Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Mantra of a Classical Liberal

I have over the course of my life studied the role of history and its impact on the human condition. What I present in point like form are some of my insights and realizations. My challenge has always been one of finding clarity and in this regards .

1. I am best described as a classical liberal in that I champion democracy, human rights, private ownership of property, investigative science, free enterprise, meritocracy, high levels of education, the rule of law and a complete openness to discussion and debate within society.
2. I believe that Western Civilization, while not a pinnacle of all that there is, represents an advanced state of the human condition. I will make no apologies for this position as to do so generally invokes the odious philosophy of cultural relativism.
3. I appreciate religion as a system of ethics but believe that it should be divorced from the functioning of the state.
4. It is critical that the leadership of the great Western nations guard themselves against the forces of barbarism that threatens it.
5. While Western Civilization represents an advanced state in the history of our species it is still incumbent on the civilization’s institutions to learn from the other great cultures viz. Sino-Japanese, Latin American, Slavic, Hindu etc.

In summary: When a society loses the essence of what makes it special it loses the essence of what makes it great.

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