The Tyranny of Leviathan and the Eclipse of the Individual

Antichrist on Leviathan from Liber Floridus (c. 1120)

Utopian thinking was spawned in the late 18th century and began to spread in academic circles in the 19th century. From there, it has more and more dominated the minds of the political class and influenced public policy around the world in the forms of both revolutionary and evolutionary socialism (socialism broadly defined). As people steadily abandoned their Christian faith and embraced godless one, the thought emerged that utopia on earth could be achieved if everyone worked together. However, the problem that utopians face is that people disagree and follow their own self-interest. Thus, in their view force must be used to get people to abandon their own desires for the desires of the whole.

One of the main obstacles for socialists is that private property allows people the necessary economic wherewithal to pursue their own ends. This is why Karl Marx wanted to abolish it. According to Marx, this action would usher in the withering away of the state. However, the only thing that has withered away has been the rule of law, liberty, private rights, and justice. This is always the result since the only method of controlling people is to use fear, intimidation, and terror. In effect, all forms of collectivism are political systems run by gangsters. While rules abound, lawlessness is the result. Nevertheless, even in the most abusive situation, individual people still exist and always operate on what they believe is best for themselves given the conditions they face. In the old Soviet Union, the people knew the best ways to slip by the authorities even though some faced the retribution of the state.

Marx and Engels at the Rheinische Zeitung, oil on canvas by E. Capiro (c. 1849).

One other feature of socialism needs to be observed. Namely, socialists need to destroy existing society. They must transform society and destroy accepted objective morality in order to separate the person from his place in society. The transformation industry is well underway in the U.S. today and issues are obvious. Individual people have been pushed into the shadows.

What can we point to that might not be as obvious as the current push for men participating in female sports as trans-women? What were some historical issues that allowed socialists to transform society? Leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts.

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