Category: Articles
On Democracy (II)
On Democracy (II) Written by Alfonso Elizondo The big picture of current notions of democracy has broader contours than the distinction between normative and empirical theories. Most compilers opt for normative approaches. Among these, two important thinkers stand out: Jürgen Habermas and Benjamín Barber. In both cases the concept of democracy is defined…
On Democracy (I)
On Democracy (I) Written by Alfonso Elizondo Alain Touraine says that the euphoria caused by the democratization of the political systems in Eastern Europe was due more to the disappearance of the vestiges of a totalitarian power than to its comparison with other more solid European democracies. On the other hand, the existence…
The Limits of Tolerance (II)
The Limits of Tolerance (II) Written by Alfonso Elizondo The danger of tolerating too much is always latent. There have always been atrocities that could have been avoided with less permissiveness and passivity towards behaviors that promote intolerance. According to Karl Popper in his book The Open Society and its Enemies, “unlimited tolerance…
The Limits of Tolerance (I)
The Limits of Tolerance (I) Written by Alfonso Elizondo According to the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, tolerance is respect for the ideas, beliefs or practices of others, when they are different or contrary to one’s own, and it is considered a fundamental requirement for freedom, democracy and healthy social coexistence.…
The Current 7 Great Powers
The Current 7 Great Powers Written by Alfonso Elizondo Although Japan is currently the third power in the world, it is the safest on Earth and without having an army, it is ahead because of its economy. Its population is decreasing every day, to such an extent that the Japanese do not want to have…
The Current Great Heat Wave
The Current Great Heat Wave Written by Alfonso Elizondo According to Jack Williams, director of the Center for Scientific Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, today’s heat waves will be the normal events of tomorrow. Average temperatures this year between January and June are the highest in a 140-year record, surpassed only by the…
Racism and Xenophobia
Racism and Xenophobia Written by Alfonso Elizondo The current UN Secretary General, Portuguese politician António Guterres, spoke about anti-Semitism last Wednesday and said they had to fight it as well as other forms of racism and hate. He issued a challenge for tolerance and respect to be taught in the digital age. He…
Military Crisis in the Pacific
Military Crisis in the Pacific Written by Alfonso Elizondo The center of the global crisis is now in the North Pacific Ocean where we find the five great powers of the 21st century: the United States, China, Russia, Japan and Korea. This tension has increased since North Korea launched several nuclear missiles. It seems…
One Hundred Years after Fascism
One Hundred Years after Fascism Written by Alfonso Elizondo According to historian Stanley G. Payne, fascism is still the ‘most indefinite’ of the major political terms. Historian Emilio Gentile states that one must distinguish between historical fascism, one the one hand – the regime branded by Italy in the history of the twentieth century,…
Current Monarchies
Current Monarchies Written by Alfonso Elizondo We are living in a critical stage of human society where trade wars between the great powers have intensified. They have ramped up the fight for possession of territories using the basic raw materials of new technologies. Rifts between nations have grown due to ethnic reasons, cultural differences…
Podcasts
Podcasts Written by Alfonso Elizondo After the 2016 elections in the United States, lack of trust in journalism reached a record high. The term ‘fake news’ also became popular and there were flagrant cases of media outlets trying to influence the vote, which did not sit well with voters. That’s when ‘podcasts’ appeared. Through association…
Digital Anthropology
Digital Anthropology Written by Alfonso Elizondo Neuromarketing manages the value of a product or service by creating emotional communication and consumption experiences that are rewarding for the buyer, because human beings are emotional creatures dominated by their feelings and emotions rather than by reason. So by managing these emotions we can get an individual…
The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World
The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World Written by Alfonso Elizondo Mexico’s Citizens’ Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice prepared a study that includes a list of the 50 most violent cities in the world. Mexico is in first place with 4 cities in the ‘top 5’ and a total of 15 places…
World Order Collapses
World Order Collapses Written by Alfonso Elizondo The quarter-century following the end of the Cold War was marked by sustained economic growth in many regions of the world, the fall of authoritarian regimes, the expansion of democracy, the proliferation of multilateral cooperation forums and a high degree of stability in the international system. Right…
How to Avoid Another Financial Crisis
How to Avoid Another Financial Crisis Written by Alfonso Elizondo In his book entitled Can We Avoid Another Financial Crisis? Steve Keen says that this is not possible, so we won’t have to wait long before the next explosion hits. The world’s leading economists did not anticipate the subprime meltdown because they all believed in…
Towards a Third World War
Towards a Third World War Written by Alfonso Elizondo Trump has been trapped by today’s New State. Previously, he was being advised by a Wall Street financial banking sector, and now his economic program is that of Goldman Sachs. The Trump administration is surrounded by the most recalcitrant and Straussian neo-hawks on the political right…
China Seen From Inside
China Seen From Inside Written by Alfonso Elizondo All that is known about China in the West is what is allowed by its autocracy, based on an outdated version of its Communist Party that is disseminated within China and to the rest of the world through Xinhua, which is the only existing source of information.…
The New Cold War (II)
The New Cold War (II) Written by Alfonso Elizondo Foreign relations experts say that perhaps the real objective of this New Cold War has been to achieve hegemony in the global technology market, because the Huawei devices banned by Trump use the Android operating system developed by Google, and his trade ban would mean…
The New Cold War (I)
The New Cold War (I) Written by Alfonso Elizondo According to expert historians, the last Cold War began in 1947, after the Second World War and ended in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall. When everything suggested that peaceful coexistence between the nations of both hemispheres could not be disturbed, Donald Trump…
Apologia for War
Apologia for War Written by Alfonso Elizondo On Thursday June 5, the presidents of France and the United States, together with British Prime Minister Theresa May celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day military operation that led to the end of the World War II. The spectacular ceremony was held on an…
The Family of the Future (II)
The Family of the Future (II) Written by Alfonso Elizondo ‘De facto relationships’ in the future may take the form of a family structure without reproductive obligations or intentions. Perhaps robots will play an unexpected role in family units in a few more years. According to present-day experts on procreation, the optimal age for…
The Family of the Future (I)
The Family of the Future (I) Written by Alfonso Elizondo At the beginning of human existence on Earth there were groups of individuals who formed tribes and clans to try to overcome nature’s adversities. Currently there are some cases of villages lost in the Amazon jungle that show how our ancestors behaved. When human…
The Collapse of the West
The Collapse of the West Written by Alfonso Elizondo At present there are serious political problems in Europe: The Prime Minister of Austria was overthrown by a vote of confidence. In Germany, Green Party members chased members of the Social Democratic Party for second place on the podium. In Romania the leader of the…
The Origin of Art (II)
The Origin of Art (II) Written by Alfonso Elizondo The brilliant philosopher and author, Louis Cottreaux recounts in an old chronicle the experience of a certain Parisian aristocrat who was walking calmly along the Seine quay with his friends when he suddenly began to scream in pain. He ran and threw himself into…
The Origin of Art (I)
The Origin of Art (I) Written by Alfonso Elizondo In his book entitled Physics and Metaphysics of Painting, Louis Cottiaux, points out that the origin of art is not the result of an aesthetic need, as is generally believed, but of a need for ‘magical control’ that has always existed in the human being…
The Thaw and Sea Levels
The Thaw and Sea Levels Written by Alfonso Elizondo According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the sea level is rising faster than it did 50 years ago and may get worse any time now. This means that by the end of this century water could reach almost one meter inland. …
The China – US Trade War (II)
The China – US Trade War (II) Written by Alfonso Elizondo As US companies have been relying on China as a source of cheap labor and parts, retailers import goods from China. Apple imports iPhones assembled in China and in 2018 the US imported a total of $539.5 billion of Chinese products. Chinese…
The China – US Trade War (I)
The China – US Trade War (I) Written by Alfonso Elizondo The huge economies of the United States and China are very intertwined, which makes it very difficult for this current war to last a long time. The Chinese middle class is the growth engine for Boeing, Apple, Nike and other US brands.…
Decline of Democracy (II)
Decline of Democracy (II) Written by Alfonso Elizondo According to Michel Wieviorka, democracy has not yet triumphed in Europe. Since the collapse of communism, the Russians have endorsed an authoritarian form of power that is able to respond to economic needs and the push by the nationalists. When a country is subjected to…
Decline of Democracy (I)
Decline of Democracy (I) Written by Alfonso Elizondo According to Larry Diamond, eminent political sociologist and Stanford University professor, the danger of a growing democratic regression cannot be denied at this time. The picture is not yet bleak because the average levels of freedom have not declined and have found great citizen support. So…