Paradigm Altering Political Theory w/ Dr. Andrew Willard Jones
Mar 1, 2024
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Dr. Andrew presents a paradigm shift for politics, emphasizing the importance of building families and communities of Christian love. The discussion critiques liberalism and explores the Christian perspective on happiness, subsidiarity, and societal dynamics. It delves into historical perspectives, societal self-critique, and the contrast between secularism and faith-based values.
Redeem politics by building families and communities of Christian love.
Medieval societies valued peaceful relationships over autonomy, countering liberalism.
Advertising challenges liberal autonomy principle by instilling desires in individuals.
State power expands to regulate influences hindering individual autonomy in liberalism.
Communities resist totalitarianism by fostering solidarity and combatting fear through human connections.
Deep dives
Liberalism as Maximizing Individual Autonomy
Liberalism at its core seeks to maximize individual autonomy, basing itself on the belief that human beings are independent rational actors pursuing their own self-interest. The ideological foundation is rooted in the concept of anthropological individualism, viewing human relationships as primarily contractual or hegemonic. Society's purpose is seen as facilitating the individual's pursuit of their ends, with morality centered around non-interference in each other's pursuits.
Contrast with Medieval Peace and Order
In contrast to liberal ideology, medieval thought upholds a primordial peace, where human beings coexisted harmoniously in familial bonds, friendships, and moral codes. While acknowledging the reality of sin and evil, medieval societies viewed peace as the foundational backdrop, with sin as a distortion. The emphasis on peaceful and loving relationships counters the liberal notion that autonomy is impinged by traditional structures like family, gender norms, and moral values.
Critique of Liberal Approach to Advertising and Manipulation
The liberal outlook struggles to address manipulative forces like advertising within its framework of mutual benefit and non-coercion. Advertising's ability to instill desires in individuals challenges the liberal premise of purely self-interested engagement. The contradictions arise when issues such as manipulation, fraud, and psychological coercion need to be reconciled within the liberal view of maximizing autonomy while respecting individual freedoms.
Expansion of State Power in the Pursuit of Autonomy
Opportunities to expand state power arise when structures or influences impede individual autonomy as perceived by liberals. Family, societal norms, and behavioral expectations can become targets for state intervention as hindrances to individual self-realization. The state's role evolves from a protector against physical aggression to a regulator of behaviors, attitudes, and environmental factors that are seen as limiting individual autonomy in a liberal framework.
Evolution of Liberal Philosophy and Power Structures
Liberals historically viewed power structures like patriarchy and authority as oppressive, leading them to strive for progress by identifying and eliminating such non-state-based power structures. The liberal suspicion towards values like patriotism and familial love stems from their focus on maximizing individual freedom and dismantling non-contractual social relationships. The march of progress involves eradicating these non-liberal structures, despite some individuals not recognizing their own oppression.
Tension Between Liberalism and Conservatism
Conservatives often try to segregate economic and familial values, believing in free markets and patriotism, yet this separation is fundamentally flawed. Liberal economic theories, striving for efficiency and profit, may threaten traditional familial values by commercializing every social aspect. The expansion of commercial influence aligns with progressive ideologies, leading to an intertwined march towards late modernity.
Christian Civilization and Subsidiarity
Subsidiarity in Christian society emphasizes human flourishing in relationships and acknowledges the importance of different social levels working towards common good integration. The family's deep relationships not only define happiness but also call for elevation into broader community settings. The positive role of higher authorities is to elevate and protect smaller units without replacing the intimate happiness found within families, highlighting a counterbalance to liberal ideologies.
Impact of Community on Resistance to Totalitarianism
The podcast episode delves into the concept that communities play a significant role in resisting totalitarianism. It argues that totalitarian regimes thrive on atomized populations and the destruction of communities of solidarity. By eroding communal bonds, tyrannical powers are able to instill fear and control. In contrast, cohesive communities provide support, confidence, and resistance to gaslighting. The narrative draws parallels from historical events like the purges in the Soviet Union to demonstrate how solidarity within communities can deter tyranny and foster resistance.
Rebuilding Humanity Through Small-scale Community Engagements
The podcast explores the importance of rebuilding human connections on a small scale to combat tyranny and foster authentic human interaction. It highlights initiatives in places like Steubenville that focus on fostering real relationships, local produce markets, and communal gatherings. The discussion emphasizes the shift towards valuing local communities over large structures, encouraging investment in authentic human connections as a means of survival and cultural revitalization amidst societal disruptions.
Liberalism is failing. Instead of making us more free, we are becoming more isolated from what makes us most human: from community, family, and friendship. Debates between progressives and conservatives continue to no end, but things only seem to get worse. In this episode of Pints with Aquinas, Dr. Andrew Willard Jones presents a paradigm shift for politics. Against the story of secularism, where politics and religion are separate realms, Andrew argues that Christ came to save all that is human: politics, economics, business—all of it. Instead of fighting over a failing liberalism, Andrew shows us why (and how) we should redeem politics by building families and communities of Christian love.
