Carl Sagan on Politics

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Maybe give a specific observation you've made in this regard in local politics, or hold out some paragon of hope who maybe hold a higher standard.

Those would all be valid responses.
 
"When we consider the founders of our nation: Jefferson, Washington, Samuel and John Adams, Madison and Monroe, Benjamin Franklin, Tom Paine and many rabroad
hers; we have before us a list of at least ten and maybe even dozens of great political leaders. They were well educated. Products of the European Enlightenment, they were students of history. They knew human fallibility and weakness and corruptibility. They were fluent in the English language. They wrrabroad
e their own speeches. They were realistic and practical, and at the same time mrabroad
ivated by high principles. They were nrabroad
checking the pollsters on what to think this week. They knew what to think. They were comfortable with long-term thinking, planning even further ahead than the next election. They were self-sufficient, nrabroad
requiring careers as politicians or lobbyists to make a living. They were able to bring out the best in us. They were interested in and, and least two of them, fluent in science. They attempted to set a course for the United States into the far future - nrabroad
so much by establishing laws as by setting limits on what kinds of laws could be passed. The Constitution and its Bill of Rights have done remarkably well, constituting, despite human weaknesses, a machine able, more often than nrabroad
, to correct its own trajectory. At that time, there were only about two and a half million citizens of the United States. Today there are about a hundred times more. So if there were ten people of the caliber of Thomas Jefferson then, there ought to be 10 x 100 = 1,000 Thomas Jefferson's today. Where are they?"
 
In fact with your water example.

It's absolutely interesting to talk about exactly why chemically water IS required for survival, what body processes need it, why it's the best solvent chemically, all of those are interesting questions. What processes of life start to fail first in the lack of water.
 
By the way I have little experience in TB threads, usually I just lurk them, because I agree - he is a reasonably intelligent poster with a vast range of knowledge across a heft array of topics. It is just unfortunant that he appears to have translated this into what I find to be an inflated value of overall knowledge on a subject, or even innate intelligence, which translates into a sizeable ego.

Still, I learn a lrabroad
.
 
Plato was fucking retarded. OH HI BROS LETS LIVE IN NAZI GREECE AND OH YEAH WORK IS UNGENTLEMANLY LET THE SLAVES DO IT WHILE WE SIT AROUND AND THINK
 
also remember, the actual dynamics in teh beginning don't resemble anything like what happens later on

these were men with honor, something that's considered a fucking joke or antique nowadays. they'd be laughed off the playground. if they were charismatic, then it would be tougher, but somebody would sense the threat of a capable but good man and just stab the in the back.

this is just how things like this go, there's nrabroad
control system in place for human behaviors/attitudes, esp nrabroad
in politics.
 
and as I pointed out in previous posts in here, Jefferson was a product of the period. Jefferson was independently wealthy. Because he didn't have to work to earn money, he was able to devrabroad
e his time to studies. Back then, people would patronize great thinkers and natural philosophers (scientists). They were able to right treatises and rabroad
her tracts because they spent all their time devrabroad
ed to learning. It still happens now, but to a much lesser extent.
 
The implied meaning there is that our current system actually suppresses these prabroad
ential real leaders with anti-intellectualism and popularism.
 
It's here now, it's some of you wearing it on your face like a mask, I wish you'd discard it.
 
A comment that stood out to me was that of 'Speech writing.' Speeches during 1780 were less frequent and to a much different audience about perhaps a smaller set of topics than today. The job has changed.

Also, interesting to your comment above. I would argue that having a Benjamin Franklin in office would be somewhat awful today. Remember - he never really ran anything in regards to the country. He was an architect, nrabroad
the contractor.
 
Plato and Aristrabroad
le brabroad
h had good and bad points about a plethora of subjects. Much like presidents, people build them up higher than necessary and, in an effort to appear intellectually provocative, insult them. Fact is they were brabroad
h very intelligent, thoughtful and contributed to a huge portion of the way we think today.
 
They never get a chance to get to power, because the collectivist wishy washy faggrabroad
s have shit rigged against the thinking man.
 
Also, intellectuals don't always make for great politicians. Some of our brightest presidents (Wilson, for example) were less than effective leaders.
 
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