Journeyman Philosopher

I wanted to post an interesting video which I first encountered in a ‘Social and Political’ philosophy course, and just now stumbled upon in my ‘Women Studies’ course entitled ‘Who’s Counting?’. Its a documentary which discusses ideas of gendering and segregation of the work force, a flawed economic system, and various other issues. It’s a three part with a total length of under 30 minutes. Watch it and tell me what you think!

Part One can be found here.

Part Two can be found here.

Part Three can be found here.

Safe to say this idea and similar ideas such as Richard Laynard’s concept of economic ‘happiness’ have really assisted in shaping my views and values when looking at our current economic model and problems.

How does this make you feel?

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to give a quick reminder to all my Canadian readers. Tomorrow is our federal election, remember to vote. If you don’t know where to vote and/or haven’t gotten your voting card in the mail yet you can reach elections Canada at 1-866-432-1027 for information on where to vote in your area and what ID you need to bring. Voting takes place from 7:30am-7:30pm on Tuesday October 14th.

This is an astronomically important election, as Stephen Harper himself called the election because he felt the government wasn’t running efficiently (or rather because we wasn’t getting his way in my opinion). We’re currently at a time in our coutries development in which me must choose a leader that will represent Canada on the world stage as we wish to be represented.

As I thought may be of interest to you as a voter, following are the main political parties leaders education:

Stephen Harper (Conservative): Masters of Economics from the University of Calgary.

Jack Layton (NDP): Doctorate in Political Science from York University.

Stephan Dion (Liberal): Doctorate in Sociology from the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

Elizabeth May (Green Party): Law Degree from the Dalhousie Law School.

What does this tell you, and how does this matter to you as a voter? Our leaders’ education is a huge determining factor in how they intend to represent the country, of course there is also life experience to take into consideration (for example: May is a known Environmental activist), but this is very important to think about; what knowledge do you value and believe is necessary to represent our country on the global stage?

Think about your vote, and get out there and do it (if you hate everyone go void your ballot, this sends a different type of message)! And remember never get disspirited if you live in a heavy politically affiliated riding, by voting for whatever party  you decide ensures that that party gets future funding (even if they don’t win)! Go vote and be Canadian!!!!

For a good source of various campaign information click here.

As stated I wanted to follow up briefly on exactly why I think democracy’s are incompatible with majority governments. As so today I want to issue a question to my readers on the topic of majority governments justifiability.

Here’s what I think generally first: Mature voters acknowledge that no party has all the answers, and the only way to acquire results that fairly represent a nation of different ideals is through discussion by different parties in an environment which ensures they will be taken into consideration. A majority stifles this ability.

Today I had the opportunity to discuss this concept with a friend. We agreed with somethings and developed the following question:

How is a majority government justifiable in a democratic country, when in essence through parliamentary process and the standard unified fronts of political parties inadvertently the minority’s power of government will be stifled? Does this not create a winner/loser mentality of politics which is incompatible with our intrinsic values within a democratic nation?
An example of this follows; party A has a 65% majority while party B has a 35%. When matters of interest are brought to the deemed acceptable house of debate and a vote is taken, due to the unified nature of political parties, party A will always get their way. In such a manner party B is alienated from its political power in the manner in which it is simply not able to create change, and as such the 35% of Canadian voters that were represented by this party are alienated with it.

As a Canadian voter or even a external viewer on the Canadian system, what do you think about this?

After watching the Canadian political debates the other day I was left quite satisfied. There were some decent questions, but the one that held my interest the most was on the topic of trust.

Many Canadian citizens have lost hope in our political system. I personally believe this isn’t necessarily because a lack of positive progress but rather because a lack of empathy. The question that was addressed paraphrased follows “How can the average Canadian, that has lost faith in the Canadian political system, know which politician to trust with their vote?”

This is a great question, and I know it is one I have had to put a lot of thought into myself.

My philosophy has always been to vote for who you find to be the most authentic leader. I do this because it removes skeptical thought to a certain degree. Politicians will promise many things and although they may authentically be trying to make these promises come about, they may not have the ability to fulfill their promises due to the constraints of time and the political process. Not to mention that if a leader is not authentic it won’t matter what he promises. Voting for who you feel is the most genuine is a sure fire way to, at the very least, give yourself confidence in your leaders intent governing his action.

This is a valuable concept, but is not free from problems. Should you vote for the most authentic evil leader? No. One thing that must be taken into consideration is finding a compromise between your values and the authenticity of the leader. For example, although I myself love the concepts of the NDP I do think that Stefan Dion would make a better Prime Minister than Jack Layton. How you determine the right choice between an authentic totalitarian general, and a unauthentic hippie politician is up to you.

Making a decision on who you will vote for is not simple, however it is something that every Canadian should make a commitment to doing.

There are a few concepts I’d like to talk about in the future; the idea of your vote being wasted, the concept of majority governments being incompatible with the theory of democracy, and how I believe the voting system should be modified to represent this accordingly.

Hopefully this has been of some help to all those not feeling completely comfortable with voting. Take your time, think about it, and get out there and vote!

“Religion is indeed the self consciousness and self esteem of man who has either not yet won through to himself or has already lost himself again.” Karl Marx

Today in my studies I came across this quote. I found it very interesting and I wanted to share it with you to see what you thought about it! The quote is found in a talk about Marx’s perception of religion and how it affects individuals and society.

Ask yourself a few questions: ‘What is he implying about religion?’ ‘What is Marx implying about individuals?’ ‘What type of religion is Marx referring to?’ I’m very interested to hear what you think.

 What do you think?