August 20, 2010
Nietzsche and Ortega Juxtaposed
By Michael Kleen
Exclusive to STR
In “Nietzsche and the State” and “Ortega and the State,” I examined critiques of Statism by two prominent modern European philosophers. Because Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) witnessed the rise of the modern State in central Europe, and José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) experienced Statism’s maturity and destructive potential, these two philosophers offer an excellent juxtaposition with which to critique contemporary Statism. Although they did not agree on every point, their perspectives tear away the veil concealing the leviathan that is the State in both its character and its effects.
Both Friedrich Nietzsche and José Ortega y Gasset were alarmed by the development of the modern State, which matured to ascendancy in the late 18th Century. In the 1860s and ‘70s, Nietzsche witnessed Otto von Bismarck forge his native Germany from a collection of dozens of independent political entities into a German Empire with a strong central government, mass conscription, national welfare programs, universal manhood suffrage, and an urban mass media. Nietzsche died before the First World War, but José Ortega y Gasset lived to see the nation-states of Europe engulfed in that conflagration along with the chaos that followed. He saw the revolutions of Lenin, Mussolini, and Hitler, and that of his own country, Spain, which degenerated into civil war shortly after he published La rebelión de las masas.
Click this link to read the entire column!
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Columns | Tagged: Nietzsche, Statism, Philosophy, overman, nationalism, liberalism, Bismark, José Ortega y Gasset, Revolution, Spanish Civil War, Republicanism, 20th Century | 
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Posted by makleen
August 3, 2010
If the United States came under the control of a totalitarian regime, would we recognize it? This and other provocative questions are asked and answered in my reading of “What is Totalitarianism?” (Part 1 and Part 2) which will include a presentation on the reality of totalitarianism (defined as “total state control”) in the world today, and a discussion of the subject over dinner at the Stockholm Inn in Rockford, Illinois.
To pre-order tickets, get directions to this event, or view other details, visit our event page.
General admission is $5 pre-ordered or at the door. A special $10 ticket will give you access to the event plus a copy of my book One Voice ($8 retail). Dinner is not included with the cost of admission, but the Stockholm Inn has a wonderful selection of Swedish foods and we encourage guests to order dinner or just sample their famous Swedish Pancakes during the presentation.
If you would like to help promote this event, you can download the following flyers in .jpeg format:
8.5 X 11 Flyer
Quarter-Flyer
Or you can invite your Facebook friends to the event.
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Posted by makleen
August 2, 2010
This is the second in a series of three articles on Friedrich Nietzsche/José Ortega y Gasset and the State, or “Nietzsche contra Ortega.” This article focuses on José Ortega y Gasset, a Spanish philosopher who witnessed the consequences of Statism in graphic detail. His critique is of the State is somewhat unique. Enjoy!
Ortega and the State
By Michael Kleen
Exclusive to STR
José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) was the preeminent Spanish philosopher of the first half of the 20th Century. A complex figure, he was at the same time an elitist, a classical liberal, and a republican. He was born into a wealthy bourgeois family, became the Chair in Metaphysics at Complutense University in Madrid in 1910, and he was the deputy for the province of León until the Spanish Civil War. After the outbreak of the war, he lived in self-imposed exile in Argentina until 1945. Ortega, as a witness to both the First and Second World Wars, was an ardent critic of the modern State. In La rebelión de las masas “The Revolt of the Masses” (1930), he predicted that the forces of Statism would inevitably lead to ever-increasing levels of violence. The State, he wrote, was “the gravest danger now threatening European civilization.”
Click here to read the rest of the article only at Strike-the-Root!
2 Comments | Columns | Tagged: 20th Century, José Ortega y Gasset, Philosophy, Republicanism, Revolution, Spanish Civil War, Statism | Permalink
Posted by makleen
July 22, 2010
I am now the Friday guest editor on Strike-the-Root.com. Strike-the-Root has published several of my opinion columns in the past, and is, according to their website, “a daily journal of current events and commentary from a libertarian/market anarchist perspective. The mission of STR is to advance the cause of liberty, primarily by de-mystifying and de-legitimizing the State. STR seeks a world where people are free to live their lives as they see fit, as long as they don’t use force or fraud against peaceful people.” Those are principles I can support.
My job as guest editor basically involves posting 15 links on the site every Friday. The links are mostly libertarian in nature, but some can be humorous or simply interesting. If you have any suggestions for interesting articles, let me know!
Leave a Comment » | Personal Stuff | Tagged: free market, guest editor, libertarianism, Michael Kleen, strike the root | Permalink
Posted by makleen
July 15, 2010
A long-overdue return to Strike-the-Root. This is my favorite of the columns I’ve written so far this year, and one that I think my readers will enjoy as well. I’m planning on doing two follow up pieces, “Gasset and the State” and “Nietzsche contra Gasset,” but you’ll have to make do with this one for now.
Nietzsche and the State
By Michael Kleen
Exclusive to STR
“Where the state ends—look there, my brothers! Do you not see it, the rainbow and the bridges of the overman?”
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is one of the most famous of the modern philosophers. A prolific writer on just about every subject, his views on the modern state have been largely overshadowed by his critique of morality, which is a shame because despite the adoption of his philosophy by political movements after his death, Nietzsche held a very clear and consistently critical view of the subject throughout his adult life. In his more sober moments, he saw the modern state as nothing more than a vehicle for mass power and as a squanderer of exceptional talent. In his most feverish moods, the state was “a cold monster” and a base falsehood…
Read the entire column!
Leave a Comment » | Columns | Tagged: Nietzsche, Statism, Philosophy, overman, nationalism, liberalism, Bismark | Permalink
Posted by makleen
July 8, 2010
My new column has been posted:
Internet Censorship: A Litmus Test for Freedom
By Michael Kleen
As the sole bastion of total freedom on the planet, a place where the unfettered exchange of information and ideas can take place over thousands of miles virtually instantaneously, it didn’t take long for the Internet to come under attack. A global map of Internet censorship is like an atlas of freedom and totalitarianism. It perfectly illustrates that Internet censorship is a litmus test of to what degree a government fears the free exchange of ideas, with a closed society on one end and an open society on the other.
While the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, Libya, Cuba, and the other usual suspects occupy one end of the spectrum, Western democracies are supposed to occupy the other. It should be alarming, then, that a number of laws meant to restrict and regulate the Internet have been introduced in Western nations, leading to the question: if the unrestricted flow of information occupies one end of the spectrum, and totalitarian control of information occupies the other end, in what direction are our elected officials heading? The answer is clear, and the fear with which these officials demonstrate toward the freedom of information is laid bare through their statements in support of such legislation…
Read the entire column!
Leave a Comment » | Columns | Tagged: Australia, banned websites, Blacklists, Censorship, freedom of information, Internet, World Wide Web | Permalink
Posted by makleen
June 25, 2010
The Crisis of Confidence and the News Media
By Michael Kleen
Previously, I have written about the crisis of confidence in government (“The Crisis of Confidence,” “Potholes and the Crisis of Confidence”). Simply put, this means that constituents can no longer trust their elected officials. But this crisis extends to and envelops the news media as well, creating a toxic environment of distrust in which a republican form of government cannot properly function. By sowing the seeds of distrust in government while exposing its own biases, the media serves to fuel the fires of this crisis. Metaphorically speaking, government and news media are locked in a death spiral, racing to the bottom of public opinion while engaged in a political battle increasingly estranged from the general public.
That there has been a dramatic decline in public trust for the news media cannot be denied. In 2003, according to a Gallup poll, only 36 percent of those surveyed believed news organizations “get the facts straight.” That percentage fell to 29 percent in 2009 (Pew Research Center), while in the same year, only 19 percent felt that the press “dealt fairly with all sides.” In March 2010, the Pew Research Center found that 57 percent of those surveyed had a negative view of the national news media, a percentage only surpassed by the number of people who had a negative view of the Federal government and banks (65 and 69 percent)…
Read the entire column!
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Posted by makleen
June 24, 2010
Local Haunts — Author explores ghostly tales across Illinois
By Melissa Garzanelli
Michael Kleen, author of "Paranormal Illinois" and "Haunting the Prairie," speaks to guests during a book signing Friday night at Finnegan's Bookstore in Utica.
Michael Kleen gets a kick out of ghost stories and he’s willing to travel to see if there’s any truth to these legends. Kleen, of Rockford, has visited spots across Illinois, including some nearby like Cumberland Cemetery near Wenona and Moon Point Cemetery in Livingston County, where stories persist of the “Hatchet Lady.” He posts his discoveries online through a serial newsletter at www.trueillinoishaunts.com. Now he’s taking some of those stories and putting them in print.
Kleen recently released “Paranormal Illinois,” which joins his first book “Haunting the Prairie.” He talked to The Times via e-mail about his books, ghost hunting and why people love their local haunts.
Q. You operate an online newsletter sharing tales of the paranormal. What made you decide to publish your books as well?
A. Books have always been my first love. I started out writing fiction, and the digital newsletter (Legends and Lore of Illinois) was a way to explore my other interests by examining the history and folklore of haunted places in Illinois…
Read the entire interview!
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Posted by makleen
June 15, 2010
Check out the new issue of KILTER – I have a pretty decent short story published in it called “Sonic Fear” about a guy who loses his mind because he lives too close to the railroad tracks…
From their website: “Number 8 is busting at the seams with great content. Art coverage, movie reviews, An Interview with Voltaire by the Reverend Chicagodom, a review of the Chemlab/16 Volt show, a piece about Latebar, the fashion of Dollface, art by Sinee Misgari, Zmiya, Judgehydrogen, an expanded comics section, Poetry, fiction by Michael Kleen, Cleo LaVamp on the Continuum (including a pictorial tour) SS-Triple-X, and our regular features, Ask Happy, the Horriblescopes and another vegan recipe by Scary Lady Sarah. :gasp: (and so much more)”
Order now ($5 + Shipping) It’s also available in select Chicago stores.
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: fiction, Gothic Art Chicago, KILTER, Michael Kleen, short stories, Sonic Fear | Permalink
Posted by makleen
June 14, 2010
My latest column has been posted at Militant libertarian.org. It a philosophical piece on how we can mitigate some problems associated with voting, and why the problem of “majority” rule is theoretical rather than actual. In reality, we have a tyranny of the minority, because politically active minorities (compared to the rest of the electorate) are the ones who really win elections. “Minority” meaning numerically less than half of the population.
The Problem of Rule by Minority Party
June 13th, 2010 by makleen
by Michael Kleen
After each presidential election, partisans and pundits alike are quick to declare an electoral mandate for the winning candidate. In 2004, incumbent President George W. Bush himself told reporters, “I earned capital in this campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it… When you win, there is… a feeling that the people have spoken and embraced your point of view.” Echoing those sentiments, Vaughn Ververs at CBS News called Barack Obama’s 2008 victory “a sweeping mandate for Obama’s campaign mantra of change.”
Read the entire column…
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Posted by makleen
