Richard Weaver, a prominent American social and political philosopher, noted several decades ago that “ideas have consequences” (Ideas Have Consequences, University of Chicago, 1984). A socialist by training Weaver eventually concluded that socialists were really “dry, insistent people of shallow objectives.” He opposed what he saw as the bankruptcy of the mass mind, ancient Gnosticism, and socialism. In the end he saw clearly that these were all supported by very bad ideas. Weaver argued that the world was both intelligible and free and the errors that plagued us could be solved by reversing the tragedies of unintelligent choice. For this reason my own political views are framed by constant vigilance against various bad ideas that I believe to are completely destructive to our way of life.
Cultural capital is inherited from others. Our cultural bank account is being drained by some very bad ideas, even from sincere Christians. This is why I argue that we should support those institutions that guarantee our liberty and security. These include institutions like the church, the family and our schools. It also includes the free-market, which guarantees real freedom against the intrusion of the state into our personal lives. Destroy this particular freedom and you virtually guarantee the collapse of our way of life, still the best known in human history, even with all of its flaws and historical mistakes.
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