Privileged Thought
7th October 2020
Philosophy’s goal was once to learn how people can flourish, how they can employ their lives to the best effect. As the West has become increasingly wealthy, though, Philosophy has become unmoored. It has ventured off into beliefs that are not only contrary to human flourishing but are contrary to human survival.
Take, for example, the postmodern’s non sequitur: There is an infinite number of ways in which to interpret a text (which is true), and no interpretation is better than another (false). The example I like to use is a text on defusing a bomb. While it’s true that there is an infinite number of ways in which to read the text, there is only one that will keep you alive.
We can only indulge this belief if someone else defuses our bombs for us. In other words, post-modern thought is a belief system born of the privilege of not having to perform countless humdrum tasks that are needed for bare survival.