Tig said:
I'm curious, do you believe that this is some sort of Marxist/socialist conspiracy? That's the only common cause I can easily associate with those two people.
Eugene Genovese was formerly a Marxist. He renounced Marxist theory. His critique of US politics, which he explores in his magnificent book,
The Southern Tradition : The Achievement and Limitations of an American Conservatism is spectacular. I recommend the book to anyone trying to understand conservative thought. The gist of the book is that large corporations do not behave like nor are they held to the same standards as private property owners. They are beholden only to the shareholders and in this regard they are without moral or ethical constraint. Because of their size and power, they become integral to the security of the US and its government. They also have tremendous enfluence over our leaders. In this regard, the two become indistinguishable and both are intimately concerned with the other's well being. This leads to undue power on the part of both. Have we not seen this? Is this not the very thing that the left says is responsible for global warming? Certainly you can see the Marxist enfluence, but the conclusion is radically anti-Marxist. The solution (which Genovese only hints at is that corporations need to be reigned in and that the basis for this is true
private property ownership with all the rights and privileges due to it as delineated by the founding fathers. This should be something the left and right could agree on. But neither will, because there is a choke hold on the money and the power.
I am unclear how anyone could associate Richard Weaver or anything he ever wrote with Marxism or communism. He is at the polar opposite end of that spectrum. His book,
Ideas Have Conseqeunces is probably the second most important book I've ever read. Basicall this is a philosopical critique of nominalism and its effects on western culture. He makes a case that without some sort of transcendantal belief structure (religion) a culture has no moral compass and does not know which way to go. So they just go. The god of progress. We don't know what we are progressing towards, we won't know when we get there but we are going to go, by god. Ultimately he dismisses pure religion as the solution. He is not anti-religious he just thinks that in a practical sense that ship has sailed for western society. Instead he sets up private property ownership as sacred (as many religions do). The responsibilites and privileges that come with private property are the glue that hold culture together, engender community and provide a moral basis.
I apologize for this detour, but the assumption that citing these two names is somehow related to Marxist conspiracy is just so way off track I needed to clarify. Weaver is one of the founders of contemporary intellectual conservativism and as far removed from Marxism as one can get. Genovese was a Marxist but is now amongst the most anti-Marxist conservative thinkers.
The reason that I cite these two is their shared belief that soulless, unrestrained corporations account for much or the environmental and cultural decay in the world and that governments who are deeply invested in such corporations will be unmoved by the will of the people. They do not call for an end to democracy or even capitalism or corporations. They just call for citizens and governments that hold corporations accountable.
Such a view can unite both the left and right in environmental causes. But it calls for a sea change in how we view capitalism and our economic structure.
Although they may conflict me further (I work for a large defense contractor).
