eudaemonia

Disgorgement

Perhaps I’ve been lucky, but I’ve never fell in with an ideology that was not based on good faith reasoning. Though I’ve “partied” very hard and have been exposed to many such people who opine the positions you reference, I never was swayed by their arguments. Though I’m now 38, as a 15 year old high-school drop out with a healthy interest in history and politics, I came to the conclusion, based on good faith practical reason, that there is simply nothing attractive in Stalinism or Nazism. Perhaps you share this same observation when you look back, but even as a youth I quickly understood that my leftist cohort was composed of some of the most ignorant people I’ve ever met. I mean they had little, if any, grounding in history, economics or philosophy. Hence their positions were not based on reason, but authority. This is not to say that I was historically well versed either. But as a young boy I was interested in war so I read about WW II and found out about the utter brutality of totalitarianism. Through my readings I also developed a great sympathy and enormous respect for Jews and Israel [I’m Roman Catholic and very pro-Israel].

As I made my way through college my estimation of the left changed only slightly, with an interesting twist. This time the professors were knowledgeable of history, economics [sort of], and politics, but now they openly questioned the relevance of reason!! Given that humans’ have no common ratiocinative quality that allows us to draw applicable historical lessons; history, politics and philosophy can be made to mean anything or nothing!! This explains why, as you cite, Islamofacists, gay rights, save the whales types, all can march in lock step.

I understand your militancy, but don’t allow our disputants to tarnish your disposition. Today we live in the age of the DI, that is: “distributed intelligence” of the net. One by one the irrationalist “know-nothings” ideological pillars are coming under intense scrutiny, and their irrational foundations are exposed for all to see. The Socratic admonition to “know thyself” is not just an individual search, but a search at the level of the polity itself. It is taking place as we speak.

Thank you for your uplifting piece today, I hope to read your thoughts again and again.

posted by spelunker @ 8:29 AM