Tag Archives: George Orwell

The Persistence of Magic

5/31/2012 – 10:36 am

In the midst of George Orwell’s essay, “Notes on Nationalism,” he makes a reference to sympathetic magic: “Nationalist thought often gives the impression of being tinged by belief in sympathetic magic – a belief which probably comes out in the widespread custom of burning political enemies in effigy, or using pictures of them as targets […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Just Saying

5/24/2012 – 9:39 pm

I have a book I never finish reading.  (It’s not Finnegan’s Wake; I haven’t even started that one.)  It’s George Orwell’s Essays and as it lands with the thud of 1,363 pages of political, cultural and literary criticism, I feel entitled to a bit of leeway.  I don’t try to plow straight through, but keep […]

By floegel | Posted in Civil Liberty, Commentary | Comments (0)

Orwell was an Optimist

9/8/2011 – 4:18 pm

Quick quiz, two questions: 1 – What percentage of scientists think global warming is occurring?  2 – What percentage of scientists think global warming is caused by human activities?  Read those again carefully; it’s not the same question twice. The answers (I won’t make you wait) are 100 and 98.  No statistically significant number of […]

By floegel | Posted in Commentary, Economy, Electoral Politics, Global Warming | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)