Who knows when I'll be able to post again. As I said, the internet is really spotty here and could crap out before I can click "post". We're having a wonderful vacation here. I'll be back in town and posting regularly again next week.
Here's the the thing I keep thinking about: human nature. If there is one thing that defines modern liberalism it is the notion that human nature is malleable and this is taken to be a source of freedom. The romantic strain of liberalism that sprung up through Rousseau and Kant in response to the Enlightenment saw human nature as a sort straitjacket. The notion that human morality should be subject only to the dictates of human reason was seen as liberating. Thus Kant's odd claim that the right thing to do is the right thing to do even if it is impossible for us to actually do it.
In practice, however, "the dictates of human reason" tend to be a far more severe straitjacket than human nature ever could be. Consider this if you don't believe me: lots of people say human beings should be free to reach their own conclusions but don't you suspect that they all believe that, if everyone decides honestly and freely according to the "dictates of human reason" that they ought to reach the same conclusion?
The notion that we all have a human nature is really quite liberating by comparison it seems to me. "Dictates" of reason has the same root as "dictator" after all.
Here's the the thing I keep thinking about: human nature. If there is one thing that defines modern liberalism it is the notion that human nature is malleable and this is taken to be a source of freedom. The romantic strain of liberalism that sprung up through Rousseau and Kant in response to the Enlightenment saw human nature as a sort straitjacket. The notion that human morality should be subject only to the dictates of human reason was seen as liberating. Thus Kant's odd claim that the right thing to do is the right thing to do even if it is impossible for us to actually do it.
In practice, however, "the dictates of human reason" tend to be a far more severe straitjacket than human nature ever could be. Consider this if you don't believe me: lots of people say human beings should be free to reach their own conclusions but don't you suspect that they all believe that, if everyone decides honestly and freely according to the "dictates of human reason" that they ought to reach the same conclusion?
The notion that we all have a human nature is really quite liberating by comparison it seems to me. "Dictates" of reason has the same root as "dictator" after all.
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