Reddit reviews Alasdair MacIntyre, Charles Taylor, and the Demise of Naturalism: Reunifying Political Theory and Social Science

A short but strong piece by Political Scientist Jason Blakely, who recently wrote a book about utilizing the insights of Charles Taylor and Alasdair MacIntyre against scientism. I will definitely be reading that.

He discusses the right's use of identity politics in this past election and a way to get past its corrosive effect on both liberal and conservative politics. I found his use of Taylor here especially effective. Taylor emphasizes the dread that characterizes life in The Secular Age as a result of competing truth claims. This leads to a skepticism about everything that infects all of us, and has a ruinous effect on authentic pluralism in the long run.

I never once thought to draw a parallel between this and the current state of identity politics. It feels so obvious to me now. Just look around on Reddit and what do you see? A myriad of devout and passionate young people, almost always irreligious, centering their identities on a political-socioeconomic movement. There are (and forgive me if you aren't a reddit veteran and these groups are foreign to you): SJWs, Red Pillers, MGTOWs, socialists, atheists, Trumpers, white nationalists, Berni-bros, LGBT, and so on.

Where he loses me is his short solution:

> Instead of terrorizing each other with control of the state every four years, Americans might spend more time finding ways to accommodate a diversity of identities across the political spectrum. The federal government would have a role to play in securing certain rights, but local governments would also allow for different communities to live out their diverse ethics. Rather than trying to create a national moral monoculture through the courts (which misunderstands the meaning of our secular age) Mr. Taylor’s brand of multiculturalism seeks to protect a diversity of religious and spiritual options.

Yeah sounds nice but a bit naive and unfortunately too late. The culture war has been waged and dirtied by both sides and I think a peaceful pluralism, laudable it may be, is not going to be a solution acceptable to anyone. I do agree with him though that finding enclaves where we can be ourselves is a smart move whether that s a young gay person moving to a progressive city or someone like me who wants to settle down among moderate and conservative family-oriented people moving to the Midwestern suburbs.

At any rate, I did find this piece insightful and reflect on what kind of pluralism would be acceptable to me and any other Catholic. I come away thinking that a weaker federal government may actually be a good idea after all (I have been traditionally a big gov kind of guy) as being something a solid majority would agree to; and let the marketplace of ideas decide how the states would be run. I suppose that may have been what the author meant though.