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Logic and Reason
letter by Aaron James -- May 30 -- Globe and Mail (Books)
Aaron James's letter (May 30) attacking my letter (May 2) attempts to blame everything
bad that happened over the past five hundred years (such as war) on logic, science
and individual rights -- but he doesn't attempt to show a causal connection. Are
we to believe that a philosophy of anti-logic, anti-science and anti-rights yields
peace? What about the atrocities committed throughout history by primitive-mystical-collectivist
tribes against their neighbors? How could a respect for reason and individual rights
lead to the initiation of violence against innocent people?
The principle of individual rights wasn't put into practice until the late 18th century
-- in America -- and not very many understood what it meant. Still, what followed
was one hundred years of skyrocketing prosperity and peace -- which ended with WWI.
Who started WWI? Countries like Germany and Russia -- countries steeped in mysticism
and collectivism (reinforced by anti-enlightenment thinkers such as Rousseau, Kant
and Hegel). During our century America had to save Europe twice from self-destruction.
Mr. James falsely accused me of misrepresenting Hegel. Hegel's philosophy represents
a total assault on the basic principles of logic as discovered by Aristotle. According
to Hegel, the universe is ruled by and riddled with contradictions. Furthermore,
there is no distinction between consciousness and an external reality -- reality
is a product of consciousness. Hegel's philosophy was very popular with the Nazis
because in essence it invited the Nazis to take their blood as superior, their feelings
as absolutes and to smash anyone who got in their way. For details I refer you to
Dr. Leonard Peikoff's excellent book *The Ominous Parallels* -- which deserves a
review in your books section.
Sincerely,
Glenn Woiceshyn
© 1998 Glenn Woiceshyn.
All rights reserved. This article can be found on-line at at http://www.capitalism.org/glennw. |
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