Madness Made to Order - Part Two

The Philosophical Lineage, a historical review of the “Age of Enlightenment.”

There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers
William James

It is vital to grasp and understand the whole bouquet of history to see the present and help pave the way to a better future. While history teaches us that the quest for Utopia returns to the beginning of organized society, there is more to the story. As a part of our fallen nature, collectivism manifested as a modern root as far back as the early 1700s and bloomed in 1776. In 1776, Bavaria (not the USA) saw the coalescence of the idea. Later, this idea formed various collective “isims” (e.g., communism, Marxism, Nazism, and Fascism).

Libertarian readers may have their hackles up because your author did not include nationalism in the above “isims.” Indeed, the vile Nazi regime was a negative form of nationalism. Since Nazi means National Socialism, the mad machine hides the “S” word. Still, many significant historical figures loved their country. They include Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Anwar al-Sadat. As such, one could argue they were “nationalists.” But, the mad machine is blurring the line between patriotism and nationalism. This is another collectivist trick.

Meanwhile, a cursory history study shows that the demented collectivist idea began with Karl Marx. There is a lot more to the story. This is a compendium of philosophers in chronological order. Their “enlightenment” ideas, which started long before Marx, continue to sway today’s influencers. The first thoughts about collectivism go back to the ancient writings of Plato.

Before Marx, the “Age of Enlightenment” was an intellectual and philosophical movement. It dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Page 139 of the book When Nations Die warns about the Enlightenment.

….one of the problems of the Enlightenment is that the “religion of humanity” brought forth a culture that was self-seeking, antisocial, and detached from the traditional sources of meaning. The creators of the Enlightenment fashioned a society without standards of justice, without standards of merit and authority, and without a higher moral purpose or even a willingness to admit that there may ever have been a moral purpose. Their allegiance was to the merely utilitarian, the materialistic, and the immediately gratifying. And they left to posterity a new view of humanity based on flimsy evidence, superficial illusions, unnatural passions, and an immense ideological gullibility.

The philosophers cast off the noble and heroic in favor of the ordinary and prosaic. They drove people of culture and virtue away, even from their class, who might have helped restore reason and order. The cry for liberty, equality, and brotherhood only imprisoned the children and grandchildren. A dismal bond of fatalism and failure trapped them. But lest we forget, we are their heirs. We are their progeny. The modern liberal democratic society in Europe and America must now realize the legacy left to us. And we must decide what we will make of our inheritance.

The short essays only provide a glimpse of significant collectivist personalities. We encourage readers to research and read more about the ideas of the Enlightenment. These ideas continue to rage on within today’s political and social realms. Many more figures from history play a role in our demented discourse. Research shows that the following personalities, listed chronologically, link to collectivism.

The Philosophers

Francois Marie Arouet, pen name Voltaire (1694-1778). Voltaire was one of France’s most celebrated and acclaimed writers and philosophers born in France. As a follower of the “Enlightenment,” he was also known as a “philosophe,” French for the word philosopher. In the spring of 1778, a decade before the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, Voltaire’s final play “Irene” opened in Paris. Once banished from France while living his last days, Voltaire attended a play’s performance. The crowds greeted him with feverish excitement. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (see below) was a contemporary of Voltaire. He commented that Voltaire’s Philosophical Letters on the English influenced his intellectual development. Also see Frederick R. Smith; Voltaire, Robespierre, and Religion of Reason, September 16, 2020.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe. It also affected aspects of the French Revolution. Additionally, it influenced the development of modern political, economic, and educational thought. Rousseau was a fascinating person. His life reads like a novel and is worthy of added study. According to some scholars, Rousseau’s ideas were like those of the United States’ Founding Fathers. Yet, he had little influence on them. Some took Rousseau’s philosophy to the extreme or out of context. For example, during the Reign of Terror, Robespierre and Jacobin member Saint-Just (a.k.a. Angel of Death) regarded themselves as “egalitarian republicans.” Inspired by Rousseau, they fought to end indulgences.

Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850) criticized Rousseau, and in his best-known work, “The Law,” he said:

And what part do persons play in all this? They are merely the [mad] machine that is set in motion. In fact, are they not merely considered to be the raw material of which the [mad] machine is made? Thus the same relationship exists between the legislator and the prince as exists between the agricultural expert and the farmer; and the relationship between the prince and his subjects is the same as that between the farmer and his land. How high above mankind, then, has this writer on public affairs been placed?

“The Law” is a seminal work outlining the essential principles of a free society. Like our Founding Fathers, Bastiat shows us that too much government threatens true liberty. More salient historical facts show why the Marxists despise our founding – limited government. They have a continuum of connected minds thinking about the government taking care of them (a form of sloth). Meanwhile, these same debased woke folk toil hard at paving the road to serfdom. If only they used this energy to build. Also see Frederick R. Smith, The Law and Socialism, December 16, 2020.

Rousseau is the grandfather of educational indoctrination. He birthed the idea that students should be self-motivated. At the same time, teachers should manipulate what stimulates the pupils.

Johann Adam Weishaupt (1748-1830). Born in the German State of Bavaria, Weishaupt was Jesuit-trained and appointed professor at the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria around 1772; he rose to the post of professor of Canon Law. He was the first layperson to hold that position, as clergy previously had it. In 1775, Weishaupt began planning a clandestine group to challenge the Church. On May 1, 1776, this group merged as the “Ancient and Illuminated Seers of Bavaria.” It is no coincidence that May 1 is the event collectivists annually celebrate as “May Day.” This group evolved into the “Illuminati,” which aligned with Enlightenment rationalist ideas. Between 1784 and 1787, the Illuminati faced suppression. In 1785, Bavaria banished Weishaupt. Some writings suggest that the Illuminati used the drug hashish to produce an “illuminated” state.

The word Illuminati typically ignites a Pavlov’s Dog response that Freddy is a conspiracy theory psycho. However, the intent is not to claim this group exists today but to show how many radical enlightenment ideas from this historically verifiable cabal continue interwoven into society’s fabric. The Illuminati wanted the abolition of:

1. Monarchy and ordered government

2. Private property and inheritance

3. Patriotism

4. Family (e.g., marriage and morality with an institutional education) and

5. Religion

Look familiar (hint: Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto)? This vile and evil vomit out of the pit of hell has a sweet-smelling veneer enrobed over it to encapsulate the stench. Enrobed examples include John Lennon’s “Imagine” and the magician’s redirection with the “fiery but mostly peaceful protests” throughout 2020. Also see Frederick R. Smith; Jacobins, Illuminati, and George Washington, October 29, 2020.

Alternate sources claim the Illuminated were in line with or behind the Jacobins. Established in France in 1789, the Jacobins were known as the “Society of the Friends of the Constitution.” Later, the Jacobin Club met in a former convent of the Dominicans (known in Paris as Jacobins). Deputies of the National Assembly formed the Jacobins to protect against a possible aristocratic reaction to the French Revolution. Though it did not have a direct role in overthrowing the monarchy in 1792, the club later changed its name to “Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Liberty and Equality.” Inculcated with the same vile philosophy as the Illuminati, the Jacobins fueled the French Revolution. Also see Frederick R. Smith; The Jolly Jacobin, January 24, 2021.

Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (1758-1794). Robespierre was a French lawyer and political leader. He became one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution and the principal exponent of the Reign of Terror. Born in Arras and educated in Paris at the College of Louis-le-Grand and the College of Law, Robespierre became a passionate devotee of Rousseau’s’ social theories. As the deputy of the Estates-General, Robespierre oversaw that assembly in May 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution. He later served in the National Constituent Assembly, and his earnest and skillful oratory soon commanded attention. In April 1790, he was elected president of the Jacobin Club and became increasingly popular as an enemy of the monarchy and an advocate of democratic reforms. He opposed the more moderate Girondists, the dominant faction in the newly formed Legislative Assembly. Also see Frederick R. Smith; Voltaire, Robespierre, and Religion of Reason, September 16, 2020.

Filippo Michele Buonarroti (1761-1837). Born in Italy, Buonarroti was a promoter of collectivist ideals. He claimed his master to be Rousseau. The same year that Rousseau died, Buonarroti entered the University of Pisa to study law at seventeen and discovered Rousseau’s work. That ignited a lifelong passion for Rousseau’sphilosophy. While some researchers question Buonarroti’s membership in the Illuminati cult, he became friends with a high-ranking Illuminati member, Baron de Bassu, at the onset of the French Revolution. In 1793, Buonarroti moved to France and befriended Maximilien Robespierre. In 1794, while in Italy, he set up institutions to enlighten citizens with Rousseau’s’ Collectivist dogma and confiscated land belonging to the noble class. While serving time for the confiscation, he met François Noël (Gracchus) Babeuf (1760-1797), a radical French collectivist.

Upon release from prison on October 9, 1795, Buonarroti promoted the abolition of all private property to ensure “quality” for all of France. That should sound familiar, too. He joined the remnants of the Jacobin Club (Pantheon Society). None other than Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels read Buonarroti’s works.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831). Born in Stuttgart (Germany), Hegel spent 1788-1793 as a student in nearby Tübingen, studying philosophy and theology. During these studies, Hegel formed friendships with fellow students, the future romantic poet Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843) and Friedrich von Schelling (1775-1854). All three became significant figures in the German philosophical scene, and these friendships significantly influenced Hegel’s intellectual development. Around the turn of the century, however, under the influence of Hölderlin and Schelling, his interests turned more to issues arising from the critical philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and later by J.G. Fichte (1762-1814).

As a supporter of progressive but non-revolutionary politics, Hegel’s followers were divided into factions (left, right, and center). Karl Marx morphed Hegelian ideas into a materialistic outlook with his “Scientific approach” to society and history. Hegel was friends with and mentored by the Illuminati and read their writings.

The Hegelian Dialect of collective thought is based on a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. The consensus process practically applies differing or opposing views (thesis and antithesis). Opposing views are changed toward an intended thought process (synthesis). The group members accept “ownership” of the new idea, changing their opinions by manipulating them to align with the new vision.

Thomas Robert Malthus (1776-1834). Malthus entered Jesus College, Cambridge 1784, excelled in English, Latin, and Greek, and graduated with honors. In 1791, he was graded with an MA and 1793 became a Fellow of Jesus College. In 1789, he took orders in the Church of England.

Malthus influenced political economy and demography as an English cleric, scholar, and influential economist. The Malthusian thought process included grim predictions about population growth: we will stand shoulder to shoulder in time. Malthus wrote about periodic wars, famine, and plagues to reduce population. He promoted hygienically unsound practices among the impoverished and believed in the natural reduction of the human herd. Malthusian philosophy influenced Marx’s ideas about “Capital.” That is the genesis of the eugenics movement (contraception, abortion, and population reduction/control).

Karl Heinrich Marx (1818 -1883). Born in Trier, Germany, Marx studied law and philosophy as a university student. Due to his political publications, Marx became stateless and lived in exile with his wife and children in London for decades, where he neglected them. He continued to develop his thought in collaboration with German thinker Friedrich Engels. His most known works are the 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto and the three-volume Das Kapital (1867-1883). Marx’s critical (remember this word) theories about human discourse (a.k.a. Marxism) hold that human societies develop through class conflict. With Hegel in mind, in the capitalist mode of production, this theory manifests itself in the conflict between the ruling classes (known as the bourgeoisie or today as the oppressors). They control the means of production and the working classes (known as the proletariat or today as the oppressed). The Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto include:

1. Abolition of property in land and application of all land rents to public purposes.

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

5. Centralization of credit is in the hands of the State, utilizing a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.

6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands; and the improvement of the soil generally by a common plan.

8. Equal liability of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.

Marx’s works influenced the political and social landscape, even today. Marx was a poetry writer, and it is important to note his prose abandoned God and was inclined to an association with Satan. He inspired the collectivist monsters of modern times such as but not limited to, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao Tse-tung. A profound study of the horror of collectivism, using scholarly works like the Black Book of Communism, gets the Marxist professors’ scorn. Of note, 18 percent of professors openly claim to be Marxists. To trash the Black Book, these professors magnify the “bad” of capitalism. As intellectual sophistry, they use, among others, the USA’s meddling in the Central American conflicts in the 1980s to make their point. Not to defend those terrible things, but excuse me, which ideology caused the most significant death by the government? Communism to the tune of 100 million. It is a wonderment that we see today’s hippies donning T-shirts with Che Guevara’s image. As a refresher, Guevara was a communist thug who fought with Castro, murdering anti-communists. Also see Frederick R. Smith; The Black Book of Communism, September 28, 2020.

The most important item to remember about Marx is this salient tidbit: he advanced the notion that the way to transition humankind into Utopia was through the people’s will via criticism. Enter critical theory, the progenitor to Critical Race (conspiracy) Theory. And indeed, it is a (conspiracy) theory to imagine all white people are racists.

Analysis

Today, change agents unwittingly or knowingly practice and follow the Hegelian process. These human robots are programmed to use the hideous Hegel Dialectic hidden under the name of consensus-building. The net effects of these psychological manipulations include polarized sub-groups. Either people do not know what is going on or understand that their role is merely obligatory. Those not duped see that it is a preset outcome and that they are not a part of the “go team.” When opposition occurs, reform change agents can say there was actual “community participation.” What a laugh. Forget compromise as we did as youngsters to agree on some things. Today, it is a crummy “consensus.” if you do not conform to the narrative, you face the wrath of the Caustic Cancel Culture Pogrom or the new CCCP. Also see Frederick R. Smith; Caustic Cancel Culture Pogrom, February 23, 2021.

Headway occurs for the elite progressives and neocons through a manufactured conflict (the clash of opposites makes for progress). Indeed, this should sound so familiar within the woven fabric of the narratives within our present time. As we shall see, Marx’s writings reflect Hegel’s hideous ideas.

The government is their god for the programmed Hegelian robots and wholly “enlightened ones” who know what they are doing. But they only want a particular type of government, not the one we should have. The quintessential example is the hatred of Trump. It is not about Trump but loathing America First. They hid their hatred of America under the guise of Trump the Terrible; his frankly ridiculous personality is just the thing for the magician’s diversion, the Hegelian Dialectic. Friends often say, “Do not care about Trump’s behavior; it is the good he does.” That is the point; his behavior is the perfect ruse for the Hegelian Dialectic—time to move on.

Trump’s behavior aside, the 2020 election was stolen. Copious evidence abounds detailing the fraud and shenanigans. The mad machine’s only retort is to claim any such information as Republican fantasy. Meanwhile, Stacy Abrams claims voter fraud thwarted her run for the Georgia governorship. Hilary Clinton also claimed fraud prevented her bid for the presidency. The projected “truth” is that only Republicans commit voter fraud. Furthermore, fraud evidence pressed by that party is considered “fake news.” Nevertheless, Remembering What Was Done to the Trump Administration by Roger Kimball can be an eye-opener to the open-minded.

Hillary is devoted to Saul Alinsky, who wrote the 1971 book “Rules for Radicals.” Clinton first met Alinsky at Wellesley while working on her 1969 thesis about his controversial theories on community organizing, as outlined in his 1946 handbook, “Reveille for Radicals.” Alinsky is the consummate practitioner of Hegelian Dialectics. Like Marx, he pays tribute to Satan in Rules for Radicals.

The postmodern world embraces radical relativism, challenging the objective view or understanding of our human condition. Critical Race (conspiracy) Theory is the modern outgrowth of the 1937 Frankfort School’s Critical Theory. No universal truths are based on Moscow’s Marx-Engels Institute and the University of Frankfurt Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt, Germany. People infected with this thought(less) process lose touch with reality, whereby their entire being falls to the relative (radical relativism). Willie Münzenberg, one of the founders of the Frankfort School, had this to say:

We must organize the intellectuals and use them to make Western civilization stink. Only then, after they have corrupted all its values and made life impossible, can we impose the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Famous for the “death of God” quote, the nihilist philosophy of Frederick Nietzsche (1844-1900) influenced Frankfort School’s elders, Max Horkheimer (1895-1973) and Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979). In 1935, they fled Germany to escape the Third Reich and landed in the United States. That same year, Horkheimer and Marcuse set up shop in Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. Upon the defeat of the Nazi regime, Horkheimer and others returned to Germany. Marcuse stayed behind to become the father of the New Left in America. 

Witnessing the turmoil of the 1960s and 1970s, Marcuse realized that classical Marxism (class struggle) did not fit the bill to overthrow America. He realized that minorities proved to be the best ammo but needed to be ideologically programmed. There is nothing new there, as this strategy is the “Theory of Cultural Hegemony” promoted by Antoni Gramsci (1891-1937). As the founder of the Italian Communist Party, Gramsci developed a covert collective strategy. Marcuse, like Gramsci, realized that a thriving civil society is a bulwark against collectivism. Culture (race/gender-bender) is the perfect Trojan Horse to destroy humanity to usher in the collective Utopia. Even before the Frankfort team arrived in 1930, the American Communist Party pulled the strings of collectivist preachers that denounced our country. Also, see the story about the brave African American Manning Johnson (1908-1959). A great quote from Manning’s work:

Social equality for the Negro is a prominent slogan of the Communists. They use it on the one hand to mislead the Negro Americans, and on the other hand, to create anxieties and fears among white Americans to exploit both racial groups better.

As a former communist, Mr. Johnson is an unsung hero in the same cast of significant positive historical figures, such as Whitaker Chambers (1901-1961) and Bella Dodd (1904-1969). Rest in peace, Manning, Whitaker, and Bella.

While on Gramsci, Joseph Buttigieg (1947-2019) was a leftist Notre Dame professor who researched and glowingly wrote about this elusive Italian Communist. His son Pete, who ran for the presidency and is now Secretary of Transportation, claimed that the interstate highway system is a racist construct.

With the above background, a brief mention of Critical Legal (conspiracy) Theory is in order. As a natural offshoot of Critical (conspiracy) Theory, this academic discipline (cough, cough) bloomed at the University of Wisconsin (UW). In 1977, UW at Madison held its first conference on Critical Legal Studies. The luminaries of this (conspiracy) theory know that manipulating words is the perfect weapon to replace the “nasty” old with the new. For example, out with abortion and in with reproductive health. Fair elections requiring voter ID is “voter suppression.” Now, do we see the magician’s trick? 📕

Click the map for a Madness Made to Order Table of Contents

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