In his 1987 book, A Conflict of Visions, Thomas Sowell, an African-American writer and political philosopher, identifies two competing world views that can be traced back to Aristotle and Plato.
The "constrained view," which basically states that some people believe humans are basically flawed, or limited, and society much be constructed in such a way as to provide checks and balances against those limitations.
The other outlook is the "unconstrained view," which sees no limitations for the human race.
According to this piece in Forbes, Sowell says McCain represents the constrained view, and Obama, the unconstrained view -- and he predicts an Obama presidency coupled with large Democratic majorities in both houses will be disastrous for the country.
McCain promises to prosecute the war unapologetically. Obama? "In the first 100 days of my administration," he has declared, "I will travel to a major Islamic forum and deliver an address to redefine our struggle. I will make clear that we are willing to stand with those who are willing to stand up for their future."
"Barack Obama," Sowell says, "has a lot more faith in verbal interactions than I would. What he is proposing under the guise of change is what was tried between the two world wars and failed disastrously." Accommodation, diplomatic overtures, talk. It failed seven decades ago. It would fail today.
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Take it all together, Sowell believes, and this election will prove decisive.
"There is such a thing as a point of no return," he says. If Obama wins the White House and Democrats expand their majorities in the House and Senate, they will intervene in the economy and redistribute wealth. Yet their economic policies "will pale by comparison to what they will do in permitting countries to acquire nuclear weapons and turn them over to terrorists. Once that happens, we're at the point of no return. The next generation will live under that threat as far out as the eye can see."
"The unconstrained vision is really an elitist vision," Sowell explains. "This man [Obama] really does believe that he can change the world. And people like that are infinitely more dangerous than mere crooked politicians."
Obama has said he will take any measure necessary -- not rulling out the military option -- to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Can we trust him on that?
