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The End of Commitment - Parishoners of Hate
From Frontpage by Paul Hollander. Heavily Edited.Tell us some of the ingredients that draw believers to the political faith. Hollander: As to the ingredients of the kind of political belief I discussed, there are of course many. Most important probably the generic human need, disposition to believe in something that transcends the immediate, personal realm and interests. As I observed in the book, the political beliefs in question resembled the religious ones: pursuit of meaning, self-transcendence, of the community of like-minded etc. Historical and social conditions help to explain why people choose certain beliefs over others at different times in different societies. Altruistic impulses motivated most of the people discussed in this book; they were idealistic, or at any rate started out idealistic. Communist ideals also appeal to all those who find the individualism, competitiveness and social isolation of modern, democratic, capitalist societies unappealing and difficult to live with. . While social justice was an important goal, the pursuit of community was the more important one for these idealists Posted by: Shush Sholuth7794 2006-09-16 |
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