C.S. Lewis’s seven-book series, The Chronicles of Narnia, culminates in The Last Battle, a thinly disguised adaptation of the Book of Revelation and the end of the world detailed therein. The story, which uses a lot of Christian symbolism, revolves around a false god. His name is Aslan the Great Lion, but he is actually a mindless donkey named Puzzle who wears a lion’s skin as part of a clever ruse by a talking monkey named Shift; is planned. This causes the ultimate destruction of Narnia.
The lesson of “The Last Battle” is that well-meaning people can be manipulated, weaponizing otherwise sound belief systems, for immoral purposes. Puzzle (according to Shift’s instructions) is a typical false prophet, as the inhabitants of Narnia do not even try to defy the false Aslan, even though in the story King Tyrian readily admits Shift’s fabrication. Unable to admit the truth.
Resistance to the deadly forces of oppression and conformist narratives flows from the bottom to the top.
“The Last Battle” can be considered a darker, more spiritual variation of Andersen’s fairy tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” In this story, a ruler is tricked by a con artist into believing that he is wearing beautiful clothes that only make him look like an emperor. He is slow-witted, and the townspeople play along with him for fear of being seen as dull. In each story, there are strong social and cultural currents that reinforce people’s willful suspension of disbelief for fear of disrepute or sanction, and that both villains and fools alike are willing to commit acts of disbelief for their own nefarious purposes. uses respect for authority and obedience to duty-based values.
Sadly, this same phenomenon manifests itself in the real world in modern life.
Perhaps the most notable example in recent years is Greta Thunberg, a Swedish “climate activist” who has high-functioning autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder but has no academic expertise in climate or related scientific fields. He is a secular saint. The moral authority invested in a troubled child who has achieved nothing, who has held on to his beliefs for a long time, who has occasional hysterics and little else, is a triumph of emotion over reason. It embodies.
The message is predetermined and authenticates the messenger.
In an era when religious belief is in decline, performative outrage, like organized religion in the past, has not only attracted large audiences but also shielded its purveyors from criticism. Not surprising. Greta admirers note her reluctance to target major non-Western polluters such as China and India, as well as her vehement anti-Israel following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. It is unperturbed by its recent foray into postural geopolitics. Once anointed, the saints are not questioned.
Alongside this denial of objective truth and reification of false idols is the triumph of the narrative. Consistent with the newfound primacy of emotions over critical thinking, fact-based research, the scientific method, and deductive reasoning are now being replaced by narratives (a veritable jump from class gaslighting). ) has been largely replaced.
Stories become especially harmful when combined with emotions. They overshadow the conclusions drawn from intuition and enthusiasm with inductive and reverse-engineered forms of reasoning, hijacking the authority of traditional linear arguments and reinforcing their legitimacy. This is related to the recent tendency for language to be used as an antonym for certain concepts. Witness the use of “equity” for “equality” or what constitutes an “anti-fascist” today.
In a time when objective truths are recognizable and visible to some (or many), yet unrecognized by “thought leaders,” elites, and organizations of all kinds, there is little hope. It’s easy to lose it. Herd instincts and the desire to conform without risking one’s privilege or social capital can constrain even the bravest souls from challenging accepted narratives.
The elites may be too hopelessly frothy to understand the world as it really is, or they may be too immersed in their tribe’s particular way of telling stories to see the consequences of acknowledging objective truth. As fearful as we may be, if we do this, a world based on reality will survive. We use the senses and perceptions available to us.
think samizdat In the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, we were encouraged by continued opposition to the regime in the face of communist authorities’ brutal suppression of freedom of expression and other prohibited activities. The human spirit’s desire for freedom and love of truth is irresistible. Even if people are forced to live under totalitarian oppression for a significant period of time, as in the case of the Soviet Union for 70 years, “the truth will come out.”
The signaling lessons of the Soviet era are instructive for our time. No organization or corporatist interest group can expect spontaneous self-reform. Resistance to the deadly forces of oppression and conformist narratives flows from the bottom to the top. Each of us has a personal responsibility to see things as they are, to speak the truth, and to refuse to subscribe to “approved” perspectives or interpretations of events.
We can expect the legitimacy dial to turn even further during election season. The chief executive wears the lion’s skin and we will be expected to believe that he is directing the government, even if he does not always demonstrate that ability.
We believe that our borders are safe, that adults have taken back responsibility, that the Middle East is quieter today than it has been in 20 years, that trans women are women and should be tolerated. It will be said. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” is actually about fairytale diversity, equity, and inclusion, among other things.
I started with one of my childhood favorite authors, but I’d like to end with another. “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears,” George Orwell wrote in 1984. “It was their last and most important command.” To the Party, let objective truth and its expression be the sword and shield against the false prophets and idolaters of our time.
