The Resenters - Moralism without Morality

BreakPoint Online ^ | Feb. 21, 2003 | Mark Gauvreau Judge

[KC Burke]

Very fine post.

Like you, I felt the article took a lot of short cuts.

For a more interesting view of the split, I prefer Thomas Sowell's A Conflict of Visions, over the columnist here.

Your take does less to marginalize or dehumanize the other side, always a grave mistake when applied by either side. I have to admit, I find myself in puzzlement that some very traditional, but yet profound thinking, christians seem to not see the current world climate as I do. It is far to simple and seductive to view them as less than sincere or just dupes. It is a deeper problem than that.

Haven't seen your posts before, but will watch for them in the future.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Where do you get your insight?

Thomas Hobbes, St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Moses, John Locke, Ben Franklin, William Shakespeare, King James I, Sigmund Freud, Gustav Le Bon, Freiderich Nietzche, Ayn Rand, Søren Kierkegaard, Winston Churchill, Walter Kaufmann, Frank Channing Haddock, Henry Louis Mencken, Ambrose Bierce, George Patton, just to mention a few.

There is a reason the English language has an edge over other languages and Modern Western Civilization is a dominant culture in the world. The evidence of this is a comparison between former English colonies and other former European colonies across the globe. Which civilizations who were former colonies of European powers are the most succsessful?

Also, at the risk of sounding ethnocentric, of all the greatest social and scientific inventions, advancements in technology for the last several centuries - - what global demographic has improved the human condition in this regard more so than any other? The European male.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

I prefer Thomas Sowell's A Conflict of Visions, over the columnist here.

I haven't read any of Sowell's books, but have followed his newspaper columns with great interest. The Left tiptoes around him like they do around Alan Keyes.

[borkrules]

I haven't read any of Sowell's books, but have followed his newspaper columns with great interest.

You MUST read his books. The columns don't come close to the depth of argument he presents in the longer format. In fact, I've stopped reading his short columns, they just don't measure up to his books.

In addition to the book previously recommended, also try The Vision of the Annointed.

[Remedy]

>>>>Also, at the risk of sounding ethnocentric, of all the greatest social and scientific inventions, advancements in technology for the last several centuries - - what global demographic has improved the human condition in this regard more so than any other? The European male.<<<<

eth·no·cen·trism

- Belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group.

Cultural -

denoting or deriving from or distinctive of the ways of living built up by a group of people; "influenced by ethnic and cultural ties"- 3: of or relating to the shared knowledge and values of a society; "cultural roots"

Was this due to:

1. Genetics of the European male
2. Shared knowledge and values of the European male
3. Some combination of #1 & #2
4. Other factor(s).

IF #1, then ethnocentric would apply.

IF #2, then culturalcentric would be a better term.

IF #3, then some lengthy term would be more accurate.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

#2, culturalcentric would be a better term.

Modern Western Civilization began with the European Renaissance.

I would also tend to weight my opinion of this heavily in favor of Anglican civilization (which includes the United States).

The former colonies of Britain are much more successful than those of other European powers. This is partly the result of representative government. England colonized as a parliamentary system. Other European governments colonized as monarchies with an element of ecclesiastical dominion governed by the Vatican.