the contrast devloped by david brooks, among others, between communitarianism and libertarianism, is tendentious. unless you're intention is to build a community through coercion - which is indeed the secret center of communitarianism - they are perfectly compatible. and if you think you can build a community through coercion, i think you are confused.

Comments

[Joe]

David Brooks's worst nightmare is a world in which the commoners were free to wander around without a proper authority to keep them in line.

[marriotr]

TBH, Joe, I don't think Brooks has enough conscious mental processing to have what we call "nightmares".

[crispy]

actually i'm going to say that david brooks is an outstanding columnist: smart, informed, a good writer, with a coherent point of view. now in many ways it's a view that's the opposite of mine - and more, kind of represents the opposite temperament: he's a natural-born moderate, and i'm a natural-born extremist - but you know he's as good as anyone working these days.

[marriotr]

aw, mannn... now I have to read Brooks' archives. I must be missing something...

[Joe]

I tend to take marriotr's view of Brooks, although I'm willing to admit it may just be a temperamental thing. Brooks strikes me as a rationalizer. It seems like he'll take any feature of the status quo, no matter how repugnant or just plain silly, and defend it as though the fate of civilization rests on accepting it.