I think conservative philosophers still have a lot to offer, and if some of them were still alive and not concerned about protecting legacies or friendships (we grow old and comfortable too soon) they'd have some useful criticisms of MAGA.
For example -- for a long time, since the rise of Gingrich, I've often thought back to Russell Kirk …
I think conservative philosophers still have a lot to offer, and if some of them were still alive and not concerned about protecting legacies or friendships (we grow old and comfortable too soon) they'd have some useful criticisms of MAGA.
For example -- for a long time, since the rise of Gingrich, I've often thought back to Russell Kirk and his condemnation of ideology. Back in the day, I'd reassure myself that my (former) side wasn't ideological, just principled. Hah!
Kirk condemned promises of earthly perfection. Not because it's not good to try to make things better, but because people tend to love their ideological visions of the good more than they love real people with all their stubborn messiness and unwillingness to submit to a particular ideology. Once people become seen as mere obstacles to perfection, rather than living, breathing people with families, hopes and dreams, awful consequences follow.
If Kirk could have seen it, I think he would have had a lot to criticize about Gingrich, Paul Ryan, and MAGA and their promises of heaven on earth -- if we could just balance the budget / cut entitlements / build the wall, we will achieve utopia. But those people, the hated libs, stand in our way.
And if he wouldn't have thought so in person, or his words are flawed, the good lessons are still worth learning and applying.
I think conservative philosophers still have a lot to offer, and if some of them were still alive and not concerned about protecting legacies or friendships (we grow old and comfortable too soon) they'd have some useful criticisms of MAGA.
For example -- for a long time, since the rise of Gingrich, I've often thought back to Russell Kirk and his condemnation of ideology. Back in the day, I'd reassure myself that my (former) side wasn't ideological, just principled. Hah!
Kirk condemned promises of earthly perfection. Not because it's not good to try to make things better, but because people tend to love their ideological visions of the good more than they love real people with all their stubborn messiness and unwillingness to submit to a particular ideology. Once people become seen as mere obstacles to perfection, rather than living, breathing people with families, hopes and dreams, awful consequences follow.
If Kirk could have seen it, I think he would have had a lot to criticize about Gingrich, Paul Ryan, and MAGA and their promises of heaven on earth -- if we could just balance the budget / cut entitlements / build the wall, we will achieve utopia. But those people, the hated libs, stand in our way.
And if he wouldn't have thought so in person, or his words are flawed, the good lessons are still worth learning and applying.