A Troubling Small Publication
In 1948, Richard M. Weaver published his seminal work, "Ideas Have Consequences," a profound exploration of the philosophical and moral decay of modern Western civilization. Weaver, a scholar and author, born on March 3, 1910 and departed on April 1, 1963, argued that the decline stems from a shift in ideas that disrupted the traditional moral and metaphysical order.
Weaver believed that the erosion of belief in objective, transcendent truths has led to moral and philosophical decay. This manifested in anxiety, loss of purpose, and societal decline. According to Weaver, language itself has begun to break down, with reality being perceived by the senses rather than the intellect.
The denial of universals, Weaver argued, led to the cult of empiricism, the denial of truth, and a general intellectual breakdown. He saw the rise of scientism and skepticism as causes of a crisis in values, where ideas are no longer linked to prudential conduct or virtue, fostering societal fragmentation and decay.
Weaver emphasized the importance of rhetoric as a means not just of conveying scientific knowledge but relating ideas to ethical living. He warned of cultural decline and the need to combat hysterical optimism, as we are ready to blot out the truth, deny it as pessimism, or dismiss it as impractical.
In the last century, man turned to politics for salvation through liberalism, communism, and National Socialism. However, Weaver predicted that modernity would lead to spiritual disintegration and the eventual collapse of civilization. He foresaw that our problems will force us back to the truth.
Weaver's book warns of cultural decline and the need for a denial of transcendentals, such as truth, beauty, and goodness, around the late 14th century, as the answer to the current state of Western Man's beliefs. He believed that our intellectuals are incredibly corrupt and have corrupted science.
According to Weaver, Western man has lost his metaphysical dream of the world. Without a metaphysical dream of the world, it is impossible to think of men living together harmoniously over an extent of time. This denial of transcendentals led to a creeping subjectivism and moral anarchy.
In summary, Weaver’s core perspective in "Ideas Have Consequences" is that the erosion of belief in objective, transcendent truths in Western civilization leads to moral and philosophical decay, manifesting in anxiety, loss of purpose, and societal decline. His work remains relevant today, serving as a cautionary tale about the dangers of abandoning our philosophical and metaphysical foundations.
- Weaver's work from the Cold War era, "Ideas Have Consequences," posits that the denial of universals, such as truth, beauty, and goodness, led to the erosion of Western civilization's philosophical and metaphysical foundations.
- The rise of ideologies like communism in the last century, according to Weaver, was a result of the denial of transcendentals, causing a creeping subjectivism and moral anarchy.
- In the realm of education-and-self-development, Weaver emphasizes the importance of rhetoric, not just for scientific knowledge, but for connecting ideas to ethical living, fostering a better understanding of prudential conduct and virtue.
