- Feb 5, 2002
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We are clearly facing a revolution, a radical turning away from the past–both the American founding and from Western Civilization more broadly. A wave of iconoclasm sweeps away not simply statues but even institutions, including the most foundational: the family. What is arising to fill the void? It’s not clear, although we can point to a vague assertion of self, values of equality, relativism in the face of clear truth claims, and advocacy for structural change through the power of the State.
Communism manifested itself a clearly defined threat. It had a stated agenda, first laid out in clear and succinct fashion by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Because the ideology coalesced around the government of major world powers, it was easy to point to its poor track record, not only economically but even more importantly on human rights. Therefore, Ronald Regan could characterize the struggle with Communism in terms of a fight of good against evil, a characterization backed up by the continual teaching of the Catholic Church.
Now we have a much less organized though just a threatening opponent. Unlike an exterior threat that can be identified by party membership or control of a government, the West faces an ideology eating away at it from within. It’s not completely unrelated to socialism and Communism, but it reflects a way of thinking that has impacted every aspect of life. It draws upon earlier strains of thought from the Enlightenment, which may dead as an intellectual project even as its central goals continue to develop.
Continued below.
I Believe in Me: Naming the New Ideology
Communism manifested itself a clearly defined threat. It had a stated agenda, first laid out in clear and succinct fashion by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Because the ideology coalesced around the government of major world powers, it was easy to point to its poor track record, not only economically but even more importantly on human rights. Therefore, Ronald Regan could characterize the struggle with Communism in terms of a fight of good against evil, a characterization backed up by the continual teaching of the Catholic Church.
Now we have a much less organized though just a threatening opponent. Unlike an exterior threat that can be identified by party membership or control of a government, the West faces an ideology eating away at it from within. It’s not completely unrelated to socialism and Communism, but it reflects a way of thinking that has impacted every aspect of life. It draws upon earlier strains of thought from the Enlightenment, which may dead as an intellectual project even as its central goals continue to develop.
Continued below.
I Believe in Me: Naming the New Ideology
