zia m - I'll respond to your first sentence by saying I was actually addressing SufiSoul there and it wasn't a discussion by any means. Just an aside, as one says. I'll skip the rest of the earlier part of your reply. Makes no sense to get into a free for all about what constitutes religion, what intellectual, what superstition, what science.
TA and his communism. No coummunist worth his salt could speak the way he does about the US. I've also read some of his books. The communist or better said ex-Commie is to be found nowhere. But perhaps he was one, though not in the sense one usually used the term. Here, have a look at this:
Call the Politburo, We’re in Trouble
Entering the Soviet Era in America
By Tom Engelhardt
Even if the world can’t imagine what a bankrupt America might mean -- it’s far clearer that, in the titanic struggle of the two superpowers that we came to call the Cold War, there were actually two losers, and that, when the “second superpower” left the scene, the first was already heading for the exits, just ever so slowly and in a state of self-intoxicated self-congratulation.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25746.htm
So obviously if Gorbachov is one's idea of a communist, why not Tariq Ali. Could you perhaps once explain to us what the "new left" is? I've seen no trace of any "left", new or old, anywhere in the world. Perhaps just my ignorance.
One thing in TA's favour though which I forgot to mention earlier on: He spoke very well about Iran. There, full marks. And as for conspiracy nuts, why not? After all nutty people often get closer to the truth than their so-called saner brethren. Anyway, thanks for posting. It made a change from the usual stuff we get on the blog.
P.S. No hang on, I do have another short comment: Intellectual without the word honesty tacked on is no intellectual. It's just using words for the sake of words.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Jun 2010 9:33
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