Freedom versus Virtue: Where do you stand?

Blazing Reader,

Bruce Pardy is executive director of Rights Probe and professor of law at Queen’s University.

He's also the author of an article at the Brownstone Institute that I believe is a must-read for everyone in the so-called freedom movement — or, at least, anybody who doesn't want to see society descend into (as Pardy puts it)  "woke, collectivist hell."

The article is called "Freedom and Virtue: Friends or Enemies?" wherein Pardy points out a major divide between people who oppose tyranny: one group is based on virtue and the other on freedom. He describes them as such:

"Virtue People believe that virtue is the most important thing. Tradition, faith, family, responsibility, dignity, patriotism, community, and spiritual or religious conviction are the pillars upon which the West must be built. Virtue People are often, but not always, people of faith, especially of the Christian variety. Laws, governments, and society, they believe, should promote the True, the Beautiful, and the Good.

"Freedom People don’t share this view. They believe that freedom is the most important thing. Virtues, they believe, are for individuals to work out for themselves. The primary accomplishment of the West, they would say, is individual autonomy. The purpose of government is to secure individual rights to liberty. Freedom means the absence of coercion. You may decide your values, actions, and groups for yourself. Freedom means 'freedom from.'"

I have a fair bit to say about this article. But before I do, here's the link so you can go read it yourself: https://brownstone.org/articles/freedom-and-virtue-friends-or-enemies/

It's under a thousand words and even includes a 6-minute audio version. After you read (or listen to) it, could you email me and let me know whether you consider yourself a Virtue Person or a Freedom Person?

And don't tell me both. You need to pick one — at least as far as running a state goes.

— John C.A. Manley

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber at: https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/