Listen up, oh Children of Naivety! There is no economic system, no political system, no philosophical system, no religious system, no system of any sort that works auto-magicallyABYOU ARE ENGAGING IN STUPIDISMPragmatism an approach that assesses the truth of meaning of theories or beliefs in terms of the success of their practical application.), the devotees of stupidism point to the failures of those countries to condemn them, or to the success of those countries to applaud them.
Maybe someday someone will come along and demonstrate pragmatism instead, as does this article from The Economist: The secret of their success: The Nordic countries are probably the best-governed in the world
The Nordic countries pride themselves on the honesty and transparency of their governments. Nordic governments are subject to rigorous scrutiny: for example, in Sweden everyone has access to all official records. Politicians are vilified if they get off their bicycles and into official limousines.
The Nordics have added two other important qualities to transparency: pragmatism and tough-mindedness. On discovering that the old social democratic consensus was no longer working, they let it go with remarkably little fuss and introduced new ideas from across the political spectrum. They also proved utterly determined in pushing through reforms. It is a grave error to mistake Nordic niceness for softheadedness.
Pragmatism explains why the new consensus has quickly replaced the old one. Few Swedish Social Democratic politicians, for instance, want to dismantle the conservative reforms put in place in recent years. It also explains why Nordic countries can often seem to be amalgams of left- and right-wing policies.
The Nordics have added two other important qualities to transparency: pragmatism and tough-mindedness. On discovering that the old social democratic consensus was no longer working, they let it go with remarkably little fuss and introduced new ideas from across the political spectrum. They also proved utterly determined in pushing through reforms. It is a grave error to mistake Nordic niceness for softheadedness.
Pragmatism explains why the new consensus has quickly replaced the old one. Few Swedish Social Democratic politicians, for instance, want to dismantle the conservative reforms put in place in recent years. It also explains why Nordic countries can often seem to be amalgams of left- and right-wing policies.
Less stupidism, and far more pragmatism.
Thinking by "ism" isn't thought, it is anti-thought. Real thought requires one to look, see, evaluate, judge, experiment, and be honest. It is very difficult, and often painful.
Thinking by "ism" requires one only to know the theory. If any "looking" is done, it is done to cherry pick info that supports the "ism," or disproves the "ism" of someone else.
There's the bat of which I spoke!