philosophicalconservatism

[philosophicalconservatism]

“Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down.

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) American abolitionist and author.

[philosophicalconservatism]

"It is above all in the present democratic age that the true friends of liberty and human grandeur must remain constantly vigilant and ready to prevent the social power from lightly sacrificing the particular rights of a few individuals to the general execution of its designs. In such times there is no citizen so obscure that it is not very dangerous to allow him to be oppressed, and there are no individual rights so unimportant that they can be sacrificed...

-Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French political writer.

#liberty #authoritarianism #conservative

[philosophicalconservatism]

“Only a few prefer liberty- the majority seek nothing more than fair masters.”

― Sallust (86-34 B.C.) Roman statesman.

[philosophicalconservatism]

While the violent riots that erupted here in the U.S. in 2020 eventually ended, the political and cultural response to those riots (specifically on the political Left) conceived something that remains with us to this day; something that is beginning to cause a major problem within many communities. The decision to morally justify that violent behavior has lead to a continuing trend of open and bold store theft and looting. Unlike shoplifting prior to the 2020 riots these thieves are overt and casual in their behavior. But that is what comes with the feeling of being entitled. If you are a victim of oppression that has been robbed by the system, why would you not be morally justified in pillaging that same system?

And of course if one believes that the behavior in question is on some level justified, one will be very hesitant to punish it. Thus local leaders first embolden the criminals in question, and then refuse to prosecute them. The problem is that this behavior is causing store closures in poor neighborhoods around the country, leaving the inhabitants of those neighborhoods without access to vital goods and services. The most vulnerable within society are paying the price, at the hands of the "compassionate" political leaders elected to represent their interests.

[philosophicalconservatism]

"While 'greed' is one of the most popular—and most fallacious—explanations of the very high salaries of corporate executives, when your salary depends on what other people are willing to pay you, you can be the greediest person on earth and that will not raise your pay in the slightest. Any serious explanation of corporate executives’ salaries must be based on the reasons for those salaries being offered, not the reasons why the recipients desire them..”

Thomas Sowell (1930-) American economist.

#free markets #conservative

[philosophicalconservatism]

"Experience has taught me that it is wrong and cruel to suspend judgment, that nonjudgmentalism is at best indifference to the suffering of others, at worst a disguised form of sadism. How can one respect people as members of the human race unless one holds them to a standard of conduct and truthfulness? How can people learn from experience unless they are told that they can and should change? One doesn't demand of laboratory mice that they do better: but man is not a mouse, and I can think of no more contemptuous way of treating people than to ascribe to them no more responsibility than such mice.”

Theodore Dalrymple (1949-) English psychiatrist and cultural critic.

[philosophicalconservatism]

"Perhaps you and I have lived with this miracle too long to be properly appreciative. Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation,"

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) U.S. President

[philosophicalconservatism]

Response To Previous Quote.

kvetcher-in-the-rye

Naive children are easier to enslave.

Philosophicalconservatism

Yes and children who believe they know more than they do are naive. Arrogant presumption is not knowledge or wisdom. What it is important to note is that although we are expanding children's choices we are increasingly shielding them from all consequences. Generation X was the generation of so called latchkey kids, and so many of us had more responsibility as children than many modern children do, but our parents never let us forget that we were merely children. What Dr. Szasz is talking about is the expansion of rights without responsibility, which leads to conceit not wisdom.

[philosophicalconservatism]

"In the United States today, there is a pervasive tendency to treat children as adults, and adults as children. The options of children are thus steadily expanded, while those of adults are progressively constricted. The result is unruly children and childish adults."

Thomas Szaz (1920-2012) Hungarian American psychiatrist

[philosophicalconservatism]

Response To Quote On Male Protection Of Women.

chinchillacrossing

Protect us from who? 🧐

Philosophicalconservatism

The very fact that you can ask that question is a stunning testimony to the effectiveness of male protection. A tribal woman living on the plains of Africa or in the jungles of the Amazon would never ask such a question. Women living in 17th or 18th century colonial America would never ask such a question. It is protection from both the physical threats and the stringent physical demands imposed upon the human race by a brutal natural world. Men are always protecting women either directly, as is done in more primitive societies, or indirectly by building barriers against nature around them, and an infrastructure that creates a far greater life of ease. Men also maintain that infrastructure.

Men are virtually all of the mechanical engineers, materials engineers, civil engineers, electrical engineers, petroleum engineers, construction workers etc. Men do almost all of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. And all of it is done to sustain and enhance this infrastructure which men have created in order to insulate and protect their families (which is to say, women and children) from the hazards of the natural world. That is why when there is breakdown in that infrastructure and some kind of tragedy strikes, that is the priority for men "Women and children first".

Original quote

"Men have sacrificed and crippled themselves physically and emotionally to feed, house, and protect women and children. None of their pain or achievement is registered in feminist rhetoric, which portrays men as oppressive and callous exploiters."- Camille Paglia

#feminism #chivalry #gratitude

[philosophicalconservatism]

“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.”

 Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) U.S. abolitionist and author.

#Standing on principle

[philosophicalconservatism]

“I will never sell my liberty for gold.”

Sir Walter Scott, from Rob Roy (1817)

[philosophicalconservatism]

The Communist redistribution of all wealth requires the centralized administration of all wealth. This means the control of all wealth by some singular power which is to carry out the purpose in question according to its own judgement and discretion. Given what we know about human nature what could possibly go wrong with that?

"But we will separate powers" someone will now say. Our current separation of powers only works because there is a fourth power in play in addition to the executive, legislative and judiciary, and it is private power. Without private power the electoral process soon becomes nothing but a charade.

[philosophicalconservatism]

"Those who understand others are clever. Those who understand themselves are wise."

Lao Tzu (6th Century B.C.)

[philosophicalconservatism]

"Men have sacrificed and crippled themselves physically and emotionally to feed, house, and protect women and children. None of their pain or achievement is registered in feminist rhetoric, which portrays men as oppressive and callous exploiters."

Camille Paglia (1947-) American academic and social critic.

[philosophicalconservatism]

“Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.”

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) U.S. president

The state is to protect us from force and fraud not from folly.

[philosophicalconservatism]

Are the challenges that are faced today by the Conservative movement in America so easy and unformidable that we believe we can overcome them while divided (as Conservatives)?

#unity #division