Kurt Vonnegut would call it a foma – a comforting untruth.

Yes, the Sowell quote is terribly arrogant, which no doubt to some point is about provoking people into thinking about it.

Your observations on the quote are good but I actually think it goes both ways, which to me is the most interesting dimension in it. The free-market hardliners/libertarians and so forth are, to the best of my knowledge, usually found in the academic world, where their tremendously idealistic worldview isn’t tested by reality – but merely by the very convinced socialists that they meet on the university premises

And speaking of “Sowell” and “Quotes” – he has a collection of such (by other people) on his page, which is usually a bad thing. Not here – you can go see at: http://www.tsowell.com/quotes.html

Let me end with this with one by somebody named Joseph A. Schumpeter:
“The first thing a man will do for his ideals is lie.”

- who knows, perhaps this too could apply to both the left and right?

Thanks for the comment. I know full well that I am, um, over-generalizing with this post, but it did spring for perhaps the most simplified view of politics imaginable and continuing in that vein seemed like the easiest thing to do.

Not the proper argument to pick, for sure, but it was intended to be playfully so. My point was merely that doing stuff first and then theorizing about has much better track record on the left. Not that left wing theory is bad in that way. I guess my argument is closer to David Graeber’s than I thought at first.

thanks for the thoughtful post… i agree with a lot of it and i like the idea of turning a corporation upside down. but i think some of the statements are a little too broad or pertain let’s say to the left of today and not the left of yesterday.. for example you say:

“But following that, I find that the strength of the left wing has never been its theory, which is usually naïve and passionate but nowhere near the thoughtful Realpolitik schematics presented by the right wing (for good or for worse). The left wing excels at its practice, and by extension draws remarks such as �??That�??s well and good in practice – but does it work in theory?�?�”

well, if we consider marx left, i think in many ways, his theory was quite strong and not just naive or passionate (on many fronts which is why we still study him) and had a strong strong impact on practice. so while many marxist inspired projects failed miserably, others, like the establishment of unions did not fail and added very important rights and safeguards, which are sadly being whittled away today.

I just mention this small point to emphasize how the theory of the left is not some unstatic thing but actually has quite a lot of nuance and sophistication. and i bet there is still some of it today that does but certainly this is not an era at all where leftist views hold much water because of the strong dominance of conservative politics. that is, the ways that theory even is perceived, has to do in part, with the broader social climate.