints of democracy’s “fools” in order to better understand the drifting political institution they inhabit. In particular, Melville is interested in using the variety of religious and political opinions aboard his “ship of fools” to investigate the role that religion plays in American democracy, here figured as a steamship travelling the Mississippi River (on April Fool’s Day) ironically named Fidele. Through this, Melville echoes the political philosophy of Alexis de Tocqueville, as he goes about dramatizing Tocqueville’s observation that “when authority in the matter of religion no longer exists, nor in the matter of politics, men are soon frightened at the aspect of this limitless independence” (418). Melville’s novel seems an extended proof of Tocqueville’s assertion that democracy and secularism are mutually exclusive ends, as Melville explores the implications of what occurs once we throw the philosophical baby out with the bathwater.
Ship Of Fools And Democracy Images
Article Details. James Butler, English James Butler is a second year M.A.
Candidate in Villanova’s Department of English. His interests are in 19 th and 20 th century American literature, particularly in how literature depicts the intersection of religion with American society. He is currently at work on his thesis, tentatively titled “God’s Ragged Edges: Religion and Public Life in the Work of Herman Melville.” He received his B.A. With distinction and honors in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015. James would also like to thank Dr. Michael Berthold for his support and guidance on this essay.