Paradoxes of the Drug War & Paradoxes of the Holocaust

The two papers, “Paradoxes of the Drug War,” and “Paradoxes of the Holocaust” are linked thematically though not substantively by the concept of paradox. I also have linked these papers, one paper seemingly morally objectionable in its subject matter, and the other, morally upright, in part because of the contemporary moral indecisiveness – some might call it weakness – to confront with explicit frankness the failures of the “drug war.” (This includes one of the disturbing paradoxes dealt with in this book, namely, the increase in the size of the international drug market AT THE SAME TIME as the rise, spread, and diffusion of seemingly overwhelming and near ubiquitous surveillance, monitoring, and database technologies available to the world’s most powerful states). It is ultimately my view, however, that morally grappling with disturbing, questionable, and potentially transgressive subjects is more edifying – including in the classic sense of what used to be called “Bildung” – than the discussion and analysis of subjects widely recognized to be morally significant. Note also that when I use the concept of paradox in this book I am simply using the familiar or everyday concept of paradox instead of more technical treatments of the concept given by academic philosophers. As the author of this work, then, I am responsible for its contents – its flaws and also its innovations. Its contents contain new ideas, conceptions, and explanations that may be of considerable interest to readers around the world – including readers who may have no substantive concern or interest in either the Drug War or the Holocaust. Both papers are parts of longer, larger projects, and their presentation together may serve as means by which the appetites of contemporary readers for these subjects may be pre-emptively – even if temporarily – satiated. I thank my readers for their exquisite taste in ideas. Christopher Porto Ottawa, Canada, 2013