Philosophy For Elections

Ancient Wisdom For Modern Times

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Some quick housekeeping: I recently appeared on the Christian podcast What’s the Point Anyway? We discussed the big questions: why are we here, where did the universe come from, is there a God, etc. Unfortunately, the audio on my end came out a bit choppy, but it’s still a productive conversation. Give it a listen and subscribe.

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This image is graciously provided by our AI overlords at ChatGPT. The article, however, is human-made.

I had originally not intended to write an article about the election, because I consider it prudent to stick to one's wheelhouse on the internet. Knowing one's place is an important skill. But, as I sit down to write in the aftermath of the election I find I do, in fact, have something to say.

I won't belabor what I think of Trump. He's a disgusting human being. The Democrats are creepy, craven bureaucrats, but the GOP is a death cult. I don't just vote on policy, I vote on temperament: will the party be moved by reason? Will it respect the press? Will it honor the fragile norms and traditions of our institutions? We have just re-elected an intemperate toddler and his cadre of cronies into the center of the global order. With axes of evil aligning around the world, the fate of history is uncertain. I believe the election of Trump is, at best, dangerous for genuine liberty and, at worst, an epoch-defining event. I hope I'm wrong. If, in five years, I am proven a Chicken Little, I will accept all the mocking laughter with the greatest joy. The joke will be on me, and I will laugh hardest and longest. But today is not that day.

I also accept that, with this whole voting business, sometimes your least favorite candidate wins. Democracy happened, and it gave us Trump. He is my president, not because I love him, but because I am a believer in the systems of our democratic republic. These very same institutions must now be protected from his excesses. I embrace this paradox because I am a philosophical liberal.

But all that is beside the point of this article. You can read hundreds of articles this week about what happened, the future, and the policies that Trump may or may not enact. I’m concerned with another subject: how should we live? What do I do? Not what should the “American people” do. Not what ought to have been. Not what Trump will do, or Democrats will do. What do I – one three hundred millionth of the American population – do, right now, this very minute?

This is when philosophy, poetry, and spiritual wisdom come to my aid. The following is a disjointed reflection on how I intend to use ancient philosophy and contemplative wisdom to face the next four years.