The Counter Enlightenment: Heckling Hegel (4)

The present is a series of key postings on the roots of contemporary European political philosophy. These ideas shaped many states on the continent, determined the nature of the Government, and defined the role of the people as state subjects. The result is a distinct European culture that is shaping the world today as it is taking over the USA. 

Left and Right Hegelians at war.

Continued from The Counter Enlightenment: Countering Kant (3)

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) was, like Immanuel Kant (Part 3), a great admirer of Jean Jacques Rousseau (part 2). Like today's cosmologists are warping reason for their Holy Grail, the 'theory of everything', these anti philosophers of the Counter Enlightenment did the same in their efforts to unify faith and reason. 

The Counter Enlightenment: Flunking Fichte (5)

The present is a series of key postings on the roots of contemporary European political philosophy. These ideas shaped many states on the continent, determined the nature of the Government, and defined the role of the people as state subjects. The result is a distinct European culture that is shaping the world today as it is taking over the USA. 

The paradox, the contradiction and the oxymoron have merged into postmodern "logic". 

Continued from The Counter Enlightenment: Heckling Hegel (4)

"Education should aim at destroying free will so that after pupils are thus schooled they will be incapable throughout the rest of their lives of thinking or acting otherwise than as their school masters would have wished."

Meet the Professor from hell, Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814), Head of Philosophy and Psychology Dept. of the Prussian University of Berlin, in 1810.

The Counter Enlightenment: Secular Law, Common Culture and Personal Liberty (6)

Since the time of Alexander the Great, rulers have struggled to deal with the distinct authorities that are guiding the actions of man: Secular and Sacred Authority. Alexander and the Romans after him solved the matter by uniting both authorities in the person of the Emperor. In the modern philosophy of Liberty the law or a democratic majority can't be allowed to trespass on the realm of individual Morality.

The concept of a Right pertains only to action—specifically, to freedom of action. It means freedom from physical compulsion, coercion or interference by other men. Thus, for every individual, a right is the moral sanction of a positive—of his freedom to act on his own judgment, for his own goals, by his own voluntary, uncoerced choice. (Ayn Rand Lexicon)

Secular versus sacred authority: introduction

Historically the distinction between Secular Authority and Sacred Authority largely followed the separation of Church and State, but the distinct 'authorities' that guide our actions are much more than that. It is very important to know the history that led to this separation, so that we can determine which aspects are controlled by Secular law (and by extension, by democratic principles), what part of our lives is ruled by culture and tradition (here referred to as 'Ethos') and what part is exclusively our private consideration (here referred to as Morality).

The Counter Enlightenment: Internationalism (7)

This posting is part of a series on the ideological and political movements that have been working  towards the destruction of the values of the age of Reason and Liberty since the Enlightenment. In this installment, Internationalism. 

Glenn Beck explains the UN's diabolical "Agenda 21".

Internationalism is a political principle that advocates greater political and economic cooperation among nations and peoples. The root can be reduced to teleological narratives in 18th Century Protestantism (chapters on Kant and Hegel), as well as well as Socialist and Left Liberal doctrines. Internationalists see humans not as individuals, but as a species as a whole in a one-world social construct. They don't distinguish between the metaphysical and the mad-made, since they deny the existence of free will.

GLOBALISM: THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC WORLD VIEW

In the United States and all over Europe Nationalism (or Nationism) is on the rise. It isn't the virulent, ethnic version that pitted nation against nation in previous centuries. Rather, it's based on shared Western values, like individual rights and democracy. But what does Nationalism 2.0 have to offer that Globalism does not? 

1) Modern Europe – liberal, democratic Europe – is the United States’ creation. This story was once known to every American, but as the generation responsible for this achievement dies, so too has the knowledge ceased to be passed down casually, within families.

— Claire Berlinski (@ClaireBerlinski) July 8, 2018

UPDATE: Manhattan Institute scholar and Thatcher biographer Claire Berlinski - not your average batshit crazy lefty -- provides us with an unique insight into the mindset of the traditional liberal democrat, post World War 2 world view. It reflects the default perspective of the Democrat Party. It is only now that President Trump exposes the essentially anti American fallacies and corruptions in that doctrine. Read in Threadreader:

Back to Mental Health in 13 Steps

Mental toughness is back in fashion in executive coaching. It was never out of style in sports: mindset separates winners from losers. But you can be your own mental coach. Here's how

Mental make-up is not about 'mental training'; it is about your view on knowledge, the nature of man and his place in the universe.

This posting is dedicated to @GoosR 

Recently Rush Limbaugh talked about mentally strong people and the 13 things they avoid. These 13 points were first published on Forbes and were compiled by Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and a licensed clinical social worker. Limbaugh offered his perspective (transcript), and we will add ours from the Objectivist point of view in a final comment.

MORALITY IS OBJECTIVE!

In the first instalment of Reason at Large Craig Biddle is dealing with Kant's school of altruist ethics and the “is-ought dichotomy”, also known as Hume's Law. Both fallacies are causing a blind spot for objective morality, which on that basis they continue to deny. Just because your intellectual tools are insufficient to figure it out, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist! 

Hume's law states, it is not possible to derive moral principles from Reality, from what Is.

Biddle explains in the video the fallacy at the heart of Liberalism, known as Hume's Law. It explains why Liberalism started as a reasonable enough premise until it outsourced all matters of morality to religion. And since the sacred has no business with the secular, a wall was erected that leads Liberalism in the final stages to a position of Nihilism. Which is where we are today. 

20 THINGS HEALTHY, WEALTHY PEOPLE DO

It is a well known fact in psychology that dependency makes miserable. Taking charge of your life results in pride of your achievements and better mental health. Success is not a fluke of fate, but the result of conscious decisions and a better lifestyle.

Mental make-up is not about 'mental training'; it is about your view on knowledge, the nature of man and his place in the universe.

In Back to Mental Health in 13 Steps we argued that our minds are shaped by our life's philosophy and our view of the nature of man and his place in the universe. The postmodern, deconstructivist point of view is devastating to a man's mind: it was designed for the specific purpose to deny man free will, making him a slave of social and physical circumstances. In addition to those 13 points to start your mental recovery here's some advice to top it up: start taking up Objectivist philosophy! In the meantime here are 20 things rich people do every day that poor people don’t. Now start here by taking charge for your own life!

OBJECTIVISM: A TOOL FOR SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS (AUDIO)

Where does happiness and self esteem come from? Not from free acknowledgements for participating in contests. Not even from money well earned. It comes from setting goals and achieving them. But it starts with the awareness that man has free will. Without that, you wouldn't even think about it!

"How to Build Self-Esteem", by Yaron Brook Ph.D., Director of the Ayn Rand Institute. 

UPDATE: Radical Capitalist Episode 30: Objectivism As A Tool For Success & Happiness.

Don Watkins sits in for Yaron as show host with special guest, Alex Epstein to discuss Objectivism as a tool for creating success & happiness. Want to connect with Don Watkins? Tweet Don @dwatkins3. Connect with Yaron via Tweet Yaron @YaronBrook or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ybrook. 

POMO LINGO: 25 TACTICS OF DISINFORMATION AND PROPAGANDA

The sociopathy we experience today in individuals and in societies themselves is the result of literally decades of self-delusion called political correctness. This process began as cultural Marxism. Today it takes the form of speech controls, censoring, demonizing of opponents, emotional blackmail and temper tantrums. 

Meme, celebrating 'the end of fascism' a.k.a. the Trump Presidency by an obvious display of fascism. 

UPDATE: An article in Vigilant Citizen lists 25 tactics used by Leftist activists and media types. Most of them will seem familiar. Most of us have seen these tactics in action over the years, either against us personally or in some other capacity. Browse the 25 rules carefully and keep them foremost in your consciousness so you know them when you see them and deal with it in the appropriate manner. Can You Identify Which of these Rules are Still in Use by Our Leaders Today? Possible rules of Operation Mocking Bird.