Over at Culture 11, Nicola Karras has written an outstanding essay on how she moved from the liberalism she absorbed as a child to a conservative world-view.
From Nietzsche, from René Girard, from history, I had taken an important lesson about the darkness at the heart of Man. The human race is not, at its core, nice. For every worthy urge, there are a dozen unworthy ones: violence, lust, anger, greed, ressentiment… Society’s job is then to teach us to be better. Plato thought that once we knew the Good, we would have no choice but to follow it, but he was wrong.
She doesn’t say much about religious faith, but it may be implied, or perhaps she’s still on that journey.
The article’s a little highbrow for those of us whose philosophy reading is spotty, but well worth the effort.
I just noticed how well this essay matches today’s quote at the top of the page. Serendipity-doo!
The human race is not, at its core, nice.
And yet most people — against argument, observation and better sense — believe that it is. Getting them to believe otherwise is the challenge.
Not only does she nail the problem with man, a fallen sinful nature (which liberalism denies) but she projects that into government.
Reminds me of the writings that introduced me to Marvin Olasky about the problem with current government welfare being too impersonal and disconnected from the clients. He posited that the best help we can give people is that which is closest to them. The closer the giver is to the recipient, the less opportunity for fraud and abuse on the one hand and counterproductive assistance on the other.
Loren Eaton: And yet most people — against argument, observation and better sense — believe that it is. Getting them to believe otherwise is the challenge.
Ori: It’s because most of the people we encounter are good. They don’t attempt to rob or murder us. If we ask for directions, they usually tell us where to do and do not mislead us for fun.
What they miss is that this isn’t the natural state of humanity. Familial amoralism where every stranger is an enemy is natural. You can see it in Homer. You can see it modern third world countries.
Most people around us are good because they were trained to be that way. Religion is one of the tool of that training.
Most people around us are good because they were trained to be that way.
I’ll agree that laws of various kinds, cultural or religious or what-have-you, certainly help. We aren’t animals. But when I scratch below the socialization, I find a certain bentness in people that the rules don’t touch. The scariest part is that I see it most clearly in myself.
On a completely different note, I spent some time on your site last week and laughed a good long while over the “Psalm of Foo Foo.” Pure gold, sir!
Loren: But when I scratch below the socialization, I find a certain bentness in people that the rules don’t touch. The scariest part is that I see it most clearly in myself.
Ori: Do you desire evil, or do you act evil? The first is called in Hebrew “Yetzer haRa”, the evil inclination. Without it, free will would be a travesty.
Thank you – I try to be entertaining. Foo Foo has been perpetrating is evil for a very long time.