Simple Gifts

Book 9 of REPUBLIC begins by addressing the psychological makeup of the tyrant. It is remarkable for it psychoanalytical depth and insight. Using the content of the previous 8 books, Socrates argues that the tyrant is the most miserable of men, and his opposite, the philosopher-king, the most blessed and just.

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On April 10th, 1951 President Harry Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur from his command in the Pacific. MacArthur's vision of an escalated conflict in Korea in which the increased Chinese involvement be effectively countered in its communist military expansion, stood in contrast to the Truman administration's policy of Europe-first, and, some might say, appeasement of the Communist threat. In a letter to the Republican House minority leader (March 20th, 1951), MacArthur had said:

• My views and recommendations with respect to the situation created by Red China’s entry into war against us in Korea have been submitted to Washington in most complete detail. Generally, these views are well known and clearly understood, as they follow the conventional pattern of meeting force with maximum counterforce.... It seems strangely difficult for some to realize that here in Asia is where the Communist conspirators have elected to make their play for global conquest and that we have joined the issue thus raised on the battlefield; that here we fight Europe’s war with arms while the diplomatic there still fight it with words; that if we lose the war to communism in Asia the fall of Europe is inevitable, win it and Europe most probably would avoid war and yet preserve freedom. As you pointed out, we must win. There is no substitute for victory.

Relieved of his command, his military service over, MacArthur gave this farewell to service speech to the Congress on the 18th of April, 1951.

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One of my favorite stand-alone essays by C S Lewis. His usual incisiveness is evident here, cutting through the noise and smoke and grounding the discussion in fundamentals.

In our pluralistic society we fancy that our "modern" understanding has revealed a variety of discrete ethical codes from which we might choose. This is a lie. There are no new ethics:

• "Let us very clearly understand that ... it is no more possible to invent a new ethics than to place a new sun in the sky. Some precept from traditional morality always has to be assumed.... New moralities can only be contractions or expansions of something already given. And all the specifically modern attempts at new moralities are contractions. They proceed by retaining some traditional precepts and rejecting others: but the only real authority behind those which they retain is the very same authority which they flout in rejecting others. Of course this inconsistency is concealed; usually ... by a refusal to recognize the precepts that are retained as moral precepts at all."

The impulse to limit, or pare down morality by exalting one injunction above the others leads to ideology, to identity politics as we see it so prevalently in today's world. This impulse, Lewis rightly tells us, is built on a lie concerning the nature of morality itself, which is universal, not particular. It is a built-in feature of the cosmos, and if it is not that, it is nothing at all:

• "You are deceived in thinking that the morality of your father was based on Christianity. On the contrary, Christianity presupposed it. That morality stands exactly where it did; its basis has not been withdrawn for, in a sense, it never had a basis. The ultimate ethical injunctions have always been premisses, never conclusions. Kant was perfectly right on that point at least: the imperative is categorical. Unless the ethical is assumed from the outset, no argument will bring you to it."

The ideological view of morality that makes it relative and consequentialist finds its modern foundation in the philosophy of Hegel. I invite all my listeners to my extended treatment of Hegel in the Christian Atheist podcast. Christians must become aware both of the origin and the nature of the threat to theism in our modern world.

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George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!

Enjoy ... and be vigilant!

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When I teach Plato's REPUBLIC in the classroom, Book 8 is a perennial favorite. It is truly astounding the insight Plato had into human nature, both individually and corporately. He was a brilliant psychologist and sociologist, as well as the greatest philosopher in the Western tradition.

Having completed his description of the ideal city ruled by the philosophers, Socrates now again addresses an earlier statement from Book 5:

"Good, then, and right, is what I call such a city and regime and such a man, while the rest I call bad and mistaken, if this one is really right; and this applies to both governments of cities and the organization of soul in private men. There are four forms of badness."

There is a direct and causal relation, Plato asserts, between the character of the individual and the character of the society in which he resides, and the relation is reciprocal. Other than the correct form of government outlined in the 1) Kallipolis (an Aristocracy, rule by the best) in earlier books, there are four kinds of organizations of the individual soul and the society, in declining order of goodness from the Kallipolis: 2) Timocracy (rule by the honor loving), 3) Oligarchy (rule by the wealth-loving), 4) Democracy (rule by the freedom-loving), and 5) Tyranny (rule by the arbitrary whim of an individual).

There is, Plato tells us, a logic to this descent, a natural story by which the highest values slowly give way to lesser values, and as the values of the individual and the society decline so too does the government. It is this story that my students find so fascinating and compelling, as we can all see ourselves and our culture on Plato's continuum. His portrait of the democratic man and the democratic society, in particular, seems as though drawn from our own day rather than from 2500 years ago. The "inevitable" decline from democracy to tyranny that Plato paints should chill our hearts!

Enjoy the ancient wisdom that is as relevant today as when it was first written, and I pray to God that we may learn Plato's lessons!

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Our first President of the United States was certainly ONE of the greatest, and arguably THE greatest we've ever had. Even today politicians turn to his Farewell Address for support and inspiration. It is certain that he saw clearly many of the pitfalls into which we fell, ignoring the advice given here. Let us listen again with fresh ears and open minds. Perhaps timeless wisdom can help us overcome the foolishness of our time.

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A brief essay on the value and function of church music by Lewis.

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We end our month of Robert Frost's poetry with two well-matched poems:

"The Trial by Existence" is a longer poem, and one of my favorites. In the Christian Atheist podcast, one of our themes is that Truth is best discerned by living it. This poem expresses that point with great elegance. The life we live is the life we choose, or to put it as Jean-Paul Sartre would say it, we are our choices, even when we are ignorant of the choice.

"Reluctance" is the complementary opposition to our first selection, as it speaks of the human propensity to constantly push the boundaries of our lives, to question, to seek. As a philosopher the eternal drive to transgress our limits is both noble and fraught, and my soul is the moth to that flame.

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George Orwell's 1984 is classic dystopian literature, but it is also psychologically astute and prescient concerning the totalitarian tendencies of the 20th century's ideologies. With the rise of 21st century Wokism currently in vogue, its message is a clarion call for the present, too. Let us beware of embracing rather than opposing the lies that are being forced upon us, lest we find ourselves, too, living in a world in which we must guard our very thoughts, lest they betray us. Hold fast to the truth, no matter the consequences!

Enjoy ... and be vigilant!

If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

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#georgeorwell #animalfarm #classic #classicdystopianliterature #dystopianliterature #dystopianfiction #dystopian #literature #fiction #psychologicalliterature #psychological #psychology #totalitarian #totalitarianfiction #totalitarianliterature #20thcentury #20thcenturyliterature #woke #wokism #orwell

When I teach Plato's REPUBLIC in the classroom, Book 8 is a perennial favorite. It is truly astounding the insight Plato had into human nature, both individually and corporately. He was a brilliant psychologist and sociologist, as well as the greatest philosopher in the Western tradition.

Having completed his description of the ideal city ruled by the philosophers, Socrates now again addresses an earlier statement from Book 5:

"Good, then, and right, is what I call such a city and regime and such a man, while the rest I call bad and mistaken, if this one is really right; and this applies to both governments of cities and the organization of soul in private men. There are four forms of badness."

There is a direct and causal relation, Plato asserts, between the character of the individual and the character of the society in which he resides, and the relation is reciprocal. Other than the correct form of government outlined in the 1) Kallipolis (an Aristocracy, rule by the best) in earlier books, there are four kinds of organizations of the individual soul and the society, in declining order of goodness from the Kallipolis: 2) Timocracy (rule by the honor loving), 3) Oligarchy (rule by the wealth-loving), 4) Democracy (rule by the freedom-loving), and 5) Tyranny (rule by the arbitrary whim of an individual).

There is, Plato tells us, a logic to this descent, a natural story by which the highest values slowly give way to lesser values, and as the values of the individual and the society decline so too does the government. It is this story that my students find so fascinating and compelling, as we can all see ourselves and our culture on Plato's continuum. His portrait of the democratic man and the democratic society, in particular, seems as though drawn from our own day rather than from 2500 years ago. The "inevitable" decline from democracy to tyranny that Plato paints should chill our hearts!

Enjoy the ancient wisdom that is as relevant today as when it was first written, and I pray to God that we may learn Plato's lessons!

If you'd like to support us, donate through Paypal at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured

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https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com

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