"J. Barkley Rosser, Jr." wrote:
>
> I would also suggest to anybody who does not like hearing
> Kim Il Sung labeled as "megalomaniac," to go look at one of
> his official biographies. The guy is virtually a universal savior,
> according to these, certainly great enough to have a whole
> philosophy named for himself, "Kimilsungism," not to mention
> having most people in his country wearing pins with his picture
> on them and having a humongous statue of himself built. If this
> is not megalomania, then it does not exist. But, then, perhaps
> some on this list believe that he deserved such praise.....
Could it be a calculated campaign to maintain political loyalty? There would be real objections to that also -- but at least it's an argument that avoids mindreading. "Mindreading" is my label for any ascription of explanatory power to Providence -- uh, I mean to psychology. In other words, I might agree or disagree with descriptions of the practices of the NK state as wrong, stupid, authoritarian, etc. but I would not dislike hearing them. I dislike hearing moralistic or psychological labels applied to anyone, marxist or non-marxist. I regard all such explanations as unprincipled. The only explanation of intentions (as opposed to practices or actions) that I accept as principled is the explanation given by the agent him/herself. So you can say that Kim's *practices* were totally incapable of achieving his intentions, but "megalomaniac" is pure superstition, no matter who it is applied to.
Carrol