From the Cusp of Reality Humankind Explores Its Future
When you see “neo” attached to a word, what does that suggest to you?
Entwining the Political and the Economic
For a very long time we thought we knew what each political party stood for and families often passed down dedication to a particular party from generation to generation. Below is information on neoliberalism and neoconservatism. I think I got it wrong. Neo seems to simply mean that it is a new form of something and in this instance I have a hard time seeing them as either liberal or conservative. What it does indicate is something which supports the idea of an interregnum but the question is, if we are entering a very new era, where will it lead us? And in the Gaia’s Majesty series I suggest a direction with a mythological context. We are all explorers whether individually or collectively. It is fascinating to think about where our explorations might lead us. Implicit in this mythological exploration is that it may well have a totally unexpected outcome.
Speculation can be a wonderful thing. It is not only engaging and interesting but can lead us down unsuspected paths with all kinds of wonderful things at the end.
Elements of Our National Interregnum
Neoliberalism (From Wikipedia)
Neoliberalism[1] is a term which has been used by scholars in a wide variety of social sciences[2] and critics[3] primarily in reference to the resurgence of 19th century ideas associated with laissez-faire economic liberalism beginning in the 1970s and 1980s.[4] Its advocates support extensive economic liberalization policies such as privatization, fiscal austerity, deregulation, free trade, and reductions in government spending in order to enhance the role of the private sector in the economy.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Neoliberalism is famously associated with the economic policies introduced by Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom and Ronald Reagan in the United States.[6] The transition of consensus towards neoliberal policies and the acceptance of neoliberal economic theories in the 1970s are seen by some academics as the root of financialization, with the financial crisis of 2007–08 one of the ultimate results.
Neoconservatism (From Wikipedia)
Neoconservatism (commonly shortened to neocon) is a political movement born in the United States during the 1960s among Democrats who became disenchanted with the party’s domestic and especially foreign policy. Many of its adherents became politically famous during the Republican presidential administrations of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Neoconservatives peaked in influence during the administrations of George W. Bush and George H W Bush, when they played a major role in promoting and planning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[1] Prominent neoconservatives in the Bush administration included Paul Wolfowitz, John Bolton, Elliott Abrams, Richard Perle, Robert Kagan and Paul Bremer. Senior officials Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, while not identifying themselves as neoconservatives, listened closely to neoconservative advisers regarding foreign policy, especially the defense of Israel, the promotion of democracy in the Middle East, and the buildup of American military forces to achieve these goals. The neocons have influence in the Obama White House, and neoconservatism remains a staple in both parties’ arsenal.
Emergence is Another Useful Word at This Time
As you can see from the above descriptions “the times they are achanging”. The philosophical alignments are very different from what they used to be. Struggle is very much a part of human existence and the positions outlined above speak to struggle. We used to be clear about our realities but these differences and the changes over a relatively short period of time do support the idea of us being in an interregnum. Stay tuned!
Do you have thoughts about the outcome?
Gaia’s Majesty: Discovery Amazon page
Roger B. Burt’s Amazon home page
#neoliberalism,#neoconservatism,#privatization,#fiscal austerity,#neocon