Perhaps the most disheartening of outcomes given our current political state is the exaltation of the individual as the sole arbiter of that which is true and right. Perhaps, we have indeed achieved the dream of liberty and individual autonomy. However, in a world of subjective understanding, the lack of recognition of objective reality has created a space where all acts are good, so long as the actor identifies the act as good. This misguided philosophy accepts individual authenticity as the penultimate human ideal. Somehow, in the fog of 'post-modernity', it is the most virtuous act deny all objective realities, to include basic natural law, in order to be one's "true self".
The role of first principles and virtue are seen as antiquated ruins which serve no purpose in these current times. In this quest for individual authenticity there is a deep desire for a collective validation. The problem here is that if other individuals do not agree with the claim of authenticity, they are coerced by the collective society which gives validation. This takes the form of the use of pejorative terms to discredit a person's statement (racist, sexist, etc.) at a minimum to the coordinated effort to silence free speech (such as the black brigade at the recent protests at the University of California-Berkley) at the most maximum level. This is seen as the most correct act. In order to preserve individual autonomy, one must silence the free speech of others (which may be hurtful), while simultaneously limiting free speech for all other individuals in the name of the individual. The cult of individualism embraces this contradiction as a proof of its validity.
Rather, this contradiction reinforces the notion of "correct" speech, which ultimately limits the expression of ideas and handicaps true human liberty and freedom. It is in this space that authoritarian viewpoints are embraced (on either side of the political spectrum), tolerance is compulsory (to the point of negating deeply held beliefs), and free thought is vilified as non-democratic. This was the warning given by Orwell, whose own ideas and words are now politicized in order to maintain societal control.
I suppose given this societal construct, we have the political leaders (both Republican and Democrat), that we deserve. Is it any wonder why simple decision making seems to be a herculean task that only the greatest of statesmen could make? People are too busy being validated by their own individual definitions that they forgot one key component; human beings are more than a binary.
The role of first principles and virtue are seen as antiquated ruins which serve no purpose in these current times. In this quest for individual authenticity there is a deep desire for a collective validation. The problem here is that if other individuals do not agree with the claim of authenticity, they are coerced by the collective society which gives validation. This takes the form of the use of pejorative terms to discredit a person's statement (racist, sexist, etc.) at a minimum to the coordinated effort to silence free speech (such as the black brigade at the recent protests at the University of California-Berkley) at the most maximum level. This is seen as the most correct act. In order to preserve individual autonomy, one must silence the free speech of others (which may be hurtful), while simultaneously limiting free speech for all other individuals in the name of the individual. The cult of individualism embraces this contradiction as a proof of its validity.
Rather, this contradiction reinforces the notion of "correct" speech, which ultimately limits the expression of ideas and handicaps true human liberty and freedom. It is in this space that authoritarian viewpoints are embraced (on either side of the political spectrum), tolerance is compulsory (to the point of negating deeply held beliefs), and free thought is vilified as non-democratic. This was the warning given by Orwell, whose own ideas and words are now politicized in order to maintain societal control.
I suppose given this societal construct, we have the political leaders (both Republican and Democrat), that we deserve. Is it any wonder why simple decision making seems to be a herculean task that only the greatest of statesmen could make? People are too busy being validated by their own individual definitions that they forgot one key component; human beings are more than a binary.
