Nick writes: < What I see in much relativism is not fallibilism, which I endorse, but nihilistic fatalism**, which I deplore. I am not sure I can argue either for my endorsement OR my condemnation, but them’s my values. Nihilistic fatalism is endorsed opportunistically by people like Putin because, while they themselves are planning for the “inevitable” collapse, they are arguing that there is no future in planning. >
IThere can be goals without ideology. I think a nihilist would also have to agree there is also no harm in one value system stomping on another value system since they are both just value systems and so impoverished and arbitrary. In that spirit, a progressive can be a nihilist simply to collect a partial ordering of different kinds of premises that serve one defined purpose or another, without taking those purposes too seriously. A nihilist might adopt a campaign slogan like Any Functioning Adult 2020, because the truly objectionable things are incompetence and stupidity. Marcus
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