While the war imagery of the quote from the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu may not be consistent with our principle of non-violence, the lesson is still pertinent:
"Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle."
The study of History does not get much kudos in today’s world of STEM and yet, as David McCullough said “History is who we are and why we are”. There is also much to be gleaned from George Santayana’s statement that “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Thus, it is important that we have a good understanding of the prevailing economic and political paradigm, and how it came to displace Keynesianism in the late 1970s in much of the western world. It is arguable that even China is to some degree following a neoliberal paradigm.
Some think that neoliberalism has had its day in the sun, but that in the absence of a credible alternative to displace it, we have defaulted to a populist mutation of neoliberalism.
In this session we will explore the evolution of neoliberalism and how it manifests itself in the 21st Century. We shall also ask the question: “Are Donald Trump, Liz Truss, Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith true neoliberals and, if not, what are they?”
References:
“The Essential Hayek” The Fraser Institute. 2014
“Beginner’s Guide to Neoliberalism” New Economics Foundation Podcast.
When
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Where
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