Sir Roger Scruton, whom Acton Institute co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico once described as “perhaps the world’s leading conservative philosopher,” passed away from cancer Sunday at the age of 75. His profound intelligence probed every subject from aesthetics and sexuality to religion and the minutiae of governing.
OK, the last few posts have been kind of staid, maybe a little preachy, so here's something new, random wisdom from the late, great Roger Scruton. Here he is on the evil of Marxism and its intellectual champions:
For Marx, the interests that are advanced by an ideology are those of a ruling class. We might similarly suggest that the interests advanced by totalitarian ideology are those of an aspiring elite. And we might confront totalitarian ideology in Marxian spirit, by explaining it in terms of its social function, and thereby exploding its epistemological claims. It is not the truth of Marixsm that explains the willingness of intellectuals to believe it, but the power it confers on intellectuals, in their attempts to control the world. And since, as Swift says, it is futile to reason someone out of a thing that he was not reasoned into, we can conclude that Marxism owes its remarkable power to survive every criticism to the fact that it is not a truth-directed but a power-directed system of thought.
Scruton! Hard at work speaking truth to power, and again, “Intellectuals are naturally attracted by the idea of a planned society, in the belief that they will be in charge of it.” Well ain't that the truth.
Fun fact, Sir Roger Scruton was a smoker as well as an awesome philosopher and cleverly worked out a sizable retainer from Japan Tobacco International, you can read about it on the internet. Now I really like him.
All Hail Scruton,
LSP
