Chinese history is long and complex. With its litany of dynasties and hard-to-pronounce names, it presents a formidable challenge to anyone new to the subject. Yet we should all know about Chinese history.
"Or is Xi Jinping's increasingly repressive government committing one of the biggest blunders of modern history?"
I'm curious about this claim of increasingly repressive government, since repression can take many values under consideration, some may be relaxed while others become more tightly controlled. Is there some science or attempted science behind the measurements or is this a narrative?
Oh, interesting question! I'm sure some social scientists are measuring individual topics such as censorship. But the grand claim is indeed too grand to have a precise quantity behind it. So it's a "narrative". But I'm curious, what exactly would be the pushback? This feels like a relatively safe way to describe the downsides of Xi's rule -- no matter how charitable you want to be towards some potential upsides (such as those discussed here).
I think there are downsides and upsides of everyone's rule over others. For example, to be thrown out of housing and to become homeless is an extreme form of repression, the volume and outcomes is quantifiable, even if the qualia of such repression isn't. Since it's narrative, then there is no way to quantify or qualify one form of repression vs. another, nor to determine what price/cost is associated with both having and not having the repression.
"Or is Xi Jinping's increasingly repressive government committing one of the biggest blunders of modern history?"
I'm curious about this claim of increasingly repressive government, since repression can take many values under consideration, some may be relaxed while others become more tightly controlled. Is there some science or attempted science behind the measurements or is this a narrative?
Oh, interesting question! I'm sure some social scientists are measuring individual topics such as censorship. But the grand claim is indeed too grand to have a precise quantity behind it. So it's a "narrative". But I'm curious, what exactly would be the pushback? This feels like a relatively safe way to describe the downsides of Xi's rule -- no matter how charitable you want to be towards some potential upsides (such as those discussed here).
I think there are downsides and upsides of everyone's rule over others. For example, to be thrown out of housing and to become homeless is an extreme form of repression, the volume and outcomes is quantifiable, even if the qualia of such repression isn't. Since it's narrative, then there is no way to quantify or qualify one form of repression vs. another, nor to determine what price/cost is associated with both having and not having the repression.
You might like to check my upcoming series on history of China. I have some other recommendations https://open.substack.com/pub/jeffrich/p/world-power-history-tour-pivot-to?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=azb1g