tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396682199178122530.post5130721288603428333..comments2023-12-28T22:22:42.307-08:00Comments on Nobody In Particular: The Magic of PoliticsAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03128359303310478673noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396682199178122530.post-16743068910652393272011-03-22T08:16:40.912-07:002011-03-22T08:16:40.912-07:00Sorry if I baited and switched you, Keifus... I wa...Sorry if I baited and switched you, Keifus... I was hoping for a bit of a disconnect with the title. I'm glad that it worked.<br /><br />And I think that you make a good point that ideologues are basically magical thinkers - mainly because they tend to work causality backwards - we know that the outcomes will be good because we believe the policies are sound, rather than that soundness of the policies being demonstrated by the outcomes. Part of this is simple self-righteousness, but I think that part of it relates to a habit that people have of assuming that the flaws with policies are caused by, and unique to, those policies. So their own policies can't be flawed in the same way.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03128359303310478673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396682199178122530.post-36520115879410504142011-03-22T07:35:43.330-07:002011-03-22T07:35:43.330-07:00Ah, I see: magical as in unencumbered with messy e...Ah, I see: magical as in unencumbered with messy empiricism, emphatically <i>not</i> magical as in filled with wonder and beauty. Sneaky title.<br /><br />I had an idea (thought but unwritten) that what separates idealogues from realists or (for lack of a better word) political scientists is that the former believes things independently of observation. It's more like a religion, faith-based politics, and not anything actually real. It's a handy thing to try and spot.Keifushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00287358319899471490noreply@blogger.com