Entscheidungsfreiheit

Jetzt warteten sie auf das Ende, und vielleicht zeigt sich die Natur hier von ihrer barmherzigen Seite, denn wenn die Erschöpfung so groß ist, daß man stehenbleiben und sich nach seinen Verfolgern umdrehen muß, kann man das mit einer Ruhe tun, die dem Wissen entspringt, daß es keine andere Möglichkeit gibt.

Peter Høeg, "Hommage à Bournonville", in: ders., Von der Liebe und ihren Bedingungen in der Nacht des 19. März 1929, S. 51

Is "Vision of Liberty" the First Factor of Political Preferences?

Conservatives value above all else what Berlin called the negative vision of liberty, namely, freedom from coercion. Liberals are more willing to balance that against the positive vision of liberty — that is, having a reasonable opportunity to realize one’s potential. The negative vision focuses conservatives on restricting the government’s ability to interfere in people’s lives. The positive vision leads liberals to believe that government has a role in guaranteeing baseline minimums in education, medical care, and healthy communities. Most of us probably accept both visions to some extent, but how we balance the two may be built into our DNA. It is not to be expected, therefore, that a liberal will be converted by reading the great works of conservatism, or vice versa.

Carl T. Bogus, "A Liberal Reads the Great Conservative Works"

Conoisseurs Are Easy to Please

People think of connoisseurs as having higher standards. [...] Connoisseurs make unusual demands, yes, but in some ways they are easier to please than non-connoisseurs. Indie films are less pleasant than mainstream films. Yet film connoisseurs like them more. To most people, indie films are also much cheaper and more experimental than mainstream films. By supporting them — by preferring them — film connoisseurs are supporting innovation. The connoisseurs have lowered their standards for film in the sense that they can enjoy cheaper films. A friend of mine attends the San Francisco International Film Festival each year. He enjoys it. I wouldn’t. The SF film festival films don’t cost much, yet they have a certain innovative quality. (I”m not a film connoisseur, I barely understand it.) The source of pleasure has shifted from conventional sources (plot, music, dialogue, gorgeous actors, sets, and landscapes) to something else, perhaps novelty and complexity.

Seth Roberts, "The Willat Effect: More Consequences"