[Marxism] Re.: Gilles d'Aymery --> Individualism, or Attribution?

[<lshan@xxxxxxx>]

There is a good reason for a mixture of anonymity and attribution. The
writing of The Federalist Papers (by Jay, Hamilton, and Madison) was
initially anonymous. Shortly before his death, Hamilton acknowledged being
the author of 63 of the 85 essays. None of these people were blushing
violets. Sometimes anonymity is personal as d'Aymery seems to advocate.
Often it is to persuade those who might otherwise be predisposed against a
proposition based on its author.

All the authors of The Federalist Papers were known as strong supporters of
a strong central government. Anonymity allowed them to appear to be
objective commentators.

The greatest of the anonymous writers in the English language, however, were
Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift. Like the authors of The Federalist Papers,
anonymity was a protection. They were not people who "hid their light under
a bushel." But in their cases, it may have served to protect their life,
limb, and property, as well as their causes. Defoe wrote several pamphlets
defending the choice of William of Orange as King of England, most famous
being "The True-Born Englishman." (Perhaps still useful today in the
multi-cultural United States since it defends the choice of a
German-speaking monarch and describes the English people as a mixture of
many people.) Swift's The Tale of a Tub and The Battle of the Books were
both initially anonymous as were several later on Ireland.

Locke's A Letter Concerning Toleration was also originally published
anonymously.

from Brian Shannon


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