January 16, 2020
The devastation that rationalism has wreaked on modernity has not yet been calculated. Because that’s the air we breathe, regardless of the beliefs we profess.
In politics, for example, the modern left has become disillusioned with the Enlightenment narrative of the primacy of reason, and rather than restoring reason to its proper subordinate place in our view of reality, the modern left has become disillusioned with all claims to truth. I’m becoming skeptical. Lacking a foundation of truth, the “critical thinking” that shriveled the shreds of reason that scholars espoused prevented them from believing in every possible absurdity. Establishment conservatism, on the other hand, has for decades shown little awareness or interest in anything beyond its immediate political usefulness, sustaining occasional victories at the ballot box. We are wasting a great deal of power.
Nevertheless, some kind of artistic and cultural vitality has usually been associated with liberalism. It is only recently, as liberals have assumed the role of censorious schools, that the right has seemed more creatively bold in challenging the status quo. However, this association of creativity with the destruction of society’s dominant structures is itself a relic of the liberal “tradition”, and its increasing banality has little to do with exposing its corruption and hypocrisy. This should warn people on the right that there are limits to what can be done.
You may be surprised to learn that conservatism began as a literary and aesthetic movement rather than a political movement. This is the starting point for James Matthew Wilson, a classic of modern philosophy. Vision of the Soul: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in the Western Tradition. Conservatives such as Edmund Burke, who criticized the French Revolution, defended the old order on the basis of its beauty. Wilson follows them in arguing that beauty is central to the soul’s (and Western) vision of reality.
This is the first of three episodes that explore the theme of “Soul Vision.” In this episode, after explaining the roots of liberalism and conservatism and showing the emptiness of liberal “freedom,” “equality,” and “critical thinking,” Wilson discusses six central insights of the Western world: He describes what he considers to be a (Christian Platonist) tradition that culminates in the contemplation of existence as our greatest excellence and happiness.
[1:14] Core message and theme soul vision
[3:36] Liberalism as a counterculture
[8:15] Liberal freedom and equality are negative and contradictory principles
[11:13] A constant struggle against the specter of inequality
[14:15] The emptiness of modern conservatism as exemplified by the second Bush administration. Recovering the roots of conservatism as a literary movement
[18:53] Edmund Burke’s critique of the French Revolution and utilitarian rationalism
[24:16] Since Hobbes, modern intellectuals have wanted reality to be less interesting and less wonderful than it seems.
[29:13] The Problem of Rationalism and Critical Thinking as Commonly Understood
[32:16] Six fundamental insights into the Western tradition. christian platonism
[37:15] The oldest and deepest definition of beauty: Truly wonderfulthe beauty of truth
[41:05] The highest form of human life: the contemplation of existence, realized in happiness/salvation as an end that cannot be surpassed.
[46:44] difference between intelligence and
reason regarding the truth
link
james matthew wilson https://www.jamesmatthewwilson.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Soul-Goodness-Western-Tradition/dp/0813229286
James Matthew Wilson’s Twitter https://twitter.com/JMWSPT
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