Review of Literature and Economic Liberty
by Allen Porter Mendenhall:
I devoured this book—a valuable corrective to the Marxism (or quasi-Marxism) that has attained monopoly powers in literary circles—as if it were the last I would ever read, and I regret that I did not write it myself. The academy in general and the literati in particular should be ashamed and embarrassed that Cantor and Cox’s ideas are so novel. Yet it is not too late for English professors to save face—redeem themselves, if you will—by seeking out economic theories that are in keeping with, not contrary to, humane learning. Economists, even those in putatively Communist countries such as China, have discredited Marxism of all stripes. But literary specialists continue to employ and celebrate Marxism, and they wonder why the humanities are dying out, why the number of literature majors is dwindling, why graduate programs in the humanities have had to slash jobs and cut budgets. The literati are writing themselves into extinction—committing “suicide,” as Harold Bloom would say. Is this process spontaneous order at work?
{ 10 comments }
The state was formed through spontaneous order, was it not?
Until you provide evidence for that… no.
There’s nothing “spontaneous” about butchery.
There isn’t anything spontaneous about a parasite class (the state) killing other people and stealing their stuff? Sounds like that would be in their best interests, if they could prevent others from doing the same to them (i.e. by maintaining a monopoly on force).
Why call it spontaneous? The market is a product of spontaneous order. No one sat down and decided to create one. People where doing what they can to improve their condition and it emerged. The state is created by design. It is a product of deliberate order. There are names for people responsible for designing it. Some names are lost to posterity of course, but there is nothing spontaneous about it.
So either spontaneous order leads to chaos, or the state is order. If spontaneous order leads to chaos, then spontaneous order is pointless. If the state is order, then spontaneous order is still pointless. Spontaneous order is a weak argument for freedom.
Spontaneous order is not an argument for freedom. It is a by product when property rights are properly respected by everyone.
But there is always still some disorder. Economy never really reaches the Evenly Rotating state because man’s knowledge is not perfect. So some diorder is introduced. I think the term ‘edge of chaos’ describes it most appropriately.’Edge of order’ conveys the same meaning as well.
Establish the reasoning for the dichotomy. Right now it’s just a meaningless assertion.
The point of ignition of the spark of understanding that jumped out at me when I read this excerpt from the review was the identification of the cause of the atrophying of the arts! It is because the spokespersons for the arts are generally miseducated and try to build something on the rotting foundation of Marxist ‘ideals.’
Here is more on the spontaneous orders of the arts: http://studiesinemergentorder.org/current-issue/sieo3-195/
I will say that most of the comments here so far show absolutely no understanding of spontaneous order.
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