In a recent column, David Brooks of the New York Times had an interesting take on the current political trends and what he called "The Enlightenment Project." The Enlightenment grew up at a time when people challenged orthodoxy. Martin Luther and the Reformation led the way in religion, but at the same time the were growing commercial rejections of church teachings on fair price and the "sin" of usury. Finally, science began to prevail against church traditions.
Brooks states that this Enlightenment Project has weaknesses. First is as he states "Enlightenment figures tell themselves that religion is dead (it isn't) and race is dead (it isn't)." The second weakness is that it is "thin on meaning." People are considered "bland egoists" and governments are run by "soulless Technocrats." Finally, "Enlightenment governance fails from time to time." This is when the "Anti-Enlightenment movements gain power."
I think Brooks is wrong in this viewpoint, but it is consistent with conservative views of liberalism. As I stated above, the Enlightenment grew out of a challenge to religious orthodoxy. That orthodoxy aligned with papal authority and eventually royal authority. New Christian sects developed (Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, etc.), challenging the authority not only of the Roman church, but of the Church of England. The American colonies came about in great part to the desire of groups to worship freely (Puritans in Massachusetts, Quakers in Pennsylvania, Catholics in Maryland) and this freedom extended to the freer thinking of the Enlightenment about government. Our founding fathers learned a sense of skepticism around religious authority being connected to the state. They believed a state religion would undermine the religious freedom immigrants desired in coming to America, not that religion was dead. Thus the founders spoke of God in more secular terms such as "Nature's God" and the "Creator." While many scientists may be atheists, most belong to religious congregations and their moral compasses guide their scientific work. There are many Galilean biologists fighting the battle of evolution against the creationist orthodoxy.
As far as "soulless technocrats" go, I would love to meet some of them. Before the Civil Service act, many government positions were filled by political "friends" and corruption was a significant problem, if not rampant. These "technocrats" are usually forced to adhere to rules of conduct because those rules are established to prevent corruption. If I were to make an exception to you, is it because I am sympathetic to your needs or giving special treatment to a friend. Soulless as it seems, the problems come when we decide to relax rules and regulations. Think about what might of happened of Commodity Futures Trading Commissioner (CFTC) Brooksley Born had gotten her way in 1998. She warned of the dangers in the rise of over-the-counter derivative trading and sought greater oversight, but was rejected. I believe if that oversight had been given, the financial crisis would not have occurred. The financial crisis occurred not because of the failure of the "Enlightenment Project" but the failure to listen to a "soulless technocrat."
Finally, that the Enlightenment governance fails from time to time, is simply not accurate. Brooks is correct to point out that anti-enlightenment forces gain power from time to time, but is it because of the failure of Enlightenment or the fact that power centers who lose from Enlightenment style policies find ways to gain power again? For example, as gains were made on race, various forces sought to undermine those gains. The Supreme Court ruling on Shelby County v. Holder, nullifying section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act governing election rules in districts were racial prejudice had been rampant, opened the door on new efforts to restrict voting. The establishment of the new Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) led to the forcing of Well Fargo to stop the unapproved opening of accounts for unknowing consumers. The new Congress and President want to weaken, if not eliminate the CFPB, undermining those new protections.
One of the key aspects of the Enlightenment was the skepticism of authority, but not the complete rejection of it. John Locke in his Second Treatise of Government began by stating that men were equal in Nature. However, while "this may be a State of Liberty, yet it is not a State of Licence..." (his italics). He states that civil government is the remedy for the "inconveniences of the State of Nature." However, Locke likens government authority to parental authority and Liberty is bestowed on people at the age of reason. Therefore, government authority is limited as is parental authority. The anti-establishment wants to extend power through authoritarian rule. When President Trump says news organizations spread "fake news" he wants people to follow his 'approved' news; the news that says his inauguration crowds were large, Muslims danced in New Jersey on 9/11, and so on.
The leaders of the Enlightenment believed in the rule-of-law. Our founding fathers, students of these leaders established a Constitution and government based on Enlightenment principles and rule-of-law. Where things were not clear, they acted by setting precedent. George Washington did not seek a third term as president, setting a precedent that lasted until Franklin D. Roosevelt. Afterwards, the Constitution was amended so that a president could not serve more than two elected terms.
Brooks concludes: "I wonder if there is a group of leaders who will rise up and unabashedly defend this project, or even realize this fundamental thing is under attack." Unfortunately, I believe it has been under attack since the 1980s when conservatives pushed back on the progress made in individual rights and responsible government. In the Reagan administration, Supply-side economics was the economic policy that led to major tax cuts for the top income earners. Instead of the economic boom that would offset those cuts, we ended up with record deficits and debt. The same occurred in the George W. Bush administration where the same promises were made. The anti-enlightenment forces hold on to those economic beliefs in spite of their failure because those beliefs benefit those interests. The new "populism" of the Trump era returns us to the racist and xenophobic bigotry authoritarian forces exploit to undermine liberal democratic government. I too wonder and worry where those leaders are.
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