The "Force Left" and the "Freedom Left"

Don't you hate it when the library notifies you that three books you really want to read are all available for pick-up on the same day? Which one do I read first? The books are A Conservative History of the American Left by Daniel Flynn, The Road To Serfdom by F.A. Hayek, and Economic Facts and Fallacies by Thomas Sowell. Which one would you read first? I couldn't decide, so I am just reading all three of them and sharing what is meaningful to me here on this blog. I hope you enjoy.

Flynn points out that "Rather than the bearers of a cutting edge philosophy, American leftists are the inheritors of a long tradition. Bold schemes sound much more innovative when you refuse to acknowledge that they have been tried -
and have failed - many times before." He also points out that although much of the roots of socialism can be found in European history, "much of the American left is firmly rooted in American tradition."

Today it sounds strange to talk about the "religious left." But Flynn points out that "Christianity once served as the primary influence on American leftists." Eventually, "they lost faith in God, but not faith. They kept the forms without the function." Ever listen to Al Gore give a speech? You think you are listening to Elmer Gantry himself! Flynn writes, "Heaven on earth is always imminent, yet never experienced."

One of the panaceas practiced by leftists was LSD. I was a graduate student at the University of Kansas in the 1960s. Part of my education was to work at the V.A. Hospital in Topeka. In 1965 doctors came from all over the world to associate themselves with famous psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger, who conducted a seminar I attended every Saturday. At the hospital I was assigned to work with families of veterans who were being treated for alcoholism. The doctors decided to administer LSD to the vets, and sit with them during their "trips." Needless to say, I thought the idea was incredibly stupid, as it encouraged vets to substitute one addictive experience for another.

One of the interesting observations Flynn makes is that there is a "Force Left" and a "Freedom Left." He notes that the "Force Left forever mouths the language of the Freedom Left, and the Freedom Left, dejected at the failure of the private choice to produce desired ends, forever defects to the Force Left." This is what I fear may be coming from the current administration.

Another conflict leftists have is whether to stay doctrinally pure or concentrate on trying to communicate effectively to the American people. Obama is already being criticized from the left for straying from doctrinal purity, while attempting to speak convincingly to the American people's life experiences. Flynn says that is one of the consequences of being "preoccupied with the triumphal future" and not "pausing to learn from the mistakes of the past."