“Most modern people appear to resent the past and seek to deny its substance for either of two reasons: (1) it confuses them, or (2) it inhibits them. If it confuses them, they have not thought enough about it; if it inhibits them, we should look with a curious eye upon whatever schemes they have afoot.”
- Richard Weaver in Ideas Have Consequences
There is a line of philosophical dominoes that have fallen throughout history. Humanity has observed, been influenced by and in many cases accepted the tenets of these dominoes. Consider how the following ideas have had a domino-like relationship and how that has shaped the philosophical landscape we have before us today:
Darwinism (1859) – The beliefs of Charles Darwin and his interpretation of biological development were published in his magnum opus On the Origin of the Species. The tenets he proposed in this and other works came to be known as Darwinism. Darwinism cast a shadow on the truth that mankind was created in the image of God. It called into question the value of life and opened the door for “survival of the fittest.”
Eugenics (1865) – Charles Darwin’s views had a profound influence on his cousin Sir Francis Galton. Galton proposed that through selective breeding less desirable traits of humans could be reduced or eliminated. His ideas were further developed into the pseudo-science Eugenics. Eugenics also came to be known as “self directed” human evolution.
Communism (1917) – V.I. Lenin, who was a student of Marx, finds opportunity in the crumbling of the government of Imperial Russia to lead a revolt of Russian workers and peasants. His “October Revolution” laid the foundation for the Communist government which would be fully ensconced shortly thereafter. Lenin is followed by Stalin who institutes mass murders of political enemies that rivals that of Adolf Hitler in Germany.
National Socialism (1919) – Influenced by Darwin, Nietzsche, and Marx, Adolf Hitler transitioned the German Workers party into the National Socialist Party or Nazi Party. Hitler’s doctors and scientists in an attempt to further the pseudo-science of Eugenics perform forced sterilizations, abortions, and other inhuman experiments on political prisoners.
American Progressivism (Early 20th Century) – American Progressives adopt the philosophies of Darwin, Marx, Galton, and others while eschewing the violent tendencies that has resulted from these philosophies. American progressives see that in order to establish economic and social equity the power of the state must inevitably grow. President Woodrow Wilson was a leading political progressive who believed that the Constitution was outdated and needed to be revised to reflect changing political and social sympathies. Wilson was quoted as saying,
“Government is not a machine, but a living thing. It falls, not under the theory of the universe, but under the theory of organic life. It is accountable to Darwin.”
These dominoes have all fallen and lie neatly at the feet of modern “liberal” movement. One of the greatest ironies is that modern liberals are not liberal at all in the historic sense. They are really progressives under a different name. They hold to the same philosophies as their fore-fathers. They support the institutions (i.e. Planned Parenthood, ACLU, NAMBLA, etc.) that have resulted from the philosophies of their founders.
Glenn Beck has recently done a documentary illustrating the line of succession of these philosophical dominoes. His work is an eye-opening examination of how these modern “progressives” are a real threat to the future of our republic. If you are interested in getting more information you can check out Glenn’s website here.
Words mean things. In this electronic age of digital audio and video scarcely a syllable can escape posterity. For that reason alone it behooves someone as influential as the President of the United States to be careful of what he says.
“…with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine providence…”
I have been reading a pig. No, not that kind of a pig a P.I.G. A politically incorrect guide. This one happens to be on western civilization. It is fraught with all the wise teaching that you never got in your tax funded statist education. I am going to be devoting at least a post a week for the next few weeks to sharing a nugget or two from this raconteuristic but salient missive. Here is my nugget for you to chew on for today. I hope you enjoy and I hope it makes you angry enough or delighted enough to leave a comment.
