Think Or Sink

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge’.” Isaac Asimov (1980).

I find fault with only one part of the Good Doctor’s statement. The problem is not one of Anti-Intellectualism it’s one of Anti-Intelligence. See, Intelligence is the ability to process data, spot patterns and make predictions. Intellectualism is the ability to make pithy, and occasionally insightful comments on THINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED. To paraphrase Bill Whittle, Intellectualism is Intelligence that is WAY past its Best By date.

I could point out that America is a Republic, not a Democracy, and that Democracy is Mob Rule, but that’s another essay. There has been a strong trend over the past forty years, away from Thinking and toward Feeling. Logic, rationality and pragmatism are considered to be cold-hearted. If your heart doesn’t bleed for EVERYONE, you’re mean-spirited and cruel.

This is a dangerous trend. People need to be Rational and Moral, in order to be Self-Governing. Morality has its basis in thought, not emotion. Stealing is wrong, because we intellectually recognize the concept of Private Property, and that taking some else’s stuff, without permission is bad. We don’t FEEL that stealing is bad, we THINK it. Thinking is Objective, Feeling is Subjective.

Ben Shapiro has famously said, “Facts don’t care about your feelings”. And he’s exactly right. Facts are what they are. It doesn’t matter how you feel. One plus one equals two, all the time. If you FEEL that it should equal three, too bad. Not gonna happen. If a man says he FEELS like a woman (or vice-versa), how could he Possibly know?! It’s madness. Biological Reality is what it is. Denial of Reality is Mental Illness. It needs Treatment, not Civil Rights.

The modern Neo-Socialists are just as delusional. Because they Feel rather than Think, they ignore the Hundred Million Bodies in the foundation of their Collectivist Utopia. National Socialism in Germany = 10 Million dead. Soviet Socialism in Russia = 40 Million dead. Sino Socialism in China = 60 million dead. Plus Cuba, Cambodia, El Salvador, Zimbabwe, and a host of other Communist hellholes, the body count staggers the imagination. 

It’s been said that the only difference between Nazism and Communism  is that no-one has ever said “Well, REAL Nazism has never been tried.” And boy, ain’t THAT the truth. Collectivist philosophies always start at the same place; Medicare for All. Who could POSSIBLY object to that? But, inevitably, we’re eating Zoo Animals and Pets, and then come the Mass Graves. The Legacy of Socialism is ALWAYS Misery and Death. You can’t fight me on this, the overwhelming evidence of History is in MY side.

Frederic Bastiat was a man ahead of his time. He saw the truth. He saw the evil of Socialism. There are many people, too many people, who think that Government is the Good Guy. There are two types of Socialists; would be tyrants, and hapless dupes. There’s no third option. Government is force. Government is coercion. It could be successfully argued that Government is a Necessary Evil, in order to have a society, but it’s Still an evil. The only solution is to limit its powers as much as possible.

When you limit the freedom of others, to enhance your own, you’re not advancing the cause of Liberty. The true test of your mettle comes when you have to stand up for the expression of the views you disagree with. I’m opposed to Nazis, Communists, and Collectivists of every color and stripe, but I would never call for the silencing of any of them. I prefer to engage them in the Arena of Ideas and prove them wrong.

It’s interesting that most Leftists consider themselves to be devotees of Science. They claim to eschew the Superstitions of Religious Faith, in favor of Rationality. And yet, when faced with Biological Facts like XX Chromosome =Woman and XY Chromosome = Man, or that from the moment of Conception, a fetus meets the definition of Life and Humanity, they’ll throw Science overboard in a hot second, because the Narrative trumps all. What we Want, what we FEEL is more important than Reality. Is more important than Facts.

My friends, this is insanity. This mindset kills civilizations. We’ve GOT to start Thinking again. Even the Mass Shootings are a sign of a Society that Feels too much, and Thinks too little. I keep using the phrase Flashpoint of History. But, it’s where we are. America or Amerika. A new Golden Age, or a thousand years of darkness. Dear God, I hope we make the right choice.