Quote of the day—Sir Roger Scruton

It is not the truth of Marxism that explains the willingness of intellectuals to believe it, but the power that it confers on intellectuals, in their attempts to control the world. And since, as Swift says, it is futile to reason someone out of a thing that he was not reasoned into, we can conclude that Marxism owes its remarkable power to survive every criticism to the fact that it is not a truth-directed but a power-directed system of thought.

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Sir Roger Scruton
2006
A Political Philosophy: Arguments for Conservatism
Meme tooted by Tamera @tacsgc July 3, 2020
[See also my blog post The Communist Manifesto.—Joe]

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15 thoughts on “Quote of the day—Sir Roger Scruton

  1. So belief in Marxism is a result of ‘science’ and the belief that we are gods – all-knowing, all-powerful, omniscient. Then everything else follows including the thought police, pre-crime, …

    However, we created the notion of ‘god’ to explain what we could not otherwise explain [and to give us purpose]. And that ‘science’ while very useful in explaining things, it still has real limits. Start with Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and then multiply. As an example, in today’s world, we barely understand COVID-19, let alone have the power to control it or defeat it. There are many other similar things as well – HIV, diabetes, heart disease, terraforming, …

    Just because we can imagine it does not mean that it is real but people that believe in Marxism/science can and will create a destructive, dystopian society as witnessed by history.

    The process of science is a tool – not a religion. Yet the left has adopted it as their religion and we will all suffer for their ignorance.

    • Yes; today’s “scientific consensus” has replaced the clergy, or the soothsayers, mediums or wizards, of the god-kings of old. Present truly scientific evidence to challenge their “consensus” and you’re guilty of heresy against doctrine, subject to punishment.

      Added to that “consensus”, we have Rome’s version, which is “tradition”. “Tradition”, they say, is right, not because it has been established via logic, in Scripture, or by the scientific process with full, open and unfettered review, or through any desire for truth whatsoever. No; “tradition” is valuable, right and just because the pope says so.

      And today they’re blending “tradition” (truth via papal dictate) with “scientific consensus” (truth via democracy under intimidation) in a most clever and compelling way. I bet you still haven’t read Laudato Si, have you?

      It’s the same ancient system rearing it’s ugly head; that old serpent, proud, covetous, lustful and boastful, gathering its power all over again. Only this time it is truly global, and now it has more tools at its disposal. Disagree with it, speak out against it, prove it wrong, and you’re going to have problems.

      And because of our education and discernment, we were dumb enough to believe that we were beyond all of this, that somehow with the passage of time we’d gotten more intelligent (or “enlightened”?) and less susceptible to trickery, bribery and intimidation. THEREFORE, because of our own kind of arrogance, it is happening yet again.

    • Don’t ever make the mistake of believing that evil and stupidity are the same thing. There are some very clever, very evil people in the world, and thinking ourselves superior to them does nothing to solve the problem.

      In fact, evil may operate more freely when we live in denial of its genius. Therefore, appearing stupid is one of its cleverest tactics.

      Again; if the left consists primarily of idiots, dolts, morons and fools, how is it they rule the world and get us to fund them, while all we can do is complain about it?

      • Evil and stupidity are not the same. But they carry historically similar penalties.
        And a fox may be clever in how he catches a chicken. But he’ll get no more eggs out of the deal. The genius of acting like a retard only works with indulgent societies.
        And yes they always seem to be running things. And even a historical reading of the bible proves it so.
        But like Jesus said; Many are called, but few are chosen. Think maybe it’s suppose to be like this? To see which you will chose?
        Only the truly retarded may beg excuse before god. What do you think Stalin brought before him? May guess is not much….. Thus to all tyrants!
        Now, if I could just quit being a hypocritic!

  2. Innate intelligence does not make one immune to appeals to one’s ego, or laziness, or avarice, or social status.

    Simultaneously, don’t confuse prestigious credentials as a marker for intelligence. That ship has already sailed and sunk.

    Marxism comes with bait and a hook. The bait appeals to, essentially, the Seven Deadly Sins. (“Lust, too?” you ask. Yup, especially.) The hook is the self reinforcing parts of the program that make the suckers stick with it, and part of that is the problem with reasoning someone out of something they didn’t reason themselves into. The ones that are doing the power plays are the ones wielding the rod and line… only the most cynical aren’t also on their own hook.

  3. Marxism has two layers, I think. One is for the power seekers: it is a scheme to let them grab power and hold on to it. The other is a marketing scam to support the first layer: a carefully crafted packet of lies designed to seduce the ignorant, the lazy, and the incapable into thinking they can get what they want without having to put in the effort.

    • I like your dissection:

      1. Stupid, lazy, envious people will gravitate to the faux intellectualism and “free stuff” that Marxism promises.
      2. Evil, power-hungry tyrants-in-training go for it to acquire the control over others they crave.

      Both groups are despicable and deserve any nasty fate that awaits them. They may get it, if they keep pushing.

  4. I’m working on a post about that. A combination of frustration, envy, a spiritual void, historical illiteracy, and more, being used an manipulated by those who seek power. Guess I gotta go finish that post, now. It’ll be a the www.https://www.howlingpuffin.club/ site.

  5. Pingback: The Captain's Journal » Why Marxism Survives

  6. Europe still has an unaccountable respect for the expert. You’d think that eventually they would stop believing the expert and consider believing their lying eyes.
    Sadly, America is fast catching up.

    • I suspect part of the reason is that European countries don’t have much, if any, background in individual liberty. They all evolved, to some extent, from absolute dictatorships. That history is still very visible in the fact that none have limited governments, and none have meaningful Constitutions as we understand them in the USA.
      The well known fact that most of these countries don’t have citizens but rather “subjects” is another illustration of the point.
      In other words, if the centuries-old tradition of the country is that the ordinary people do as they are told, the notion that “experts” appointed over you (somehow) are to be believed and obeyed is not so strange.

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