This is so good — from James Arlandson at American Thinker — here are just a few excerpts, you should follow the link below and read the entire article:
What is the root or basis of the battle?
Simple. It’s epistemological and psychological: truth vs. ideology and facts vs. feelings.
Is there such a thing as truth or facts? Do we let ideology warp truth? Do we let feelings triumph over truth and facts?
The left employs six tactics to win the battle.
The first is to deny that facts and truth exist. Nietzsche:
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The second tactic is to deny common sense, which looks a lot like Nietzsche’s hyper-skepticism.
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The third tactic: the left invented political correctness to win the battle, while the right values truth. Here are the two sides boiled down:
Political correctness:
1. If you’re truthful and factual, you’ll be hurtful.
2. Don’t be hurtful.
3. Therefore, don’t be truthful and factual.
Political incorrectness:
1. If you’re truthful and factual, you’ll be hurtful.
2. Truth and facts are better than hurt feelings.
3. Therefore, be truthful and factual (even if it hurts).
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So who is going to win?
Conservatism can win if its believers first understand the battle. The Battle for America’s Soul is epistemological and psychological (emotions and feelings); the fight boils down to truth vs. feelings and facts vs. ideology.
Second, we can win if we show how truth and facts should be the basis of our ideology and feelings. Life is better if our beliefs correspond to the real world – the correspondence theory of truth. It is (or should be) the moving force of our perception of morality founded on fact, the root of our sensible policies. Thus can we meet the emotional and intellectual needs of humans and win the policy fights.
Third, conservatism can win if we fearlessly – in the face of the sneers – promote more American common sense or pragmatism, which asks what works. It’s the source of our cutting-edge greatness, our entrepreneurship, free-market capitalism; the source of our inventions and advanced technology, like cell phones and space exploration; the root of our law courts founded on facts (one hopes).
No wonder leftists sneer at American common sense. They lose if it wins.
In national policy, as distinct from family life, facts and truth – however hurtful to some – must come first. Then we can win every time.
Read more: American Thinker
Image credit: Steve Allen / Shutterstock.
