The arson attack on Nantes Cathedral is a terrible yet apposite metaphor for our troubled times. We do not know who tried to destroy this beautiful place of worship, but we should understand the significance of the action.
Attacks on churches in France, common in recent years, have been carried out by anarchists, nihilists, Islamists and others. But regardless of the cause or lack of one behind this attack, its symbolism is unmistakable.
Churches and cathedrals stand for religious faith, of course. They represent Europes Christian heritage, too. They are part of our cultural and national identities.
Some have stood for hundreds of years, physical monuments to the long sweep of history, and a reminder, through wars, plagues, recessions and depressions, of the continuity of the institutions and traditions of our societies.
The Church is just one institution, and Christianity just one traditional belief, that for generations have encouraged us to compromise with one another, and make sacrifices for one another, in the name of community. They have taught us to pursue not only our own material benefit but the common good.
Other institutions have played similar roles of course, such ascharities, trades unions and philanthropic foundations. And other beliefs systems, from other religions to political creeds such asconservatism and social democracy, have also sought to foster a sense of solidarity to build a cohesive society.
And yet Western countries are today hardly cohesive societies. In Britain, the wealth of the richest 10 per cent of families is five times higher than the wealth of the bottom half of all families combined. With children's life chances defined more by their parents' prosperity than talent, social mobility is in crisis. With the working class demonised and despised by many, social solidarity is in crisis too.
Then there is the pernicious effect of cultural liberalism and militant identity politics. While elites debate the number of black students at Oxbridge with guilt and urgency, few acknowledge that white students are less likely to go to university than any other ethnic group, and white working-class boys fare worse than anybody else at school.
While the powerful engage in exclusively elite equality debates, such asthe number of women on boards, they give little thought to the availability and affordability of childcare for low-income parents.
Those who try to raise the plight of the white working-class are often written off as racists and cranks. And those who argue in favour of unifying identities made possible by patriotism, or our attachment to more local communities are lampooned as reactionary and ridiculous.
Like letters through a stick of rock, running through each of these problems is liberalism, the ideology that made our modern Western world.
The pursuit of the common good has little place in liberalism, for liberalism is principally concerned with the maximisation of individual freedom. Liberals have always tended to underestimate how the freedom of the rich and powerful can undermine the freedom of the poor and powerless. But it is only now that this reality is becoming so blatant, prevalent and, in the eyes of many, inevitable and even legitimate.
So we have a mirage of meritocracy, in which many of those who reach the top do so not through their own achievement but the headstart handed to them by their parents.
Believing they succeeded on their own merits, however, they feel they owe little to those who "failed" to make it. This is just one reason we see a selfish corporate class, paying themselves sky-high wages and marking one anothers homework, tax avoidance by rich families and big business, and faltering support for progressive taxation and universal public services.
Also to blame is the misplaced universalism of liberalism. Partly because much of liberal thought starts with a misconceived "model" of human nature and political organisation, liberals underestimate the cultural and institutional context and history of communities and countries.
They assume we are all rational freedom-seekers, the same the world over. This leads liberals to all sorts of flawed judgments about foreign policy (think Iraq), democracy (think European Union) and immigration.
Viewing countries as little more than a platform, upon which anybody from anywhere in the world can live and work with only minimal obligations towards others, liberals support mass immigration.
In fact, they are often maniacally in favour of it, because for many of them, borders are a restraint on freedom, and culturally diverse countries are more likely to put irrational attachments to majority culture and identity behind them.
But study after academic study shows that the more diverse a society becomes, the less trust and reciprocity there is, and less willingness to pay taxes to fund universal public services and welfare systems.
Liberalism attacks the institutions and traditions that bring us together, in part because they are seen as hindrances in the pursuit of freedom. But this destructiveness is also down to the problematic relationship liberalism has with the idea of inevitable progress.
Because some liberal thinkers justify pluralism and tolerance on the basis that they create trial and error that leads to an increasingly perfect society, liberalism can become illiberal and intolerant: conservatives who worry that change can bring loss and not just gain, institutions and traditions that ask us to put others first, and beliefs that seek to achieve the common good are mocked, undermined and attacked.
The irony is, the more we see the full extent of the crisis of Western society, it becomes clearer that liberalism has always depended on those very institutions and traditions and ways of life it attacks.
Perhaps liberalism can survive without Christian virtues and stable national identities, but we cannot yet know that for sure.
And so we return to the tragedy of Nantes Cathedral. We saw on Saturday a place of worship going up in flames, but without a greater willingness to pursue the common good, it will be more than a cathedral that succumbs to fire. The very basis of Western civilisation will be in serious danger.
Here is the original post:
Liberalism made the Western world, but now it is destroying it - Telegraph.co.uk
- Conservative News Websites Hacked, Replaced With Page Leaking Private Information - Mediaite - May 3rd, 2024 [May 3rd, 2024]
- Bring Me The Horizon's album 'POST HUMAN: NeX GEn' will arrive this summer - NME - January 10th, 2024 [January 10th, 2024]
- Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human: Next Gen - East Oregonian - January 10th, 2024 [January 10th, 2024]
- From Usher to Green Day, these are the top albums you'll want to hear in 2024! - Yahoo News UK - January 10th, 2024 [January 10th, 2024]
- Bring Me The Horizon Unveils New Single 'Kool-Aid', Teases Upcoming Album 'Post Human' - BNN Breaking - January 10th, 2024 [January 10th, 2024]
- SPRR1A is a key downstream effector of MiR-150 during both ... - Nature.com - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Daily briefing: Birds build nests from anti-bird spikes - Nature.com - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Windsor man connected to active missing person case faces ... - Charleston Post Courier - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- How bad is a Phoenix heat wave? The perils of burning pavements ... - The Washington Post - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Human Insulin Market Demand, In-depth Analysis and Estimated ... - Digital Journal - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Film Commentary: How I Learned to Start Worrying and Fear the Bot" - artsfuse.org - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Six curators talk about the artists on their radar - ArtsHub - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- The Biggest X-Men Wins In Marvel Comics Last Five Years - CBR - Comic Book Resources - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- A mom owed nearly $102000 for her son's stay in a state mental ... - NPR - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Federal Ruling Approves Construction of North America's Largest ... - Slashdot - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Program To Attract Tech Workers From the US Hits Capacity On ... - Slashdot - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Partial convergence of the human vaginal and rectal maternal ... - Nature.com - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Tiny device mimics human vision and memory abilities - Science Daily - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- A meta-analysis of correction effects in science-relevant ... - Nature.com - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Mechanistic basis for potent neutralization of Sin Nombre hantavirus ... - Nature.com - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Doctors Are Using ChatGPT to Improve How They Talk to Patients - The New York Times - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Libya: Briefing and Consultations : What's In Blue - Security Council Report - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Water managers tend to focus on climate adaptation, shy away from ... - The Longmont Leader - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- North America's Weather Turns Weird, Wild, and Extreme. Here's Why - Slashdot - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- LSD Fact Check: Fake photos implying human with lumpy skin ... - Morung Express - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Sir Ben Okri: Being honoured means helping the human race to be ... - msnNOW - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Shock and Awe: Life in Iraq Twenty Years after the US-led Invasion - Arab Center Washington DC - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Florida man allegedly killed stepdaughters ex in front of victims 4-year-old just hours after he was awarded split custody: Police - Law & Crime - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- Organ on a chip: The new lab setup scientists are using instead of animals to test new drugs - The Hindu - February 26th, 2023 [February 26th, 2023]
- QCPD arrests UP prof over alleged non-remittance of SSS contributions; orgs call for her release - GMA News Online - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Disappointing end to UK space mission as satellites fail to reach orbit - The Guardian - January 10th, 2023 [January 10th, 2023]
- We got space suits at a thrift shop for 20cents & learned theyre real NASA apparel worth $1,000s thanks t... - The US Sun - January 10th, 2023 [January 10th, 2023]
- Boeing: Space Overview - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- Did Darwin Say It Is 'Not the Strongest of Species That Survives' but the 'Most Adaptable'? - Snopes.com - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Descendant of 'Dracula' author to share 'story behind the story' - Bowling Green Daily News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Oct. 13 Letters to the Editor: Our Readers' Opinions - Lewiston Morning Tribune - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Royal commission into veteran suicides to commence hearings in Darwin this week - ABC News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- GOP secretary of state nominees will appear at event with Lara Logan, who pushes antisemitic conspiracy theories - Media Matters for America - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Augmenting the past to appeal to new museum audiences - ArtsHub - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Hard-hit citrus industry in Florida will mean higher consumer prices - FreshPlaza.com - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Chorley teen with Asperger's selected to represent the UK in judo at Virtus Games in Australia - Lancashire Evening Post - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The Datasets Were Looking At This Week - FiveThirtyEight - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Before Dark Web, The First Appearance Of Spider-Clone Ben Reilly - Bleeding Cool News - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Wrangler Clone Jeep Wants To Ban - SlashGear - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Range Rover stolen in Birmingham found in Scotland with cloned plates - Birmingham Live - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The 10 Best Clones in 'Star Wars' Canon, Ranked - We Got This Covered - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Lori Harvey is Dating 'They Cloned Tyrone' Star John Boyega - TheTealMango - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- John Oliver Warns Us About a Trump Clone With the Army on His Side - Rolling Stone - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Hold court in house once owned by Clones rugby and tennis star - Independent.ie - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- OnePlus 11R Specs Reveal A OnePlus 10T Clone Almost - Android Headlines - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- What the $70 iPhone 14 Pro Max clone offers - Royals Blue - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- UK Government Bodies Behind Nanotechnology Research Funding - AZoNano - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Bar-Ilan University researchers produce nanodiamonds capable of delivering medicinal and cosmetic remedies through the skin - EurekAlert - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- BYD to Participate in the 2022 Paris Motor Show and reveal Dolphin, Seal, and Yuan Plus for Europe - CarNewsChina - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 is not coming to CBS in August 2022 - Web News Observer - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- The Absolute Best Ways To Keep Bell Peppers Fresh - Tasting Table - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh Set the Runway on Fire; Manish Malhotra calls them Phenomenal - News18 - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- ITR filing: Having trouble with e-verification, legal heir registration, check these FAQs by Income Tax Dept - Times Now - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Moomoo Releases New Data: 84% Of US Adults Regularly Worry About Their Finances; Fewer Than Half Had Money Management Education - PR Newswire - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Could Will Smith lose his Oscar? Explaining the Academy's code of conduct - New York Post - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Supercharging the future by balancing technology with human intervention - Firstpost - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Bring Me The Horizon Have Achieved Their First Ever Billboard 100 Track With 'Maybe' - ROCKSOUND.TV - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- The internet is crucial - Human Rights Watch - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land Review - Niche Gamer - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Plastic microparticles discovered in human blood for the first time - National Post - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Ukraine: War and the Challenge of Human Rights in the U.S. and Beyond - Scheerpost.com - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Teen girls accused of abducting baby told mother they were human trafficking victims - National Post - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Amnesty International Report 2021/22: The state of the world's human rights [EN/AR] - World - ReliefWeb - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Who Was Leonora Carrington? The Untold Story of the Mystical Surrealist Whose Visions Shaped the 2022 Venice Biennale - artnet News - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Time Has Come for Women & Girls in The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework - IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Human Centric Lighting Market Top Players, Size, Emerging Trends, Share, Growth, Insights, Industry Analysis, and Forecasts Report 2027 - Digital... - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- COVID-19 symptoms are reduced by targeted hydration of the nose, larynx and trachea | Scientific Reports - Nature.com - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Winner with a human touch: Girmay finds a home from home at Intermarch - Cyclingnews.com - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Update on the Democratic Republic of Congo, 29 March 2022 - Democratic Republic of the Congo - ReliefWeb - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Israel's 55-year occupation of Palestinian Territory is apartheid UN human rights expert - occupied Palestinian territory - ReliefWeb - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Pope evokes specter of nuclear war wiping out humanity - National Post - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- The Future is Vast: Longtermism's perspective on humanity's past, present, and future - Our World in Data - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- Human costs mount in the third week of war in Ukraine - Al Jazeera English - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- 'Human hunter' sentenced to seven months for chasing couple with machete - Calgary Herald - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- Here's How The Human Brain Reboots Itself After The Deep Sleep of Anesthesia - ScienceAlert - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]