In Pursuit of Utopia #3: “Noble Lies”
From https://schoolsucksproject.com/bonus-in-pursuit-of-utopia-episode-3-noble-lies/:
Daniel McCarthy and I continue on monthly discussion on the history of Utopian visions and their consequences.
In this episode:
“The development from Aquinas through Locke and Newton represents more than four hundred years of stumbling, tortuous, prodigious effort to secularize the Western mind, i.e., to liberate man from the medieval shackles. It was the buildup toward a climax: the eighteenth century, the Age of Enlightenment. For the first time in modern history, an authentic respect for reason became the mark of an entire culture; the trend that had been implicit in the centuries-long crusade of a handful of innovators now swept the West explicitly, reaching and inspiring educated men in every field. Reason, for so long the wave of the future, had become the animating force of the present.” – Leonard Peikoff, The Ominous Parallels
In a running start to our discussion of America as a utopian vision, we explore The Enlightenment in Europe; this includes Voltaire, John Locke, Saint-Simon, and Rousseau.
We move on to how these European thinkers inspired the American Revolution, and how the 18th century world was reshaped by the rise of classical liberalism.
We conclude contemplating the idea of progress. Generally, Enlightenment thinkers believed that the human lot was improving as more and more people exchanged superstition for reason. Science would unravel the secrets of creation and place man in a position of dominion over the earth. Unfortunately, this also meant that certain cultures (those “enlightened” societies in Europe and America) were justified in subjugating inferior ones.
About Your Instructor: Danny is a 24-year-old SSP listener, blogger and researcher, and the author of an upcoming book on the historical pursuit of utopia.
About This Series: In the 21st century, we’re living in a mosaic of fractured and failed Utopian visions from the past; socialism, social justice, liberation movements, archaic revival, radical environmentalism, and even the “information” revolution are a just a few notable examples. Whether we trace the concept of utopia back to Thomas More 500 years ago or even all the way back to Plato, the ideal world has been pursued from the top down, frequently resulting in varying degrees of dystopia for people…not at the top.
