Seriously interesting question. It sounds to me like Paul Kingsnorth might be a CEIS: a Christian convert who sees spiritual forces at work in cultural and political life, writes extensively about tradition and rootedness, very wary of any merger of church and state, apt to draw inspiration from small-scale tribal or peasant societies which have little hierarchical structure and stay well clear of organized power. You might place him closer to the middle on E and I than on C and S.
The one gripe I have with political spectra is that they make it hard to see how different people can have fundamentally different first principles for thinking about the world. But then I talk to people who've come to much the same conclusions as me for slightly different reasons, wanting to say "well, yeah, but" an awful lot, and thinking that perhaps even first principles belong on a continuum.
Very interesting on Kingsnorth. And, yes, I agree with your point on first principles. Models of political categories, including Lyons', tend to downplay the intention and reasons for adopting a position in favor of the position itself. That can lead to a sort of analytical behaviorism which is prescriptively limiting, though still descriptively helpful for making sense of the strange bedfellows in today's politics.
Great article ! How would you classify Greta Thunberg, Varshini Prakash, Poutine, Trump, Noam Chomsky, Ai Wei Wei, the Batwa Pygmies, Finland’s middle class, West Africa cast of Griots, Kayapo’s indigenous group, Inuits…
Seriously interesting question. It sounds to me like Paul Kingsnorth might be a CEIS: a Christian convert who sees spiritual forces at work in cultural and political life, writes extensively about tradition and rootedness, very wary of any merger of church and state, apt to draw inspiration from small-scale tribal or peasant societies which have little hierarchical structure and stay well clear of organized power. You might place him closer to the middle on E and I than on C and S.
The one gripe I have with political spectra is that they make it hard to see how different people can have fundamentally different first principles for thinking about the world. But then I talk to people who've come to much the same conclusions as me for slightly different reasons, wanting to say "well, yeah, but" an awful lot, and thinking that perhaps even first principles belong on a continuum.
Very interesting on Kingsnorth. And, yes, I agree with your point on first principles. Models of political categories, including Lyons', tend to downplay the intention and reasons for adopting a position in favor of the position itself. That can lead to a sort of analytical behaviorism which is prescriptively limiting, though still descriptively helpful for making sense of the strange bedfellows in today's politics.
Good post! I would classify wendell berry as CEIS
Thanks for reading and for the thought on Berry! I've been meaning to check out more of his work.
I recommend checking out "A Native Hill." One of my favorite essays!
Will do!
This is cool! We should figure out all 16 types.
I think I'm CEIR. What would that be?
Great article ! How would you classify Greta Thunberg, Varshini Prakash, Poutine, Trump, Noam Chomsky, Ai Wei Wei, the Batwa Pygmies, Finland’s middle class, West Africa cast of Griots, Kayapo’s indigenous group, Inuits…
Thanks for reading! That's a lot of ground to cover. How about you give one of them a shot?