tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post3670404745477478933..comments2024-01-02T23:22:21.430-05:00Comments on The Guild Review: Political Consciousness and Meritocracy RevisitedAaron Lindermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-43619968961164965882009-09-04T16:30:25.503-04:002009-09-04T16:30:25.503-04:00First, I think your friend is right to warn agains...First, I think your friend is right to warn against hastily concluding that if two things happened together in history, then they must be causally connected. But, I must plead not guilty to that charge.<br /><br />Second, I like how your friend speaks of "assumption of adult responsibility." That is a healthy outlook on life. But, what Slezkine is describing is not merely becoming an adult (assuming responsibility); he's describing becoming a modern adult by rejecting parental authority as such. Indeed, in other parts of the book, Slezkine speaks of "Jewish parricide."<br /><br />Third, and this must be just a passing remark (which I need to think out more thoroughly for myself), I suspect that religious freedom and free markets are so thoroughly rooted in individualistic assumptions, that it is impossible to reconcile them completely with Catholicism.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10825489013036249581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1573015459789360915.post-35051306152594089742009-09-04T13:33:48.895-04:002009-09-04T13:33:48.895-04:00A friend sent me the following email about this po...A friend sent me the following email about this post:<br /><br /><br />What I find most striking about this essay is that the phenomena it describes seem unnecessary. (Keep in mind that as a theologian I'm not an expert in political philosophy.) Sure, we know that historically the rejection of authority--by which I mean the author means familial and religious authority--and "political consciousness"--by which I presume the author means personal awareness of and citizen participation in politics as part of civic life--happened. But did they have to?<br /> <br />Why does assumption of adult responsibility--religious, civic, economic, personal, and familial--have to involve any rejection of parental and religious authority? It is simply natural for the human being, upon adulthood, to assume full responsibility for their destiny, and for their parents to recognize this reality. There isn't any rejection of a proper authority involved, as that authority has fulfilled its purpose. It is also natural for the human being to make an informed choice about their religion, to be sure that what they are believing is true and leads to happiness. If it is not true, then they are responsible to find out what is true and conform their life to that.<br /> <br />The distorted views of God, the human being, and the world that came out of the late Middle Ages, helped lead to the Reformation, Enlightenment, and Postmodern thinking. As we know, modern and postmodern Western thought, economics, and social life came out of that period. I remain convinced that the best of the Enlightenment--political democracy, free-market economics, and religious freedom--can be removed from that context and seen in a properly Catholic light. There is no need for anyone to flee from proper religious, social, political, or familial authority in order to live as a good Catholic citizen of a democracy with religious freedom and free markets, and realize the true human purpose of virtue here and salvation in eternity. How we get there from here as a society, other than Catholics giving good witness of life in Christ, I don't know.Aaron Lindermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15992073027586818751noreply@blogger.com