Rational Idealism

What is Rational Idealism? September 28, 2009

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my new blog!  I am someone who has watched friends and associates over the years set up blogs, and ask me why I don’t start one too.   I always resisted, primarily because I am an extreme skeptic by nature and never felt confident enough in my ideas to go on record with them.  However, I have now reached a point in my life where I feel my ideas and thinking methodologies are well-founded enough, and original enough, to start sharing with the world.

First, let me explain the title.  In modern American culture, the word “idealist” has become something of an insult.    Idealism is seen as equivalent to impracticality, wishfulness,  irrationality, childishness, etc.  The “adult” and “well-adjusted” person is thought to have reconciled themselves with the world as it is, and gotten down to the “serious” business of developing a career, getting married, buying a house, having kids, paying taxes, etc.  In this view, responsible people don’t waste their time thinking about how the world could, or ought to, be different.  I understand this attitude intimately, because I’ve been smeared by the label “idealist” many times, with all of the implicated shortcomings listed above.

The case I intend to make is that not only is idealism *not* irresponsible, but that anyone who fails to hold in their mind an image of how the world should be, and to work toward it, is shirking their first, most basic duty as a rational human being, and is working against their long-term self-interest.  I believe that is fully rational and necessary to be an idealist, and that anyone who is not idealistic to some degree is, more or less, human livestock.

This brings us to what will be my prime thesis in this blog, a conclusion that I have come to after a lifetime of devoting myself to rational idealism.  This conclusion is that governments, being founded on the violent use of force, are fundamentally immoral, and must be abolished for humanity to achieve its true potential.  The situation we have now is one where the general population has been utterly propagandized into believing in the necessity of the state, and are committed to being good and loyal taxpayers.  This is why idealism is frowned upon, and smeared at every opportunity — statist propaganda designed to convince people that their highest moral cause is to generate as much taxable income as possible, and breed future loyal taxpayers.  Hence the ever-increasing size and scope of the US government, and other governments worldwide.  To me, it is both rational and idealistic to work toward an end to this system.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the thoughts that I’ll be developing in this blog.  I intend to comment on current events and culture, as well as general political and moral philosophy.  I welcome criticism and constructive debate, and am always open to changing my views in light of overwhelming evidence.   So please, comment away!