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How was the transition to secular societies in Europe achieved, historically, and over what timescales?

tens of millions of people stand to see their lives ruined because the bureaucrats at the ECB don't understand introductory economics -- Dean Baker
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 10th, 2012 at 12:58:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
the tools and timescales available today are quite different than through most of history.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
by Crazy Horse on Tue Jan 10th, 2012 at 02:07:50 PM EST
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"This time is different"?
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 10th, 2012 at 02:13:03 PM EST
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Arab Spring? Occupy? Showing shoes to the Bundespräsident? (Not in the same category, but...)

The new level of mass protest in China, despite The Party?

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Jan 10th, 2012 at 02:29:43 PM EST
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each time was different, though the underlying pattern remains.

this time it has to be very different, because it's the final reckoning, even by their own warped belief system.

this setup has defied evolution's gravity too long. time to mutate or die out...

 

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Tue Jan 10th, 2012 at 03:41:06 PM EST
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Fish know nothing of water.

It's mass two-way communication.

Anyone can know anything.

Align culture with our nature. Ot else!

by ormondotvos (ormond.otvosnospamgmialcon) on Tue Jan 10th, 2012 at 10:37:15 PM EST
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can't track you on that comment, sorry!

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty
by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Wed Jan 11th, 2012 at 12:34:46 PM EST
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I was commenting in my own elliptical fashion, on your statement above "this time it has to be very different."

The first line indicates that those in the culture who read history seem rarely to understand when things actually do change.

The rest indicate that what's really new is mass two-way communication. The Internet. It really is a big change, like transistor radios were. When they came out, everyone could get the news.

With the internet, now they can gossip about it, and foment change.

Sorry about the inscrutability. I get tired of plodding.

Align culture with our nature. Ot else!

by ormondotvos (ormond.otvosnospamgmialcon) on Thu Jan 12th, 2012 at 09:51:18 PM EST
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True, but I am not totally convinced that Atatürk is a desirable role model...

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Tue Jan 10th, 2012 at 02:20:09 PM EST
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In Sweden, I would divide it into two phases:

  1. About 1860-1960 the fight against the religious monopoly of the statechurch (Lutheran). Liberals, socialists and 19th century cultists against the conservatives and religious bureacracy.

  2. 1950 and onwards. The material wealth of the industrial society proves science as the mightiest god (its miracles are here and now). Secularism vs Christianity. The cultists switch sides and found the Swedish Cristian Democrats.


Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se
by A swedish kind of death on Tue Jan 10th, 2012 at 02:13:45 PM EST
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