The dream in the title of this project lasted three decades and then ... it suddenly is over.
After the falling of the Berlin wall, many people awaited a radiant view. In the first place at a political level, because all countries would welcome our liberal democracy now. The time of the totalitarian regimes was definitely over.
Secondly on an economic level, because market forces would solve all problems. The national state would still remain for a while, but would get a more modest role in the future.
Thirdly in a technological area, because the digital revolution was going to improve our lives. The new opportunities for a free exchange of information, experiences and ideas would lead to unprecedented cultural bloom.
There were at most a few clouds to see - questions regarding the environment - but we would certainly solve them definitely, given the possibilities of the new era.
For the rest we saw a sleek blue sky. Meanwhile, we are thirty years later now and so many problems come to us that almost nobody can remember the optimism from when it all began.
Sometimes you hear people say that a big disaster or shock would not be wrong, because otherwise we will never be relieved
of our addiction to meat, air travel, fossil fuels and other vices. We now have that disaster in the form of a pandemic.
Several vulnerabilities that have been fully revealed by the current pandemic, have already been created in a previous phase.
Because whether we are talking about the bio-industry, globalization, tourism, urbanization, air traffic, fossil fuels, economic growth, cheap consumption,
flexible labor, undeserved bonuses or feelings of meaninglessness, all that has been strongly emerged in the West since the 1980s of the last century.
The associated philosophy was explicitely liberal in the sense that people set priority to individual freedom, that people glorified their own identity,
that people wanted to resolve social problems primarily through market forces, that they wanted to reduce rules of the Community and that man was defined as homo economicus who always is after his individual interests.
To be released from this prison, we will have to come loose from the philosophy of the homo economicus, the belief that man is primarily driven by self-interest.
The Corona crisis clearly reveals, that a strong community sense still lives among people. Many people are willing to help others disinterested.
A second idea where we have to get rid of is, that everything revolves around creating profits as much as possible and even more.
Furthermore we have to free ourselves from the irrational belief, that we only can survive through permanent economic growth.
The existential legitimacy of a company is not just making as much profit as possible. A company also has a social function, as was shown Philips in its early days in the Netherlands.
The company built affordable homes and schools for its employees, organized a club life and education.
Production should not be aimed at permanent waste and overconsumption, but at maintaining a stable lifestyle.
No more, more more, faster, faster faster, larger, larger larger should be the driving force, but the pursuit of a balance between nature and Homo sapiens.
With this we are awakened from the neoliberal dream. The future must be different..
Thank you for your attention again...
The Discussion
[13:18] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Thank you Herman
[13:19] herman Bergson: I know the world is more complex than the changes I suggest
[13:19] CB Axel: I wish US corporations would figure that out.
[13:20] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): has this change to start by the government or by the compagnies?
[13:20] herman Bergson: Yes CB.....
[13:20] herman Bergson: both Beertje
[13:20] CB Axel: They still want more, more, more, etc.
[13:21] herman Bergson: But the first thing that has to change in my opinion is this focus on the shareholders
[13:21] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): they will strugle:)
[13:21] herman Bergson: Just imagine....
[13:21] herman Bergson: What they call profit is all extra money they make us pay for their products
[13:22] CB Axel: Too many people think that investing in a company is supposed to be an automatic win.
[13:22] herman Bergson: Sure...a company should make a profit to guarantee continuity and development...
[13:22] CB Axel: They don't invest with the idea that they may lose money.
[13:22] herman Bergson: Right
[13:23] CB Axel: Except on Broadway. There they almost expect to lose money. :)
[13:23] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): so the investments of the shareholders must be stopped?
[13:23] herman Bergson: Interesting idea
[13:24] herman Bergson: But the companies will say....
[13:24] CB Axel: Businesses need investors to fund their research and further development of their products.
[13:24] herman Bergson: if we want to start a new development or product we need money....
[13:24] herman Bergson: exactly CB
[13:24] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): if a product is good it needs no further development
[13:24] Somedirtycat Saule: A corporation or company is not bad in itself. It has a be a way to make them fit in better
[13:24] herman Bergson: But they also could do what you do.....save money for extra expences
[13:25] CB Axel: That's what the East India Company did. They needed capital to build ships and hire crews.
[13:25] CB Axel: Beertje, everything can be made better. :)
[13:25] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): no
[13:26] herman Bergson: To start the company yes.....but after that they might have been able to continue financed by their profits
[13:26] CB Axel: Unless they wanted to improve their product.
[13:26] Somedirtycat Saule: First there is the question o power. Money make them too powerful
[13:27] herman Bergson: Yes, Saule...
[13:27] CB Axel: Although, I guess they could look for small improvements over time rather than a big jump all at once.
[13:27] herman Bergson: As I said...the world is more complex than how I described it.....but we have to make a start somewhere
[13:28] herman Bergson: Yes CB, I guess it can be done in a different way indeed
[13:28] Somedirtycat Saule: A company is a group of people organized. Of course they will be powerful compared to individuals
[13:28] CB Axel: If car manufacturers had decided to stop innovating we'd still be driving Model T's.
[13:28] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): oh i like those;))
[13:28] CB Axel: :)
[13:28] herman Bergson: Would be fun indeed.....
[13:28] CB Axel: I prefer my Prius.
[13:29] Somedirtycat Saule: Reactive organizing like unions wont help
[13:29] herman Bergson: But why 25 different models, why always a new series of models....
[13:29] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): and cloths..why so many changes every year?
[13:29] Somedirtycat Saule: Non profit companys or similar?
[13:30] herman Bergson: What do you mean Saule?
[13:30] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): and interieur...why throw away good furniture?
[13:30] Somedirtycat Saule: I mean that companies are very powerful
[13:30] herman Bergson: They are....
[13:31] CB Axel: The SCOTUS decision that the owner of a corporation can give huge amounts of money to politicians has pretty much canceled the votes of their employees.
[13:31] herman Bergson: We live in a democracy we assume, but the Koch Brothers pay for it :-)
[13:31] Somedirtycat Saule: A national state can of cource regulate things
[13:31] CB Axel: They can try. :(
[13:32] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): we as consumers can do a lot too...not to buy so much
[13:32] Somedirtycat Saule: But companies block that with corruption of all kinds
[13:32] CB Axel: Very true, Beertje.
[13:32] Somedirtycat Saule: A consumer is the companies best friend
[13:33] Somedirtycat Saule: Their food
[13:33] CB Axel: The dealership where I bought my car has been flooding my inbox with emails saying that a lot of people want my car.
[13:33] herman Bergson: indeed Saul ^_^
[13:33] CB Axel: They say that I should trade it in. I'd get top dollar for it.
[13:33] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): thiefs CB?
[13:33] herman Bergson: What kind of nonsense is that CB?
[13:34] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): to steel your car?
[13:34] CB Axel: But do you know who else wants my car? I do. It's a good car. It gets me where I want to go using little gasoline.
[13:34] CB Axel: No, Beertje. They want me to trade it in for a new car.
[13:34] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): thats insane
[13:34] CB Axel: They can give me a good price, because my car is in demand.
[13:34] herman Bergson: of course....and steel from your purse again :-)
[13:34] CB Axel: It's completely stupid.
[13:34] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): they want money, not your car
[13:34] herman Bergson: Sounds like it indeed
[13:35] Somedirtycat Saule: So some kind of group organizing whats needed to not ge a consumer but not have to live under a tree innawoods
[13:36] Somedirtycat Saule: Communism kind of failed
[13:36] herman Bergson: We accept the organisation of our society as a kind of natural law phenomenon.....but it isn't....we can change it
[13:36] Somedirtycat Saule: Hippies too
[13:37] herman Bergson: Communism is a complex story, for it is also associated with a totalitarian regime style
[13:37] Somedirtycat Saule: Change the state seems impossible
[13:37] herman Bergson: it is not based on solidarity and sharing
[13:37] herman Bergson: Well.....in the US it almost succeeded with dictator Trump
[13:38] Somedirtycat Saule: Money is a helluva drug that make people work under bad conditions
[13:38] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): he is just copying other dictators
[13:38] herman Bergson: He did, yes
[13:39] herman Bergson: and fortunately failed
[13:39] Somedirtycat Saule: And working workers mak companies strong
[13:39] herman Bergson: But the companies don't make the workers stronger by better salaries
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): and that is not more than normal that the workers get a good pay for there work
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): their
[13:40] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ツ
[13:40] Somedirtycat Saule: So a competing group organization must involve working people and some incitement to work
[13:40] CB Axel: The NY Times just reported that a recently unclassified report shows that Russia and Iran tried to influence the US election to help Trump.
[13:40] herman Bergson: the past 20 years the profits increased and the salaries of the workers stayed the same or were even decreased
[13:41] CB Axel: It's hard to change our government when other governments are getting in the way.
[13:41] Somedirtycat Saule: Democrats are war mongers so why wouldn't them?
[13:42] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Russia and Iran needed a clown to stay involved in the US
[13:42] herman Bergson: He did what they aimed for.....destructing the country
[13:42] herman Bergson: For that you don't need a war....just a Trump
[13:42] CB Axel: How is the election in the Netherlands going?
[13:43] Somedirtycat Saule: Trump will infest our discussions for long time
[13:43] herman Bergson: Will be finished tomorrow CB
[13:43] herman Bergson: Tomorrow evening we'll know
[13:43] CB Axel: Oh, yes. Wars are too expensive. It's cheaper to just destroy democracy.
[13:43] CB Axel: I hope you have a good outcome. :)
[13:44] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): with 32 groups the outcome will be good:)
[13:44] herman Bergson: 32 paarties participate in the elections this time
[13:44] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :))
[13:45] CB Axel: Do you use ranked choice voting?
[13:45] herman Bergson: I really needed my reading glasses to find my candidate :-)
[13:45] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): hahahha
[13:45] CB Axel: Where you vote for your favorites in order?
[13:45] CB Axel: LOL, Herman.
[13:45] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): yes CB
[13:45] CB Axel: I wish we did that.
[13:46] herman Bergson: Yes I found her :-))
[13:46] Somedirtycat Saule: Would be interesting with some easy to understand wars not strange US deep state reptilian stuff
[13:46] herman Bergson: And who was "SHE" Beertje ? :-))
[13:46] bergfrau Apfelbaum: wow! 32 parties!
[13:47] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): i know
[13:47] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :)))
[13:47] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Lady with the blond hair
[13:47] herman Bergson: Wrong :-))
[13:47] Kate Miranda is offline.
[13:47] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Ploumen?
[13:47] herman Bergson: Yes :-))
[13:47] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :))))
[13:48] herman Bergson: I voted for the Socialist party....have done it all my life actually
[13:48] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ow my mistake...i thought she had blond hair
[13:48] herman Bergson: no no....brunette
[13:48] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): that was the other Lady..of D66
[13:48] CB Axel: With 32 parties there must be one candidate for every 100 citizens or so, right. LOL
[13:48] herman Bergson: Right Beertje :-))
[13:49] herman Bergson: Kaag has blond hair....
[13:49] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): my mistake:))
[13:49] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): i know Kaag
[13:49] herman Bergson: Yes CB...we really can choose
[13:49] herman Bergson: And there comes Bejiita :-))))
[13:49] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): lol
[13:49] Somedirtycat Saule: Is there a blog where you publish texts?
[13:50] herman Bergson: Yes Saule....check my profile for the URL
[13:50] bergfrau Apfelbaum: http://thephilosophyclass.blogspot.com
[13:50] CB Axel: Bejiita must not have logged on since Saturday or he would have noticed the time change. :)
[13:50] Somedirtycat Saule: Thanks
[13:50] herman Bergson: Very nice Bergie :-)
[13:51] bergfrau Apfelbaum: afk! RL
[13:51] CB Axel: I always try to read the blog if I have to miss class.
[13:51] herman Bergson: OK,,,,time to finish our discussion :-)
[13:51] herman Bergson: Thank you all again.....
[13:51] CB Axel: Thank you, Herman.
[13:52] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): it need a lot of time to change things, bur we can do that by voting
[13:52] herman Bergson: And maybe we should take a vacation till the clocks are in sync again
[13:52] CB Axel: Are you going to give us a hint as to our next topic?
[13:52] herman Bergson: Oh yes CB.....
[13:53] herman Bergson: Look at the poster at the entrance
[13:53] CB Axel: I will! Thanks.
[13:53] herman Bergson: Here is the poster...behind me
[13:54] herman Bergson: The poster at the entrance gives some more infor on the new project
[13:54] CB Axel: Yes. I remember reading somewhere now that we'd be talking about patterns.
[13:54] CB Axel: That should be interesting.
[13:54] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): yes true CB
[13:55] herman Bergson: Yes I already had it on the shelf, but then the neoliberal theme came in between
[13:55] bergfrau Apfelbaum: back
[13:55] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): wilkommen
[13:55] CB Axel: wb
[13:56] herman Bergson: Maybe we should enjoy a little Spring vacation....and see the tulips grow
[13:56] CB Axel: No tulips here yet.
[13:56] CB Axel: We had snow yesterday.
[13:57] herman Bergson: Not yet tulips here either CB...no worrries :-)
[13:57] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): we have daffodils:)
[13:57] herman Bergson: True...plenty in my garden
[13:57] CB Axel: I love daffodils. :)
[13:57] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :))
[13:57] herman Bergson: and hyacinthss
[13:57] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): wilde hyacints
[13:58] herman Bergson: no....tame ones :-)
[13:58] CB Axel: LOL
[13:58] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): and my Autumnalis is almost blooming
[13:58] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): wild ones are beautiful, very small and the smell so nice
[13:58] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): they give light when it's dark
[13:59] herman Bergson: the Camelia is flowering here abundantly atm
[13:59] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :)))
[13:59] herman Bergson: oh....class dismiised :-)))
[13:59] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): lol
[13:59] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): thank you Herman
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