Nathan Gardels – editor of Noema magazine – offers in the latest issue a glimpse of the latest philosopher with a theory of history, or historiography. One that I'll briefly critique soon, as it relates much to today's topic. But first...
In a previous issue, Gardels offered valuable and wise insights about America’s rising cultural divide, leading to what seems to be a rancorous illiberal democracy.
Any glance at the recent electoral stats shows that while race & gender remain important issues, they did not affect outcomes as much as a deepening polar divide between America’s social castes, especially the less-educated vs. more-educated.
Although he does not refer directly to Marx, he is talking about a schism that my parents understood... between advanced proletariate and ignorant lumpen-proletariate.
Hey, this is not another of my finger-wagging lectures, urging you all to at least understand some basic patterns that the WWII generation knew very well, when they designed the modern world. Still, you could start with Nathan's essay...
...though alas, in focusing on that divide, I'm afraid Nathan accepts an insidious premise. Recall that there is a third party to this neo-Marxian class struggle, that so many describe as simply polar.
== Start by stepping way back ==
There’s a big context, rooted in basic biology. Nearly all species have their social patterns warped by male reproductive strategies, mostly by males applying power against competing males.
(Regretable? Sure. Then let's over-rule Nature by becoming better. But that starts by looking at and understanding evolution.)
Among humans, this manifested for much more than 6000 years as feudal dominance by local gangs, then aristocracies, and then kings intent upon one central goal -- to ensure that their sons would inherit power.
Alas, large-scale history is never (and I mean never) discussed these days, even though variants of feudalism make up the entire backdrop -- the default human condition -- against which our recent Enlightenment has been a miraculous - but always threatened - experimental alternative.
The secret sauce of the Enlightenment, described by Adam Smith and established (at first crudely) by the U.S. Founders, consists of flattening the caste-order. Breaking up power into rival elites -- siccing them against each other in fair competition, and basing success far less on inheritance than other traits. That, plus the empowerment of new players... an educated meritocracy in science, commerce, civil service and even the military.
This achievement did augment with each generation – way too slowly, but incrementally – till the World War II Greatest Generation’s GI Bill and massive universities and then desegregation took it skyward, making America truly the titan of all ages and eras.
Karl Marx - whose past-oriented appraisals of class conflict were brilliant - proved to be a bitter, unimaginative dope when it came to projecting forward the rise of an educated middle class...
…which was the great innovation of the Roosevelteans, inviting the working classes into a growing and thriving middle class..
... an unexpected move that consigned Marx to the dustbin for 80 years...
... till his recent resurrection all around the globe, for reasons given below.
== There are three classes tussling here, not two ==
Which brings us to where Nathan Gardels’s missive is just plain wrong, alas. Accepting a line of propaganda that is now universally pervasive – he asserts that two – and only two – social classes are involved in a vast – socially antagonistic and polar struggle.
Are the lower middle classes (lumpenproletariat) currently at war against 'snooty fact elites'? Sure, they are! But so many post-mortems of the recent U.S. election blame the fact-professionals themselves, for behaving in patronizing ways toward working stiffs.
Meanwhile, such commentaries leave out entirely any mention of a 3rd set of players...
... the oligarchs, hedge lords, inheritance brats, sheiks and “ex”-commissars who have united in common cause. Those who stand most to benefit from dissonance within the bourgeoisie!
Elites who have been the chief beneficiaries of the last 40 years of 'supply side' and other tax grifts. Whose wealth disparities long ago surpassed those preceding the French Revolution. Many of whom are building lavish ‘prepper bunkers.' And who now see just one power center blocking their path to complete restoration of the default human system – feudal rule by inherited privilege.
(I portrayed this - in detail - in Existence.)
That obstacle to feudal restoration? The fact professionals, whose use of science, plus rule-of-law and universities – plus uplift of poor children - keeps the social flatness prescription of Adam Smith alive.
And hence, those elites lavishly subsidize a world campaign to rile up lumpenprol resentment against science, law, medicine, civil servants... and yes, now the FBI and Intel and military officer corps.
A campaign that's been so successful that the core fact of this recent election – the way all of the adults in the first Trump Administration have denounced him – is portrayed as a feature by today’s Republicans, rather than a fault. And yes, that is why none of the new Trump Appointees will ever be adults-in-the-room.
== The ultimate, ironic revival of Marx, by those who should fear him most ==
Seriously. You can't see this incitement campaign in every evening's tirades, on Fox? Or spuming across social media, where ‘drinking the tears of know-it-alls’ is the common MAGA victory howl?
A hate campaign against snobby professionals that is vastly more intensive than any snide references to race or gender?
Try actually counting the minutes spent exploiting the natural American SoA reflex (Suspicion of Authority) that I discuss in Vivid Tomorrows. A reflex which could become dangerous to oligarchs, if ever it turned on them!
And hence it must be diverted into rage and all-out war vs. all fact-using professions, from science and teaching, medicine and law and civil service to the heroes of the FBI/Intel/Military officer corps who won the Cold War and the War on terror.
To be clear, there are some professionals who have behaved stupidly, looking down their noses at the lower middle class.
Just as there are poor folks who appreciate their own university-educated kids, instead of resenting them.
And yes, there are scions of inherited wealth or billionaires (we know more than a couple!) who are smart and decent enough to side with an Enlightenment that's been very good to them.
Alas, the agitprop campaign that I described here has been brilliantly successful, including massively popular cultural works extolling feudalism as the natural human forms of governance. (e.g. Tolkien, Dune, Star Wars, Game of Thrones... and do you seriously need more examples in order to realize that it's deliberate?)
They aren’t wrong! Feudalism is the ‘natural’ form of human governance.
In fact, its near universality may be a top theory to explain the Fermi Paradox!
… A trap/filter that prevents any race from rising to the stars.
== Would I rather not have been right? ==
One of you pointed out "Paul Krugman's post today echoes Dr B's warnings about MAGA vs Science.
"But why do our new rulers want to destroy science in America? Sadly, the answer is obvious: Science has a tendency to tell you things you may not want to hear. ....
And one thing we know about MAGA types is that they are determined to hold on to their prejudices. If science conflicts with those prejudices, they don’t want to know, and they don’t want anyone else to know either."
The smartest current acolyte of Hari Seldon. Except maybe for Robert Reich. And still, they don't see the big picture.
== Stop giving the first-estate a free pass ==
And so, I conclude.
Whenever you find yourself discussing class war between the lower proletariats and snooty bourgeoisie, remember that the nomenclature – so strange and archaic-sounding, today – was quite familiar to our parents and grandparents.
Moreover, it included a third caste! The almost perpetual winners, across 600 decades. The bane on fair competition that was diagnosed by both Adam Smith and Karl Marx. And one that's deeply suicidal, as today's moguls - masturbating to the chants of flatterers - seem determined to repeat every mistake that led to tumbrels and guillotines.
With some exceptions – those few who are truly noble of mind and heart – they are right now busily resurrecting every Marxian scenario from the grave…
… or from torpor where they had been cast by the Roosevelteans.
And the rich fools are doing so by fomenting longstanding cultural grudges for – or against – modernity. The same modernity that gave them everything they have and that laid all of their golden eggs.
If anything proves the inherent stupidity of that caste – (most of them) - it is their ill-education about Marx! And what he will mean to new generations, if the Enlightenment cannot be recharged and restored enough to put old Karl back to sleep.
