Action and Reaction

The Enlightenment did indeed bring us Deism. It also brought us the English Civil War, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution, so don't tell me that the Enlightenment was totally non violent. Most political movements start out with ideas. Ideas are nice, but they don't accomplish anything material until somebody attempts to put them into practice. As soon as they do, they are bound to meet resistance from the people who don't want them put into practice. For every person who likes an idea, there is at least one other person who doesn't like it. That wouldn't be a problem except that most people aren't content to just do what they want and allow others to do what they want. No, they've got to force everybody else to do what they want, whether everybody else wants to or not. So, while ideas are not violent in and of themselves, they sometimes inspire violence.

The people who supported the Enlightenment were indeed called liberals back in their day, but they bore little resemblance to the people who are called liberals today. To distinguish the Enlightenment liberals from the modern liberals, they are sometimes referred to as classical liberals. The closest thing we've got to them today would be the libertarians, which many modern liberals, and modern conservatives too, consider to be fanatics and crack pots.

I suppose it's fair to say that half the people refuse to be educated. The question is, which half? When I was in school, I observed people who were either unable or unwilling to be educated. I don't know what political opinions, if any, they held. I suppose it was different in college, but you guys would know more about that than me. Another question is, what's the difference between education and indoctrination? Oh, I know the answer to that one! If you try to teach me something, it's education. If I try to teach you something, it's indoctrination, or brainwashing, or just plain bull shit.

Hate is like that too. If I don't like gays, or colored people, or foreigners, it's hate. If gays, or colored people, or foreigners don't like me, it's social justice, or something like that. When Obama was elected the first time, my little pet name for him was "President Yo Mamma". Looking back on it, that was pretty stupid, but it made me feel better at the time. I wonder if certain individuals will some day look back on all the names they called Trump the same way.