(2020-09-07) Libertys Discontents Econlib

Arnold Kling: Liberty's Discontents. In 1997, Arthur Herman published The Idea of Decline in Western History, a book that examines the role doomsayers have played in promoting ideologies that reject the core Western values (open society) of individualism, capitalism, and democracy.

Herman focuses on thinkers from the 19th and 20th centuries, and he tries to divide the pessimists into two camps. Historical pessimists see society heading downhill. Cultural pessimists look forward to its demise.

Herman’s description of cultural pessimism emphasizes its dangers. Cultural pessimists reject nonviolence and democracy, so that they provided intellectual justification for both Nazi and Soviet tyranny. I am concerned that today’s cultural pessimists are unsympathetic to the principle of free speech and willing to use mob bullying against those with whom they disagree.

Currently, historical pessimism might be represented by Tyler Cowen (The Great Stagnation), Peter Turchin (Ages of Discord), Ross Douthat (The Decadent Society), Martin Gurri (The Revolt of the Public), or Yuval Levin (A Time to Build).

Cultural pessimism might be represented today by Nikole Hannah-Jones (originator of The 1619 Project in the New York Times that portrays the United States as founded to pursue slavery), Greta Thunberg (young climate activist), or Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (politicians advocating for socialism).

Today one can find eloquent defenses of Western values. Examples include Matt Ridley (The Rational Optimist), Steven Pinker (Enlightenment Now), and Deirdre McCloskey (Why Liberalism Works). But their arguments seem to fall on deaf ears among cultural pessimists.