Mark Levin’s Ameritopia: Progressivism, the Oldest Evil
More interesting than Levin’s analyses of Plato’s Republic, Hobbes’ Leviathan, More’s Utopia, Marx’s Manifesto, and the infinitely more welcomed Locke, de Montesquieu, and de Tocqueville is Levin’s motive for writing this book, and now.
Most people have not pieced together the works to the extent that Levin does here, but these works fill typical secondary education curriculums, they are not exotic or pointy-headed. I’m most interested — and delighted — that Levin wrote this book for 2012: philosophy and statesmanship matter most when a state is in decline, and Levin is smart enough to recognize both that philosophy must be the matter of the day and that those who love freedom embrace the challenge of the discussion.
Levin’s first five chapters — Part One of Ameritopia – discuss the utopian works of the ones mentioned above. A lasting benefit of these chapters: exposing to present day utopians — today most active under the flag of socialism — that they are not, in fact, at the cutting edge of human reasoning.
An actual contender for “irony of ironies”: every age and nation is hampered by utopians who support ignoring the prior experiences of humanity, and because of their ignorance, they believe they are cutting-edge. (Levin does mention that we do not know Plato’s motivations for describing the tyrannical Republic.) The utopians appear in the Bible — a book presently neglected by most socialists — as false prophets; utopians generally appear everywhere, and probably began preaching shortly after man cultivated farmland. And this isn’t important just as a general observation: ignorant men attempting to transcend natural law is the primary — the only — struggle of human society; what could be more important than that?
That Levin wrote this book now demonstrates not his passion for the United States, but his awareness that he is a statesman defending natural law at a pivotal moment in human history: the United States in decline represents a far different thing than the failure of Europe’s utopianism. The key lies in recognizing John Locke’s accomplishment for what it objectively is, which Levin does with Part Two of Ameritopia. John Locke’s Second Treatise is properly understood as the “black monolith” moment for human history.
Utopian thinking has never represented brilliance or historical greatness; if it did, there wouldn’t be utopians in every age and nation and we wouldn’t be littered with the evidence of their perfect failure rate. Utopianism instead represents the simplest of philosophical thinking: trying to make survival easier not with innovation but with brute force. Indeed, a defining characteristic of utopian thought is neglect of the math and economics of the idea — details for the philosopher class to hammer out later while the leader poses for portraits.
But Locke is different — there is only one Locke. His recognition of natural law did not occur soon after man had the time to think, but 9700 years later; much trial and error of society came before his discovery. Which is: man feels violated if he is to lose his life to another, or if he has his liberty or property taken, and no system of laws can prevent that emotion or halt actions taken because of it. Therefore laws cannot be arbitrarily chosen by men, but must exist only to defend the rights of the individual. Under this we necessarily thrive, otherwise we are doomed.
Utopians have always otherwise been in the position of trying to replace a tyrannical system. But now, post-Locke and de Montesquieu and the Founders, the utopians are in a position of destroying that pivotal discovery, which presently exists nowhere else on Earth or in time but in the U.S. Constitution. Levin, with Ameritopia, shows that he recognizes this urgency: he is criticized for his “anger” on the air — how do you keep your voice down once you understand what is presently being threatened?
An observant man reading of Locke’s symmetrical discovery, described beautifully in Ameritopia, should hear cellos, and see Kepler’s lines touching the Earth and the Sun, sweeping through space and defining physics. Two hundred thousand years of homo sapiens, 190,000 of them pre-agriculture, that is, pre-time enough to think, and 9700 years to discover natural law. And a utopian president, with his hair’s-breadth moment of history, thinks it is wisdom to burn it all down?
How can we not be passionately angry at post-Locke American utopians? They were not only fortunate enough to exist after him, but they landed in the only society to give it a go based on inviolate liberty! And they wake each day with that liberty because several thousand similarly blessed people guard it with courage and an A4 carbine, ready to die with their moment of history, for them.
What horror: the infinitely lucky demanding something as unreal and inscrutable as “student loan forgiveness”!
But the consistent need to transmit knowledge isn’t something we can transcend, as we’ve learned from the utopians of every age. So you should thank Mark Levin for being a statesman and dedicating his short time here to doing the lion’s share of our shouting — eloquently — with Ameritopia. Buy it, and do not forget how fortunate you are for having Locke’s Second Treatise come before you as you get on with the day and life of your choosing.
I can’t wait to dig into it. Levin is amazing. And I love his passion: his anger, his advocacy of bedrock American principles, and his hilarity. “Get of the phone you big dope!” Amen. Best show on talk radio.
“The United States in decline represents a far different thing than the failure of Europe’s utopianism.”
An America in decline not only endangers the United States, but the entire world as well. Mark Steyn makes this point in his new book, “After America: Get Ready for Armageddon.” If the United States becomes no better than one of the European social-welfare states, then who will step into the void and take over major parts of the world? Probably China in Asia and maybe Iran in the Middle East, especially if Iran gets its nuclear weapons its working on. I don’t think it’s a discussion between political philosophies anymore. It is a matter of survival now, with the wolves in the world waiting for the United States to just collapse so that they can chew up major parts of this planet. Tell me, how safe will countries like Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand feel if the United States isn’t there anymore to protect them from a growing China? And what will the Middle East look like if we just decide to leave, letting countries like Iran or a radicalized Pakistan simply take over that part of the world? America is like a dependable lover. You never miss them until they are gone. Sure, you may have your differences, but having her around is a lot safer than not having her at all. If Obama wins another term in office, the rest of the world will suddenly understand what it means to no longer have American around anymore, and it won’t be pretty.
This is going to seem trivial, but I’m deadly serious here.
A couple years ago, in one of the endless “Death to America” riots in the Middle East, some of the crazy fanatics were burning and effigy of… (wait for it) …Superman.
It actually had enormous symbolic power to me. Your post sort of made me think of that: America’s duty in the world. We’re not as clean as Superman, that’s for damned sure, but we still fill that role as best we can. …At least, we did at one time. Sad.
“Indeed, a defining characteristic of utopian thought is neglect of the math and economics of the idea — details for the philosopher class to hammer out later while the leader poses for portraits.”
Doesn’t this say it all about Obamacare? Sounds great, doesn’t work. Trillions in debt. A joke budget from Obama. No budget from the Dem Senate. Budget? What budget? Who cares about money when we’re doing so much good?
“Two hundred thousand years of homo sapiens, 190,000 of them pre-agriculture, that is, pre-time enough to think, and 9700 years to discover natural law. And a utopian president, with his hair’s-breadth moment of history, thinks it is wisdom to burn it all down?”
Love it, love it, love it. This is the root cause of the “smartest-man-in-the-room” disease. Because he has a Harvard degree, iPad, iPod, the Internet — whatever those “prehistoric” and ‘backwards” people in our past didn’t have — that immediately makes him a superior being and wise beyond belief, even though 200,000 years of humanity has been grappling with the same basic problems of survival which haven’t — and won’t — change, because we are mortal individuals. But Barry knows better. Arrogant doesn’t come close to describing him.
This also applies to the OWS crowd: “Capitalism doesn’t work — for me. Me-me-me! Let’s burn it all down!”
EPIC – FOIA Documents Reveal Homeland Security is Monitoring Political Dissent http://epic.org/privacy/socialnet/EPIC-v-DHS-Soc-…
“The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.”
George Washington
I like that one – and this one too:
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
— T. Jefferson
Seems it might come to that – and sooner than later.
I’ve had enough of this “watering the tree of liberty” crap.
We’re nowhere NEAR exhausting all the non-violent options yet. Until you’ve joined a major party to change it from within, until you’ve voted in every caucus, run for caucus leader, participated in the process of finding the best candidates for office, explained to your apathetic neighbors that we’re losing vital freedoms and how it’s happening, convinced your fellow caucus-goers to scrutinize candidates based on the same philosophies outlined in the article above (as opposed to petty single issues or “electability”), until you’ve dragged ten other like-minded people to the polls who would otherwise not have voted, and convinced ten others to do likewise — In short, until you’ve given your life over to changing things from the bottom up, through the mechanisms we already have, and only *then* have met defeat — without having done any of that, by what right do you propose to take the lives of others to meet the same ends?
In fact, what makes you think that the original American ideal would be the inevitable outcome of such a “re-revolution” anyway? Even after “watering the tree of liberty,” you would *still* have to infuse the American vision into the hearts and minds of the people to get where you want to go.
The problem isn’t that Utopianism is ascendant. It’s that Americanism has weakened. Somewhere along the line, we stopped teaching our children what it means to be American. Or, indeed, that it “means” anything at all, other than geographically. We stopped teaching it, and multiculturalism, victimology, Keynsianism, and all the other Utopian fantasies stepped in to take its place.
In other words, we got lazy.
So get up off your ass and start teaching and preaching Americanism. Make sure you understand what it is first, well enough to explain it without hand-waving and muttering. Then get out there and start spreading that vision in the hearts and minds of your neighbors.
And leave the guns at home.
Sure – lets talk to them…
…just like the way Obama is handling the Iran nuke threat – by talking to them.
You may be very surprised at how fast things can spiral out of control and deteriorate. Hang on – it’s going to be a rough ride – especially for the unwary.
I think I’ll make another ammo order…
did you even read what kjackman said?
he is absolutely right. before damning the entire process, exhaust it first.
any time i hear someone complain about their lackluster local candidate, i ask them: who did they work with to challenge for the nomination?
if you don’t like what you are offered, get involved and support someone or offer up yourself!
just because the other side plays dirty, doesn’t mean we take our ball and go home to get our guns.
it means we need to outwork them.
if it’s not close, they can’t cheat…
I think I can understand his frustration and anger. With a 1 in 10 chance we’ll get another politician who really aspires to and is devoted to American exceptionalism.
A little more than 10% of this country’s inhabitants / voters believe in their government today. And those few that do are more than likely employed by the Feds!
Apparently there are many more that feel the failure of the government… than those that support it. In any other free country on the planet…the government would be dissolved and a completely new one formed.
I think it’s time for that to happen.
“Utopians have always otherwise been in the position of trying to replace a tyrannical system”
Ironic isn’t it? Due to a lack of having a real tyrannical dictator to overthrow, Obama and his Chicago style thugs set up a straw-man (GW Bush et al) and overthrew (through hope and change no less) the only bastion of personal freedoms to be found in the world today. Ironic because Bush is/was part of the problem. See Patriot Act.
I do not see the path forward for Obama to get reelected – I also do not see the path back from where we came. Might Obama become the first POTUS to declare himself PRL (president for life)?
There simply are too many Utopians presently holding office in both parties that will not allow a reversal to what they understand as ‘progress’. How many of them would be diametrically opposed to Dictator Obama? Possibly not a majority. Don’t think it can’t happen – look at the number of ways in which this president has flaunted the Constitution – and the rule of law (see Gulf drilling stoppage). Progress can be described in several ways – making headway against real forces of tyranny (a good thing) – or as progress towards something with dreadful finality – like a black hole (a bad thing). At some point the inevitability of it all becomes all too apparent and overwhelming. It takes no Einstein to see the destination plotted some 100 years ago for the USA by these ‘progressives’ – and we are staring at that event horizon. Any further or closer makes little difference since the bozos of either party will resist reverting course. It’s become just a matter of time unless something drastic happens. There is nothing ‘drastic’ about Romney.
The noose (tentacles actually) is drawing tighter each day – an unfettered Justice – Energy – IRA and EPA departments are taking on the last forces of capitalism we have left and squeezing the lifeblood out of them. Obama can now jail any American without due process. There are a couple of bills (HR3261 (SOPA) and S968 (PIPA) in Congress that will – if passed – put a jack-boot to the throat of each of us – to control a true liberty we currently enjoy, the internet. That may embolden them to make a quick and decisive move on talk radio should those two bills become law.
We must resist these Utopians here and now in the discourse of ideas while we can. How much longer will we have places like PJM if SOPA and PIPA become law and free speech is muzzled once again by the ‘Fairness doctrine (there’s an oxymoron for you)? When those things happen we will be left to either take to the streets (American Spring anyone?) to defend and reclaim our God-Given liberties.
Just remember – they are doing this with our best interests at heart – for ‘middle class’ – and ‘for the children’.
PFL
Haven’t had all my coffee yet!
Levin is great. (I’m currently reading “Liberty & Tyranny” for a 3rd time). His “Get off the phone you big dope!” (referred to above by DrFL) phrase should be uttered by more TV and radio show hosts. The world is full of dopes (most are progressives) and yet one of them somehow managed to make his way into the White House.
Obama is still fairly young and when he becomes ex-President, we’ll constantly and nauseatingly see him on the liberal talk shows, in entertainment venues (he & Paul McCartney will probably do a video together – that is, until they get a divorce, which will cost McCartney upwards of $50 million – only kidding) and at ‘world leader’ conferences whereupon he’ll promptly stick his nose where it doesn’t belong, in all likelihood dissing America, his replacement as President and offering solutions that will only worsen things (as he has done as President). And we’ll be tortured with having to listen to his “wonderful insight as ex-President” as to how, if he were President, he would be doing things differently, with liberal talking-heads fawning and swooning with admiration . . . but also expressing sadness, that “he’s no longer our President.”
It pains me to imagine the coming bumper stickers, “I miss Barack”
Watch the economy grow by leaps & bounds once Obama is no longer President.
”It pains me to imagine the coming bumper stickers, “I miss Barack
I’m thinking those will be far and few between – especially in my neck of the woods. The loonies don’t wish to make themselves targets.
I’m thinking many will replace “Obama-Biden ’12″ stickers.
A book I strongly recommend, dealing with the same issues as Levin, is
Karl Popper: ‘The Open Society and Its Enemies’.
Popper takes on the utopians – Plato, Hegel and Marx – and outlines how they essentially destroy an ‘open society’. It’s excellent. He also outlines the infrastructure of that free open society – and how it must always be fought for and preserved.
Utopian idealism, with its rejection of reality, its imaginary dreams, its emotionalism, is fascinating, is mesmerizing, is minddeadening in its emotional blackhole nature.
When I first heard about Levin’s book it reminded me of Karl popper’s book the open society and its enemies. Levin does a good job reminding us the damaging mindsets out there that seeks to destroy our open society.
If only we had listened when God said; “The poor shall be with you always”.
More accurately, we should understand the metaphor of Eve, who ate the apples, or tree of life.
This enabled mankind to move from utopian unconsciousness (unaware of differences) into reality. Reality means we are conscious of finiteness…and that means, that utopia, which operates outside of time and space – is forever banished from our lives.
Actually Eve partook from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She was prevented from partaking from the tree of life – lest she would live forever.
My apologies; you are exactly right. I was thinking of ‘life’, not as eternal but as finite. Eve’s interaction with the apple meant that forever after, she and humans, were equally finite.
Has the Lean Forward crowd also bled off Woman since she freed up time for philosophy? Or just men?
“. . . Plato’s Republic, Hobbes’ Leviathan, More’s Utopia, Marx’s Manifesto, and the infinitely more welcomed Locke, de Montesquieu, and de Tocqueville . . . these works fill typical secondary education curriculums.”
Since when?? Not for the last 30+ years at least.
At least. I graduated high school in 1979 without encountering any of the people named except Plato.
This isn’t true. Abba Lerner and others spend decades doing the “math and economics of the idea”. What Hayek showed is that NO amount of math is enough — and that “doing that math” is NOT doing the economics.
The causal mechanism of economics coordination in an extended society lies outside of any economist’s math work.
“a defining characteristic of utopian thought is neglect of the math and economics of the idea”
There were natural law theorists going back before Locke — important developers of the idea writing in the classical period.
When all is said and done, utopians have all of the intellectual and emotional maturity of a bunch of college freshmen sitting in a circle while smoking a fat bunk and talking about how cool their ideas are.
Forget neo-con Mark Levin and his boring re-tread book Ameritopia (with its fake controversy). Instead read a real banned book “America Deceived II” by a real outlaw author.
Last link of “America Deceived II” before it is completely censored:
http://www.amazon.com/America-Deceived-II-Possession-interrogation/dp/1450257437
*YAWN…*
Mark Levin and David Steinberg say “we do not know Plato’s motivations for describing the tyrannical Republic.” Levin and Steinberg do not understand Plato in general, nor The Republic in particular. It is NOT a tyranny. The Ideal state is that ruled by the Wise – but only the gods are wise, knowing what is good. The closest to the Ideal is the one ruled by Lovers of Wisdom, philosophers, who know that they are ignorant. In Book 8, there is a list of the kinds of constitution, from the Ideal down to the tyranny, which is the furthest from the rule of wisdom, and in Book 9 there is a description of the tyrant. Plato’s motivations are quite clear. Levin and Steinberg ought to study The Republic.
I believe Orwell said it best: “Consider a boot stepping on your face forever” Does it really matter if the writing on the boot says wise and it is made out of fur. It is still stepping on your face. So the rule of the wise over those thought less wise is still ” the rule over” or a tyranny.
Then if they know they are ignorant they should not allow themselves to act as Rulers. Plato’s Republic is a tyranny; rejecting individual reason and will, focusing on a holistic tribalist society, stable, unchanging, with each ‘knowing their place’ – as if such were genetically determined…and the rule of the few over the many.
Rigid class divisions – with the Rulers – alone allowed the right of education, and even so, innovation and diversity from the Rules – are not allowed.
It’s actually an outline of fascism – with its focus on a ‘natural purity’ of the state, and, a focus on the primacy of the state over the individual.
Intelligence is subjective…Mr. Obama is the smartest.
Wisdom, on the other hand, is real world understanding and application of natural law. Wisdom is objective…it relates to something real… Grandma knew to have an extra shelve of canned goods for when things get slim.
Grandma pwns Obama.
The irony is that that is basically what we have in America to the extent of implementing it fairly, and to the extent that it can exist. Wisdom is subjective, and we allow people to vote into positions of power whomever they wish – and it is not atypical to believe people vote for whom they deem the most wise. But people must understand that the notion of voting for the most wise is not an absolute (or realize it instinctively), as one might believe that their grandfather is really the wisest person they know, but does the guy down the street believe it too?, and does grandpa want a position of such authority?… so, that is what a politician is – a person who wants to be wise grandpa to a large enough group of people who can put him in charge over much. Obviously, there is no way to ensure that they are all genuine, and I suppose the rub is that people will never understand that even with the best system you will still come into contention.
true that!
To achieve equality as defined by the Left mandates tyranny. There is simply no way for a free society to provide the equal outcomes demanded by the Left because other than before God and the law, we are NOT equal. The Left is incapable of raising one man up without first tearing another man down. They the, hate, hate that some people, some cultures, some nations, do better than others and rather than seeking to understand why some excel while others fail, they blame the successful and accuse them of cheating or exploitation. Look at their obsession with everything PC. Cultural relativism is crippling the West. Among other liberal infections.
Mark Levin defended Obama’s “executive authority” to attack Libya without Congressional approval and now seeks to lecture us on the tyranny of the “progressive” bogeyman?
Let me guess: overthrowing a foreign government without Congress’ say-so is perfectly legal, but regulating child labor is a violation of the Constitution.
baha’i (the NWO next stage after islam) are the standard bearers of Progressivism..
Locke’s Second Treatise of Government is up on Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7370
I’m thinking it would be a worth-while read.
“…these works fill typical secondary education curriculums, …”
Are you NUTS?
Locke, Montesquiue, Tocqueville are as foreign to the American classroom as Hayek and Rand.
I would also have a hard time believing those works are even whiffed at in the typical “secondary education curriculum”.
I skimmed Locke’s Second Treatise (Cliff notes style
) and see there the foundation for our Declaration of Independence and the configuration of a federal government and its relationship to the people and to the states.
Idea Supremo: the only legitimate role of government is the protection of and preservation of human liberty.
Listening to Levin can be terrifying when you realize how brilliant he is! Levin is really on to the schemes of the current administration and what they are doing and what they have planned for the American people, the contempt they have for our Constitution, history, traditions and culture.
Unlike Rush, Levin doesn’t poke fun at the Left, he conforts them, acuses them, holds their theories up to view like trapped vermin.
Frankly, if I were to read AMERITOPIA, I’d probably break down and weep.
Chuck Norris has a great collumn in today’s TOWN HALL; he calls for Republican candidates to unite, get behind the one most likely to win nomination and put that person in the Whitehouse.
It’s the only way to avoid “Ameritopia”.
Two hundred thousand years of homo sapiens, 190,000 of them pre-agriculture, that is, pre-time enough to think, and 9700 years to discover natural law. And a utopian president, with his hair’s-breadth moment of history, thinks it is wisdom to burn it all down?
Of course he does. A bare 51 years on the planet should be enough to undo the accumulated knowing of the previous couple hundred thousand.
Hasn’t a belief in their own superiority of knowing and idea been characteristic of all history’s Utopians ?
Update: On Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to k i l l the bill – PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House – to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity.
Our First Amendment protected right of free speech is now directly under assault by a berserk U.S. Congress and White House. Our voluntary black-out is being done in conjunction with countless other websites to help the public understand the serious dangers in SOPA and related bills awaiting passage in Congress right now.
SOPA and PIPA are to the First Amendment what the NDAA military detention and trial provisions are to the Fourth, Fifth, And Sixth Amendments – allowing for the “bl ack bagging” and “disappearing” of websites on a mere accusation alone. If such laws are enacted, the following may as well be posted by the government when they shut sites down:
“NOTICE: THIS SITE HAS BEEN DECLARED AN UNLAWFUL BELLIGERENT SITE BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR ONE OF ITS CORPORATE PARTNERS. THIS SITE HAS BEEN BL A CK BAGGED AND DISAPPEARED IN THE NAME OF NATIONAL SECURITY, AND IS NOW INTERNED IN GITMO.
Your attempting to access and associate with this site has been noted, your IP address has been recorded, and you too are now being evaluated as a possible candidate for unlawful belligerent designation. Have a nice day.”
That is the kind of Orwellian world the internet will have become, under SOPA/PIPA or other such nonsense.
The First Amendment is first for a reason.
Without it, peaceful redress, correction, and removal of oath breaking officials becomes impossible, leaving you with only the Second Amendment to secure your rights. The internet is our most powerful weapon of free speech, which is exactly why the powers that be want to shut it down. With a free internet, they no longer have a monopoly on the exchange of ideas and the spreading of information, and that scares the hell out of them. So, we can expect them to do all they can to find a way to shut the internet down or to tightly control it.
Thus, the same “bi-partisan” pack of traitors and useful idiots who passed the NDAA now want to k ill the internet. We must defend it with as much dedication as we would defend our right to bear arms.
The question isn’t so much related to Mr. Levine’s analysis of the modern American state, rather we might question the viability of the history and symbols inherent in a virulent and destructive secular progressivism, the primary ideology of both the Deomcrats and GOP? What we must understand is that God exists not only in the transcendent but in the immanent as well. When man (the American)understands the metaleptic experience, the relationship between God and the individual in love and freedom, he can begin to seek the truth of God’s order, and successfully complete the work of the founding generation.
I always read Mark Levin’s books,(except the one about his dog, I couldn’t care less about a damned dog) and I have been very impressed by his ability to condense very difficult writings into a form that is more understandable to more of us. Obviously, the regressives will never understand that fact about themselves, but some of us are being armed with a great weapon to fight against them by Mr Levin. John Locke is also on my reading list, but don’t go there unless you are retired and have time to contemplate each paragraph, as I now do. Thanks for the excellent review.
Every dream to create utopia has always ended up in creating a dystopian nightmare!