Comments on: Abuses Of Virtue http://larison.org/2008/01/28/abuses-of-virtue/ n. the principle of good order "Observe the strange inversion of all order and sense! Dignity debased; how vilely is the function of a consul prostituted!" ~The Craftsman Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:45:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: MDCLXVI http://larison.org/2008/01/28/abuses-of-virtue/#comment-8780 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:07:05 +0000 http://larison.org/2008/01/28/abuses-of-virtue/#comment-8780 Oh I see, I interpreted your quoted sentence as saying that Wilkinson doesn't like to see national feeling abused. Oh I see, I interpreted your quoted sentence as saying that Wilkinson doesn’t like to see national feeling abused.

]]> by: Daniel Larison http://larison.org/2008/01/28/abuses-of-virtue/#comment-8772 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:10:38 +0000 http://larison.org/2008/01/28/abuses-of-virtue/#comment-8772 I don't doubt that this is how Wilkinson is approaching it, which would be consistent with his other arguments about national loyalty, etc. My point here is that Wilkinson is using a corrupt or disordered example of the things he is criticising, and then acting as if he has proved those things to be inherently absurd. I don’t doubt that this is how Wilkinson is approaching it, which would be consistent with his other arguments about national loyalty, etc. My point here is that Wilkinson is using a corrupt or disordered example of the things he is criticising, and then acting as if he has proved those things to be inherently absurd.

]]> by: MDCLXVI http://larison.org/2008/01/28/abuses-of-virtue/#comment-8770 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:03:47 +0000 http://larison.org/2008/01/28/abuses-of-virtue/#comment-8770 "What Wilkinson is objecting to in this case is, in fact, the crass abuse of these things and the manipulation of their meaning in service to the state and to the constant drive for conflict." No, Wilkinson won't allow <i>any</i> concessions to be made to "friends, family, neighborhood" because that would be to prefer a "morally worse state of affairs over a better one," (from his follow up post.) Wilkinson believes that ultimately the market decides for you whether something is good or not and so if a man resists the market then he is sinning, by definition. Wilkinson has time and again made it clear that he believes this to be true. If he argues against the "crass abuse" it's just to provide cover fire for his underlying ideology. “What Wilkinson is objecting to in this case is, in fact, the crass abuse of these things and the manipulation of their meaning in service to the state and to the constant drive for conflict.”

No, Wilkinson won’t allow any concessions to be made to “friends, family, neighborhood” because that would be to prefer a “morally worse state of affairs over a better one,” (from his follow up post.) Wilkinson believes that ultimately the market decides for you whether something is good or not and so if a man resists the market then he is sinning, by definition. Wilkinson has time and again made it clear that he believes this to be true. If he argues against the “crass abuse” it’s just to provide cover fire for his underlying ideology.

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