Mark Steyn On Babies
Telegraph - The strange death of the liberal West, By Mark Steyn
Almost every issue facing the EU - from immigration rates to crippling state pension liabilities - has at its heart the same glaringly plain root cause: a huge lack of babies. I could understand a disinclination by sunny politicians to peddle doom and gloom were it not for the fact that, in all other areas of public policy, our rulers embrace doomsday scenarios at the drop of a hat. Most 20-year projections - on global warming, fuel resources, etc - are almost laughably speculative. They fail to take into account the most important factor of all - human inventiveness: “We can’t feed the world!” they shriek. But we develop more efficient farming methods with nary a thought. “The oil will run out by the year 2000!” But we develop new extraction methods and find we’ve got enough oil for as long as we’ll need it.
But human inventiveness depends on humans - and that’s the one thing we really are running out of. When it comes to forecasting the future, the birth rate is the nearest thing to hard numbers. If only a million babies are born in 2005, it’s hard to have two million adults enter the workforce in 2025 (or 2033, or 2041, or whenever they get around to finishing their Anger Management, Systemic Racism and Gay Studies degrees). If that’s not a political issue, what is? To cite only the most obviously affected corner of the realm, what’s the long-term future of the Scottish National Party if there are no Scottish nationals?
I, ninme, hereby solemnly swear that if the Scottish National Party wishes to give me a lovely little place in Old Town Edinburgh with a view, and maybe a little country house with some room for horses and a few cats in the Highlands, on the sea, I will have lots and lots of babies, and instruct them very firmly to vote SNP.
January 6th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Mark Steyn: I am a sociologist who has recently published a book at University Press of America, titles DYSFUNCTIONAL CULTURE. The inadequacy of Cultural Liberalism as a Guide to major Challenges of the 21st Century. If you are interested in commenting the book, I will send you a copy. - Then tell me your postal adress.
Test from the publisher:
Dysfunctional Culture: The Inadequacy of Cultural Liberalism as a Guide to Major Challenges of the 21st Century By Sigurd N. Skirbekk
Dysfunctional Culture is written for both theoretical and practical purposes. The first part of the book is a discussion off how to understand and identify political ideologies as cultural systems, disposing for both functional and dysfunctional ways of adjustment, even apart from the interests and intentions of their spokesmen. The second part deals with examples related to family morality and reproduction. It is argued that contemporary cultural liberalism, despite its advantages over several totalitarian ideologies, is inadequate for understanding the cultural premises for family functions, and even legitimizes dysfunctional processes. The book argues that belief in individual rights as the main basis for morality is not an adequate response to the moral challenges we are sure to face in the years ahead.
About The Author Sigurd N. Skirbekk is Professor of Sociology at the University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Professor Skirbekk has been manager of the Sociology Department at his university and also served as chairman of the Association of Professors at the University of Oslo.
Table of Content Foreword Preface From 11/9 to 9/11 Cultural Systems and Functionality The Internal Causes of Ideological Demise New Liberalism as an Ideology Related to Myth and Belief The Dysfunctionality of New Liberal Morality Family Structure and Functionality Migration–Ideology, Myths, and Beliefs The Cultural Challenge Index
University Press of America $29.00 Paper 0-7618-3061-8 September 2005 192pp $55.00 Cloth 0-7618-3060-X September 2005 192pp
http://www.univpress.com/Catalog/Singlebook.shtml?command=search&db=%5EDB%5CCatalog.db&eqSKUdatarq=076183060X
January 6th, 2006 at 11:28 am
Mark Steyn: I am a sociologist who has recently published a book at University Press of America, titles DYSFUNCTIONAL CULTURE. The inadequacy of Cultural Liberalism as a Guide to major Challenges of the 21st Century. If you are interested in commenting the book, I will send you a copy. - Then tell me your postal adress.
Test from the publisher:
Dysfunctional Culture: The Inadequacy of Cultural Liberalism as a Guide to Major Challenges of the 21st Century By Sigurd N. Skirbekk
Dysfunctional Culture is written for both theoretical and practical purposes. The first part of the book is a discussion off how to understand and identify political ideologies as cultural systems, disposing for both functional and dysfunctional ways of adjustment, even apart from the interests and intentions of their spokesmen. The second part deals with examples related to family morality and reproduction. It is argued that contemporary cultural liberalism, despite its advantages over several totalitarian ideologies, is inadequate for understanding the cultural premises for family functions, and even legitimizes dysfunctional processes. The book argues that belief in individual rights as the main basis for morality is not an adequate response to the moral challenges we are sure to face in the years ahead.
About The Author Sigurd N. Skirbekk is Professor of Sociology at the University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Professor Skirbekk has been manager of the Sociology Department at his university and also served as chairman of the Association of Professors at the University of Oslo.
Table of Content Foreword Preface From 11/9 to 9/11 Cultural Systems and Functionality The Internal Causes of Ideological Demise New Liberalism as an Ideology Related to Myth and Belief The Dysfunctionality of New Liberal Morality Family Structure and Functionality Migration–Ideology, Myths, and Beliefs The Cultural Challenge Index
University Press of America $29.00 Paper 0-7618-3061-8 September 2005 192pp $55.00 Cloth 0-7618-3060-X September 2005 192pp
http://www.univpress.com/Catalog/Singlebook.shtml?command=search&db=%5EDB%5CCatalog.db&eqSKUdatarq=076183060X
January 6th, 2006 at 11:29 am
Mark Steyn: I am a sociologist who has recently published a book at University Press of America, titles DYSFUNCTIONAL CULTURE. The inadequacy of Cultural Liberalism as a Guide to major Challenges of the 21st Century. If you are interested in commenting the book, I will send you a copy. - Then tell me your postal adress.
Test from the publisher:
Dysfunctional Culture: The Inadequacy of Cultural Liberalism as a Guide to Major Challenges of the 21st Century By Sigurd N. Skirbekk
Dysfunctional Culture is written for both theoretical and practical purposes. The first part of the book is a discussion off how to understand and identify political ideologies as cultural systems, disposing for both functional and dysfunctional ways of adjustment, even apart from the interests and intentions of their spokesmen. The second part deals with examples related to family morality and reproduction. It is argued that contemporary cultural liberalism, despite its advantages over several totalitarian ideologies, is inadequate for understanding the cultural premises for family functions, and even legitimizes dysfunctional processes. The book argues that belief in individual rights as the main basis for morality is not an adequate response to the moral challenges we are sure to face in the years ahead.
About The Author Sigurd N. Skirbekk is Professor of Sociology at the University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Professor Skirbekk has been manager of the Sociology Department at his university and also served as chairman of the Association of Professors at the University of Oslo.
Table of Content Foreword Preface From 11/9 to 9/11 Cultural Systems and Functionality The Internal Causes of Ideological Demise New Liberalism as an Ideology Related to Myth and Belief The Dysfunctionality of New Liberal Morality Family Structure and Functionality Migration–Ideology, Myths, and Beliefs The Cultural Challenge Index
University Press of America $29.00 Paper 0-7618-3061-8 September 2005 192pp $55.00 Cloth 0-7618-3060-X September 2005 192pp
http://www.univpress.com/Catalog/Singlebook.shtml?command=search&db=%5EDB%5CCatalog.db&eqSKUdatarq=076183060X
January 6th, 2006 at 11:30 am
Mark Steyn: I am a sociologist who has recently published a book at University Press of America, titles DYSFUNCTIONAL CULTURE. The inadequacy of Cultural Liberalism as a Guide to major Challenges of the 21st Century. If you are interested in commenting the book, I will send you a copy. - Then tell me your postal adress.
Test from the publisher:
Dysfunctional Culture: The Inadequacy of Cultural Liberalism as a Guide to Major Challenges of the 21st Century By Sigurd N. Skirbekk
Dysfunctional Culture is written for both theoretical and practical purposes. The first part of the book is a discussion off how to understand and identify political ideologies as cultural systems, disposing for both functional and dysfunctional ways of adjustment, even apart from the interests and intentions of their spokesmen. The second part deals with examples related to family morality and reproduction. It is argued that contemporary cultural liberalism, despite its advantages over several totalitarian ideologies, is inadequate for understanding the cultural premises for family functions, and even legitimizes dysfunctional processes. The book argues that belief in individual rights as the main basis for morality is not an adequate response to the moral challenges we are sure to face in the years ahead.
About The Author Sigurd N. Skirbekk is Professor of Sociology at the University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Professor Skirbekk has been manager of the Sociology Department at his university and also served as chairman of the Association of Professors at the University of Oslo.
Table of Content Foreword Preface From 11/9 to 9/11 Cultural Systems and Functionality The Internal Causes of Ideological Demise New Liberalism as an Ideology Related to Myth and Belief The Dysfunctionality of New Liberal Morality Family Structure and Functionality Migration–Ideology, Myths, and Beliefs The Cultural Challenge Index
University Press of America $29.00 Paper 0-7618-3061-8 September 2005 192pp $55.00 Cloth 0-7618-3060-X September 2005 192pp
http://www.univpress.com/Catalog/Singlebook.shtml?command=search&db=%5EDB%5CCatalog.db&eqSKUdatarq=076183060X