Hegel's Legacy: Historical Events, not Democracy

(...) political Messianism in the sense that it postulates a preordained, harmonious and perfect scheme of things, to which men are irresistibly driven, and at which they are bound to arrive (...) is often refered to in these pages as Hegel's Legacy: nominally democracy subordinated to the state, the latter embodying a vehicle in which Providence expresses itself, culminating in an ethical Utopia - an event on the scale of the Second Coming. In short: progressivism.

American Thinker: "America's Descent Into Totalitarian Democracy", by Lee Cary

Over fifty years ago, Jacob Leib Talmon defined the battle now underway for America's soul by comparing liberal democracy with totalitarian democracy. Talmon (1916-1960), Professor of Modern History at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, wrote The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy (foreword dated 1951, published in English in 1960). His notion of "liberal" democracy was founded on liberty, rather than collectivism. Talmon was a devout anti-Marxist.

In our search for language to describe what then candidate Barack Obama meant when he said, shortly before the election, that, "five days from now we will fundamentally change America," Talmon offers another option. Fundamental change meant the transition into totalitarian democracy. (Michael Barone introduced a tactic of totalitarian democracy with his concept of Obama thugocracy.)

"The essential difference between the two schools of democratic thought as they have evolved is not, as is often alleged, in the affirmation of the value of liberty by one, and its denial by the other. It is in their different attitudes to politics. The liberal assumes politics to be a matter of trial and error, and regards political systems as pragmatic contrivances of human ingenuity and spontaneity. It also recognizes a variety of levels of personal and collective endeavor, which are altogether outside the sphere of politics.

The totalitarian democratic school, on the other hand, is based upon the assumption of a sole and exclusive truth in politics. It may be called political Messianism in the sense that it postulates a preordained, harmonious and perfect scheme of things, to which men are irresistibly driven, and at which they are bound to arrive. (...) >>>

July 27, 2009
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Politeia: "Transnationalism: Manmade Disaster or 'Evolution'"

In the present discussion with Carl Rove and John Bolton at Glenn Beck's we see the ongoing disaster known as transnationalism clearly presented as a manmade process: it is pushed by people and politicians with an agenda. According to others a world government is the logical outcome as man progresses on his way through history and evolution. This meme is the result of a two centuries old phantasy, a theory set out by the reactionary philosophers Kant and Hegel who saw it as the outcome of man passing through history, bringing himself on higher levels of morality through strife and struggle. (...) >>>

April 25, 2009
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Dr Sanity: "Ayers and his Cohorts are what's Wrong with Education Today"

(...) Hegel, building on Kant, Rousseau and Fichte, would go on to write, "It must be further understood that all the worth which the human being possesses--all the spiritual reality, he possesses only through the State."Hegel's heirs went on to divide into left- and right-wing camps. The charge of the left was led by leftists like Karl Marx, who transformed Hegel's "dialectic of Spirit" into an economic and social system that depended on godless dialectic of "oppressors vs oppressed." The right-wing Hegelians tended to stress the omnipotence of the state and were less willing to abandon a deity. For more than a 100 years, the two camps have been battling it out, each trying to impose their utopian vision onto the human species.Both Hegelian offshoots summarily dispensed with free will and human freedom; and between them, they brought forth the philosophical abomination that we now call "postmodernism". (...) >>>

Updated: 25th Apr 2008
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Elsevier: "EU against ban on Turkish Governing Party" (automated translation)

The European Union is against a attempt by the Turkish Justice Dept. to ban the government Islamist AKP party. The highest prosecutor in Turkey has asked for a prohibition because of 'activities against secularism', such as the suppression of the ban on Islamic head scarves on universities. The prosecutor also wants Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul (both AKP) banned for five years from political life. The European Union reacted, rejecting the proposals. "In a normal European democracy political questions are discussed in the parliament, not in the courts", said European Commissioner Olli Rehn (enlargement EU) in a declaration. Rehn hopes that the question does not endanger the reforms, desired by the EU concerning a future accession of Turkey. Reason for the action of the Turkish prosecutor is the ban on head scarves on universities that AKP recently proposed to abolish. The proponents of a secular state believe the AKP wants the Islamisation of Turkey. Erdogan said Saturday in a response that a prohibition of his party "would be against the will of the people". The AKP won last year's parliamentary elections with decisive returns. Erdogan, a pious Muslim, in the past already has been banned from having political functions, after reading a controversial Islamic poem.
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Updated: 16th March 2008
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The Lighthouse: "An Existential Answer"

The question posed yesterday, i.e. is any majority ever justified in abolishing the state of democracy, was not only given in by the constitutional problems presently playing out in Turkey - by which the E.U. blindly sides with fundamentalism over preserving democracy - but also by the remarks made by a Dutch Government Minister that - if such would be the wish of a constitutional majority - it should be possible to impose Sharia Law in The Netherlands. That remark was made some months ago, but frankly - after a storm of protest - I haven't seen him retract the statement! (...) >>>

Updated: May 1st, 2007
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Background of the issue:

Politeia: "Heckling Hegel"

(...) 'World historical figures' as operatives of God's Plan, might be exacting high cost in terms of human lives, but collective historical development is of a higher order than mere morality. This hierarchy of ethics sounds familiar. (...) Europeans (...) have not given up being the pawns of Hegel's 'world historical figures', the new operatives of 'God's work' who happen to be carving out a heroic role for themselves as unelected road-builders to Kantian world government. Admittedly EU citizens were misled by their political leaders, but how else can one account for the civic tolerance of the collectivist, centralist super behemoth, the post-democratic techno-rule that is now controlling most of the continent and the United Kingdom? Is Hegel's hierarchy of ethics, the flow of 'world historic events' before individual rights - empire building before democratic values - alive and kicking in the third millennium?

The EU betrayed its Hegelian credentials in the matter of the wave of Islamic fundamentalism that is encroaching on the Turkish secular democracy, founded by Kemal Ataturk. The latter - knowing his Youngturks from his Liberals - made the military the custodians of the secular government. In a recent crisis (see above "An Existential Answer") the EU made a perhaps not surprising, but very revealing choice. The military were to stay in barracks, Sharia come what may.

This choice should not be interpreted as a mark of respect for the fundamentalists' freedom of conscience: this liberty has officially been subordinated to postmodern moral legislation. This was a choice for sacrificing democracy over military intervention, for putting the flow of 'world political events' before the values of democracy. Collectivist habits die exceedingly hard. >>>

Dated: 27th Mar 2008

The conglomerate of Hegelian thinkers is potentially huge: not just the Leftist parties, but as well the all-powerful Christian Democrat bloc.

Related:

- "Neototalitarianism"
- "Building the State of Europe"
- "Transnational Progressivism"