I appreciate your moral clarity and your commitment to calling evil “evil”. Your writing is a daily dose of preventive medicine against falling into a pit of despair and passivity.
I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush, September 23, 1800
We *are* being stalked by evil, it is radiating across our country. Those who do not, will not, or pretend not to see it, are aiding and abetting, actively, or by their silence. Your voice penetrates the darkness!
As someone more steeped in cognitive neuropathy than philosophy, I think that moral dilettantism suggests that someone knows right from wrong but has withdrawn from life out of fear. They have been browbeaten and made their peace with it, adopting an imagined high ground.
Even Jesus the Beatifititian overturned the money tables in the Temple. Moral clarity requires personal commitment, not fearful withdrawal. Jesus eventually made the ultimate commitment, which scares the shit out of the rest of us -- being perfect has its disadvantages. Moral clarity is not negotiable. History is replete with characters who found that dilettantism is worse than death. Heroes are not fools; they define real humanity.
I may not be willing to get arrested in front of ICE (especially on a hot day) but I still have trouble understanding why elected officials fear getting voted out of office (or “primaried”. If not for this fear would Trump have been successfully impeached by now?
It’s not like they’re going to go hungry or lose their housing and health insurance.
Thank you!!! Please continue to “call a spade a spade”! Continue to remind us that those who are more interested in maintaining what they consider to be their intellectual and moral sense of superiority, and the perceived benefits thereof, are DANGEROUS. These are those who would have applauded Nero while watching Rome burn — they may have even added torches to help it along. I can't help but be reminded of the “reasoning” many Nazis used to explain their actions at the Nuremberg Trials.
Thank you, I needed to hear this today. So many are ignoring the evil, that I'm getting really depressed. I never thought my neighbors, family and coworkers were so complicit. Our society has a mental illness.
Anyone who can look at a government planning eugenics and threatening military invasions and not call it "evil" needs to take a very hard look at their moral compass.
Powers and Principalities. Evil lurks and resides in the hearts of men. I super appreciate your earlier Vampires of Silicon Valley post. In no way did I interpret violence toward the Oligarch elites who captured the state, outrage for sure, but there was an invitation to join the ranks of humanity. Like you, I especially appreciate my brief time upon this Eden sphere. It gives meaning to the present.
And possibly like you, a deeper part of my Self alerts me to the evil in these present times. My body will die and I have made a difference. And we have to ask ourselves, how dark is that light within us? And among us...?
Thank you for this excellent work. It is so important to name evil when we see it. How can we even begin to understand what is happening or fight against it if we are too afraid to even name it for what it is? I wrote about this in a Backbone Report that you might find interesting - https://backbonereport.substack.com/p/facing-and-fighting-the-evil-of-the?r=50wryz
Thank you for this commentary. I agree with you; one must clearly call things what they are.
In order to further the discussion, I offer the following comments on a Supreme Court case that was, ostensibly, about upholding “morality:”
Here’s a thought about a possible positive outcome from the supreme court’s “Opt-out” decision…
Teachers will, presumably, have a list of those students whose parents want them to leave the classroom when “Pride Puppy” is to be read in class. The students who leave will be recognized by their peers as the children of christian bigots. In turn, the kids who stayed in class will tell their parents that little johnny bigot-in-training had to leave the room. Then, those parents will know of the families in their neighborhood who are bigots, and can take appropriate steps to ensure that their kids avoid association with bigots.
Bigotry is evil, and we should protect our children from evil.
At least in response to Aaron's criticisms, there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the fact that the people we might consider history's greatest monsters were also "very normal human beings." Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini were all humans, just normal dudes, who committed atrocities that resulted in the deaths of millions upon millions and enslaved millions. Granted they were normal dudes who gained cast amounts of power, fame, influence, and riches. So, by that same principle, calling the hosts of the All-In podcast moral vampires doesn't deny their humanity.
I'm willing to accept as a philosophical premise that humans, of all the non-fictional creatures or beings that we know of that actually exist in our universe, are the most capable of committing actions that exhibit the absolute worst morality, and I say that even knowing how incredibly likely to commit rape and acts of senseless violence some species of cetaceans are, though that might just be a function of the fact that we don't currently understand cetacean language if it does indeed exist like it appears to.
Regarding the criticisms of centrists who fear alienating the intolerant with moral criticism, it really does seem like a failure to understand how the Paradox of Tolerance works is largely on brand for them, along with a reverence for the status quo even when it comes with a failure to see that the status quo is changing. What's funny is that this often leads them to make moral judgements in real life, like say someone deserving carceral punishment for stealing food to feed their family, without them being willing to discuss or examine the philosophical implications of their moral or political schemata. I know that's kind of a gross overgeneralization and not all centrists are like that, but at the very least, I've found that I have a hard time getting a certain type of centrist to really engage with these kinds of things.
I appreciate your moral clarity and your commitment to calling evil “evil”. Your writing is a daily dose of preventive medicine against falling into a pit of despair and passivity.
I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush, September 23, 1800
The banality of evil...
It most certainly is. Arendt would certainly see it that way.
We *are* being stalked by evil, it is radiating across our country. Those who do not, will not, or pretend not to see it, are aiding and abetting, actively, or by their silence. Your voice penetrates the darkness!
Eloquent and to the point. Brilliant writing amplified by your sense of self and service. Thank you.
As someone more steeped in cognitive neuropathy than philosophy, I think that moral dilettantism suggests that someone knows right from wrong but has withdrawn from life out of fear. They have been browbeaten and made their peace with it, adopting an imagined high ground.
Even Jesus the Beatifititian overturned the money tables in the Temple. Moral clarity requires personal commitment, not fearful withdrawal. Jesus eventually made the ultimate commitment, which scares the shit out of the rest of us -- being perfect has its disadvantages. Moral clarity is not negotiable. History is replete with characters who found that dilettantism is worse than death. Heroes are not fools; they define real humanity.
I may not be willing to get arrested in front of ICE (especially on a hot day) but I still have trouble understanding why elected officials fear getting voted out of office (or “primaried”. If not for this fear would Trump have been successfully impeached by now?
It’s not like they’re going to go hungry or lose their housing and health insurance.
Wow. I feel like I'm cheering from the bleachers.
Thank you!!! Please continue to “call a spade a spade”! Continue to remind us that those who are more interested in maintaining what they consider to be their intellectual and moral sense of superiority, and the perceived benefits thereof, are DANGEROUS. These are those who would have applauded Nero while watching Rome burn — they may have even added torches to help it along. I can't help but be reminded of the “reasoning” many Nazis used to explain their actions at the Nuremberg Trials.
Thank you, I needed to hear this today. So many are ignoring the evil, that I'm getting really depressed. I never thought my neighbors, family and coworkers were so complicit. Our society has a mental illness.
Anyone who can look at a government planning eugenics and threatening military invasions and not call it "evil" needs to take a very hard look at their moral compass.
Powers and Principalities. Evil lurks and resides in the hearts of men. I super appreciate your earlier Vampires of Silicon Valley post. In no way did I interpret violence toward the Oligarch elites who captured the state, outrage for sure, but there was an invitation to join the ranks of humanity. Like you, I especially appreciate my brief time upon this Eden sphere. It gives meaning to the present.
And possibly like you, a deeper part of my Self alerts me to the evil in these present times. My body will die and I have made a difference. And we have to ask ourselves, how dark is that light within us? And among us...?
We are in a dogfight with live amunition, but some people think it’s a test run.
Thank you for this excellent work. It is so important to name evil when we see it. How can we even begin to understand what is happening or fight against it if we are too afraid to even name it for what it is? I wrote about this in a Backbone Report that you might find interesting - https://backbonereport.substack.com/p/facing-and-fighting-the-evil-of-the?r=50wryz
Thank you for the posted reference. You called “it” early on.
Thank you for this commentary. I agree with you; one must clearly call things what they are.
In order to further the discussion, I offer the following comments on a Supreme Court case that was, ostensibly, about upholding “morality:”
Here’s a thought about a possible positive outcome from the supreme court’s “Opt-out” decision…
Teachers will, presumably, have a list of those students whose parents want them to leave the classroom when “Pride Puppy” is to be read in class. The students who leave will be recognized by their peers as the children of christian bigots. In turn, the kids who stayed in class will tell their parents that little johnny bigot-in-training had to leave the room. Then, those parents will know of the families in their neighborhood who are bigots, and can take appropriate steps to ensure that their kids avoid association with bigots.
Bigotry is evil, and we should protect our children from evil.
Hey Mike, nice essay! I have been calling them invisible spooks for a long time.use if you like.
At least in response to Aaron's criticisms, there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the fact that the people we might consider history's greatest monsters were also "very normal human beings." Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini were all humans, just normal dudes, who committed atrocities that resulted in the deaths of millions upon millions and enslaved millions. Granted they were normal dudes who gained cast amounts of power, fame, influence, and riches. So, by that same principle, calling the hosts of the All-In podcast moral vampires doesn't deny their humanity.
I'm willing to accept as a philosophical premise that humans, of all the non-fictional creatures or beings that we know of that actually exist in our universe, are the most capable of committing actions that exhibit the absolute worst morality, and I say that even knowing how incredibly likely to commit rape and acts of senseless violence some species of cetaceans are, though that might just be a function of the fact that we don't currently understand cetacean language if it does indeed exist like it appears to.
Regarding the criticisms of centrists who fear alienating the intolerant with moral criticism, it really does seem like a failure to understand how the Paradox of Tolerance works is largely on brand for them, along with a reverence for the status quo even when it comes with a failure to see that the status quo is changing. What's funny is that this often leads them to make moral judgements in real life, like say someone deserving carceral punishment for stealing food to feed their family, without them being willing to discuss or examine the philosophical implications of their moral or political schemata. I know that's kind of a gross overgeneralization and not all centrists are like that, but at the very least, I've found that I have a hard time getting a certain type of centrist to really engage with these kinds of things.
There is never any “respectful” ways of discourse with fascists. Not now, not ever.