I thought a bit of pessimism is warranted.
(Its late and raining.)
The roots of this weblog lie in rejecting the idea that history follows a subterranean course towards enlightenment. You could call that upbeat idea a secular religion of the liberal state. It has the effect of keep our minds locked up in tradition.
Some of those who reject the upbeat philosophy of history sometimes adopt a dystopian conception of history. One example is a green strand, eg., its downhill all the way to catastrophe from when the whites conquered Australia. Only rarely does this strand of green suggest that history could take a dramatic turn for the better.
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Here's a dystopian account to chew on. Be warned its a strong brew.
“The coming revolution is the only religion I pass on to you, and it’s a religion without a paradise on the other shore. But do not remain on this shore. Better to perish.”
Alexander Herzen in Tom Stoppard, The Coast of Utopia, Part III, (London: Faber and Faber, 2002) p. 34.
Something to share with one's loved ones?
Then again perhaps not.
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at June 27, 2003 01:05 AM | TrackBackAs a "liberal" and practicing transcendentalist, I might go so far as to give in to Thomas Hardy's ideas of "ameliorism" as an alternative, but if you're looking for a real "tradition" there's always the Christian conservative vision of the Apocolypse still haunting us.
And look where that's taken us in the MIddle East.
Posted by: Loren on June 27, 2003 02:11 AM