View From the Bushes:

Part of the "lost entry" from Friday was a discussion of the book The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. It's a book I've been meaning to read ever since it was recommended to me 15 years ago. Unfortunately at the time I was on my mission, so it wasn't an idle time, and by the time I got back I had already waiting two years -- what was a few more months, which of course nearly turned into a few more decades. Still I'm actually glad I waited. I think I'm better able to appreciate the book now than I would have been had I read it all those years ago. The thesis is similar to that of The Incredibles, though with fewer giant killer robots and a lot more references to Plato's Republic. A sample passage:

I am not arguing here that the old family arrangements were good or that we should or could go back to them. I am only insisting that we not cloud our vision to such an extent that we believe that there are viable substitutes for them just because we want or need them.

The idea put forth there that we have abandoned centuries of culture and learning based on some half-formed idealized notion of how the world should work permeates the first part of the book, and dovetails nicely with one of my chief criticisms of the Left. Despite their avowed rejection of any sort of divine power in favor of the hard reality of science, (which nowhere says that there is some kind of mandated equality between all human beings and in fact, gives us multiple examples of gigantic gender differentiation) they then base all of their ideology on just such a divine mandate.

In any case it's a very dense book, and I just started doing some consulting work on top of everything else I have going on, so it may be awhile before I finish the book, but I'll keep you posted.

Is it time to start worrying about Christmas yet?
Ross

Posted by direkobold at December 14, 2005 12:04 PM

Speaking of Christmas, I always imagined you, being the 80's child you are, as being inspired by Calvin's dad (from Calvin & Hobbes) when it came to Christmas with the kids (e.g., telling the kids you can save a lot of time and money by picking out one of the neighbors' trees from the sidewalk after they throw it out after Christmas). How far off am I?

Posted by: Ed at December 14, 2005 06:43 PM

I remember well a few years back finding one of those orange construction cones abandoned in front of my house. I brought it in the garage and set it up in front of my wife's car to let her know when to stop. It was early December. When my kids saw it and asked about it I told them it was our new Christmas Tree, that I was tired of all the work with the lights, tinsel and all. Jade immediately knew I was lying and told me so. She said "It can't be our Christmas Tree, it's in the garage." Of course then I told her that Janet and I decided it would be much less messy if we held Christmas in the garage. When Janet got home from work there was hell to pay. I learned you have to be careful being Calvin's dad.

Posted by: thehandsomebrotherinlawwiththebestwife at December 15, 2005 07:39 AM

I feel a little empty. I feel just a little bit sad. I made the effort to find a machine at work from which to review your blogs and found only three enteries for December, one of which I had read.

If you are not there keeping the moral fabric stitched together with your blog, I fear for us all.

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Posted by: Bonehead at December 15, 2005 08:48 AM