Ideas Have Consequences - Chapter 4

An ancient axiom of politics teaches that a spoiled people invite despotic control. 

 It thus appears that the spirit of self, which has made the worker lose sight of the calling of his task and to think only of aggrandizement, is the plainest invitation yet offered y the Western world to the tyranny of force. 

I think, as a culture, are working on rolling out the red carpet in the ways that he explains above.  The scary part is that we believe that we are inviting more freedom into our lives.  We no longer encourage self discipline so we look to outside sources to provide it - often the government.  

After reading Kuyper's discussion of the role of the Protestant Reformers and re-instating the value, dignity and calling of work - the worship of it - I never looked back.  I do wonder how to best instill this in our sons when the culture calls work otherwise - "the worker is taught that work is use and not worship".  Adam was given work to do BEFORE the fall - it was part of what he was created to do in perfection - WORK.  How do we help create "pride in craftsmanship"  the kind that "is well explained by saying that to labor is to pray, for conscientious effort to realize an ideal is a kind of fidelity"? 

Another part of Weaver's discussion of work speaks directly to what I am trying to wrap my modern/ post modern mind around - the pre-modern idea of types and essences.  The idea that there is an ideal/ perfect that we should be working towards.  I have always felt this, but my education did not pursue this ideal. This passage is helpful

a forbidden knowledge which brings nothing into the world but woe. . . It is knowledge of the useful rather than of the true and the good, of techniques rather than of ends. . . we cannot expect a return to selflessness without an epistemological revision which will elevate the study of essences above that of particulars and so put in their proper modest place those skills needed to manipulate the world.  

As Brandy encourages us - be bold and educate for essence this year.  I still am not sure how to do that?!?  It's still new to me (I did finish Kreeft's lectures and they were very helpful).  The only thing I have gathered is to hold up types through literature to our young ones and I am trying to do that.  I am open to other suggestions.  

So that is only the first half of the chapter.  Honestly, the information in the second half is so new to me, in my uneducated arts way, that it is hard to even comment.  I just recently learned that classical music had structure like architecture does - thus its naming.  Wow - how uneducated am I?  However, my friend pointed out that it is only in the 20th century that you begin to give names, like Claire de Lune, as opposed to naming the form of music.  So, I think that speaks directly to what Weaver is pointing out - that we are escaping all sense of form and order in our art.

When he equated Impressionism with a pagan outlook I was in shock!  It makes me question if I should focus on Monet and Renoir this semester or go through art more chronologically so that my boys can see progression - not just learn artist works.  His definition of paganism is insightful:  

the acceptance of life as good and satisfying in itself, with a consequent resolution to revel in the here and now.  The world of pure sensation thus became the world of art. 

OUCH - is that paganism??  This is a definition I'll be wrestling with for a while.  In the end I also want to remember this admonition

They have rejected the only guaranty against external control, which is self discipline, taught and practiced.