Yes!
There was a worthy and noble liberalism: A long time ago, in a galaxy
far, far away. In post-war America (1945-65) there was a vibrant,
flourishing, generous Catholic liberalism that: defended the
working man and fought communists and gangsters for control of the
unions even as it accepted private property, markets and economic
liberty; that developed a strong safety net to care for the elderly,
the sick and the weak (social security, medicare, etc.); that was
confident and clear in its Catholic identity even as it reached out
to embrace what is best in other religions and cultures; that was
passionately protective of ALL innocent, defenseless life in
whatever circumstances; that treasured family, fecundity, and the
nobility and dignity of both femininity and masculinity; that
treasured chastity and fidelity and virtue in all its splendor; that
was at once patriotic and internationalist; that fought a cold war
even as it sought to assist the needy in the undeveloped nations;
that rooted itself in history, tradition, authority and community
even as it moved confidently into a horizon of promise; and that
found the deepest liberty (thus: liberalism) in pursuit of the Good,
the True and the Beautiful! This liberalism flowed from communion and
connection: with the past, with the poor, with the future, with the
Church and with God! By sharpest contrast, the “liberalism”
described by Dineen in “Why Liberalism Failed” is better named
“expressive individualism” in that it elevates the perogatives
(choice, rights, etc.) of the expansive, imperial individual as an
autonomous center liberated from the bonds of tradition, community,
religion, and authority. In our society, this expressive
individualism finds two expressions: the boundless economic freedom
of the (right wing) entrepreneurial, ambitious, wealthy class to
build wealth unhindered by regulation, tax or moral connections and
the lifestyle license of sexual expression disconnected from
procreation (contraceptive) and isolated from both past and future in
a futile presentism. The absolute expression of this individualism
is, of course, abortion and its cousins including assisted suicide
and embryo experimentation. By the logic advanced here, the wholesome
Catholic liberalism of the post-war period did not fail but was
overcome by a different, darker philosophy of expressive
individualism. The tragedy, of course, was that that noble liberalism
that expressed itself in the solidarity of the labor movement, the
inclusiveness of the Democratic Party and a generous,
internationalist patriotism became impotent and passive before a
cultural revolution advanced by a far more intelligent and militant
secularizing elite. That wholesome liberalism had two blind spots:
subsidiarity and sex. Grateful to a strong federal government for
release from a depression, for victory in WWII, for an exuberantly
expansive economy, and for success over local Southern racism in the
civil rights movement, Catholic liberalism was uncritical of
“gigantism” of state and economy and entirely forgot the sense of
subsidiarity that prefers political and social action on the closer,
smaller level. Far more significant, however, as that the Great
Generation were inarticulate about their sexual ethic and therefore
defenseless before the assault that exploded after 1965. Partly this
shyness came from a quiet and solemn reverence that was in itself
praiseworthy. However, in retrospect, we also see that the expansive,
confident Catholicism (with exceptions) lacked the spiritual, moral
and intellectual depth to defend its way of life in the face of the
darker, more militant liberalism. Almost effortlessly, this alien
cultural energy took over the Democratic Party, the labor movement,
the mainstream media, higher education, and entertainment. By a
diabolic “transubstantiation” these institutions maintained a
continuity of appearance but the heart and soul was replaced by a
dark selfishness. Like a body-snatcher from an alien world, these
bodies that had expressed Catholic values became possessed by the
opposite spirit. It would take the dual pontificate of St. John Paul
and the saintly Benedict to revive a vibrant, generous, rooted and
fruitful liberalism worthy of the name.
For outstanding articles on the "Failure of Liberalism" see: (http://iasc-culture.org/THR/hedgehog_review_2017-Fall.php)
For outstanding articles on the "Failure of Liberalism" see: (http://iasc-culture.org/THR/hedgehog_review_2017-Fall.php)
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