Practicality? Pragmatism? same difference?

Practicality ∞ Pragmatism

Being ‘practical‘ involves looking for ways in which to apply and amend our theories of what we should do… being ‘practical‘ requires honest and honourable behaviour. [‘Honourable’ meaning ‘Loving’ and ‘Truthful’.]

Being Practical is the only way ‘forward‘, the only way we can learn to behave more meaningfully – because all effort made without principle will not lead anywhere except to a babble of incoherent blame-shifting. We can only learn from our mistakes by being honest – particularly with ourselves.

On the other hand, being ‘pragmatic‘ involves ‘going with the flow’, judging issues on immediately expected consequences, rather than longer-term ones [like politicians who decide policy on the basis of opinion polls in marginal electorates], or on personal rather than on broader consequences.

A clear example of ‘Australian Pragmatism’ is how we [as a Nation] seem to feel that we have to ‘stick with the big boys’ – as we have done in accepting that we have to follow the U.S. in its wrong-headed and possibly disastrous ‘War Of Terror’, rather than doing the ‘right’ or ‘decent’ thing.

John Howard prides himself on his pragmatism – indeed has managed to instutionalise it to the extent where it appears that the title of any of the current cabinet ministers should be (e.g.)

“Minister assisting the Prime Minister in getting re-elected, with special responsibility for blame shifting on the Environment”

Mr Howard’s 1995 manifesto, “The Australia I Believe In” promises that he will not act outside the pragmatic interests of the public…

It is not coincidence that the ALP have chosen a ‘Howard Lite‘ as leader – their central committees recognise that – when voting – the typical Aussie lies somewhere between a ‘Howard‘ and a ‘Howard Lite‘ – the ALP has sought to reassure Australians that they too will ignore Principle in favour of economic or material gain …

Please note that our irrational nature easily accomodates people who – in their own day-to-day lives – are relatively good, genuine, decent, competent etc. voting for policies which many know instinctively are bad

– i.e. policies that go against the principles of fairness we claim to support or policies that risk decreasing the levels of security our children may enjoy.

Australians have been voting for parties who clearly – even to the young – behave at a very low standard of integrity – people seem to even enjoy proving over and over again that politicians are untrustworthy … can it be that we are so pragmatic that we encourage our leaders to behave much worse than we ourselves woud dare, in our own personal, everyday lives?

It is precisely because the parties lie to us

– by telling us what they know (from polling and the analysis of past results) we want to hear

– that they cannot lead us.

Because liars cannot represent even themselves, they cannot represent us – because they tell us only what they think we want to hear, their words are worthless…

Pragmatism is literally the abandonment of principle, and is betrayal of Reason and therefore a betrayal of consciousness, of what sets us apart from less conscious species.   It is a reversion to uncivilised life, to Life that is “nasty, mean, brutish and short”  Hobbes’ classic description . The imprisonment of children, the maddening of their fathers, the drowning of their mothers, the bombing of innocents, the lining up behind ‘the biggest bully in the yard‘ are all evidence of a decline in the level of civilisation we maintain.

Why do you think this is so?

Or perhaps more to the point,

Why do you not think this is so?

And if you do not think it is so, perhaps you are part of the problem…

Vote 1 Sense … please.