A bit about the geological makeup of the narrow sliver of terrain
What makes it solid enough that we can feel confident planting our feet on it?
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The Freemen News-letter is undergoing kind of a relaunch. A number of people associated with its founding and development have lately been focused on ground-game political activity. It became a challenge for them to devote time to a publication the mission of which was the centrality of bedrock principles as well. The News-letter felt it was time for a fresh clarification of where it intends to position itself on the ideological spectrum.
To that end, Ben Connelly has posted his thoughts on it, and yours truly gets a mention:
Barney Quick likes to refer to the narrow sliver of terrain – that bit of shrinking ground occupied by conservatives who still believe in free markets, social traditionalism, and peace through strength. Justin Stapley writes about rejecting “lesser of two evils” arguments. To exist in the wilderness, or to occupy that narrow sliver of terrain, is to reject both major political parties, to refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils or to defend a candidate unworthy of defense.
You folks here at Precipice are quite familiar with the term “narrow sliver of terrain.” In fact, I sometimes think I ought to get it trademarked, but actually, I’d rather see it get the widest dissemination possible, without any legal fussiness - as long as my intention in using it doesn’t get diluted.
I’ve spent a lot of time in posts here - and at The Freemen News-letter and some other publications, for that matter - clarifying what the Narrow Sliver of Terrain is not:
It’s obviously not the three pillars of progressivism: militant identity politics, climate alarmism and wealth redistribution, and the nihilism that is their foundation. (Latest example of that: the mobile vasectomy-and-abortion-clinic outside the DNC convention hall.)
It’s not the former inhabitants of the NST (do you mind if I use the acronym?) who have recently seen fit to support the progressive presidential ticket because ending Trumpism’s viability is that urgent in their estimation. You know? Given their sense of urgency, I can’t really fault the likes of Adam Kinzinger, Olivia Troye, Stephanie Grisham and George Conway for appearing at the Democratic convention. I share their loathing of Trumpism, so it is on the level of tactics that I differ with them. It’s not like those people are dead to me; they haven’t gone in for progressive policies (at least so far; please don’t disappoint me, folks. I’ve had quite enough disappointment over the last decade). And I honestly don’t think it matters whether Trumpism or progressivism wins this fall. Both make national ruin a more likely scenario.
It’s also obviously not Trumpism.
It’s not some breezy sense that with a few sociocultural tweaks, we can right the ship and get back to some notion of normal. No, if that’s possible, it’s going to be a challenging task taking a considerable amount of time.
When writing about the NST, I’m usually preoccupied by the steep falloff on either side.
But just what makes the NST solid enough that, despite its narrowness, I feel confident planting my feet on it?
I’ve made stabs at it for years. In the early years of my old-school blog, Late in the Day, I set great store by my personal formulation of the three-pillar fusionism of Frank S. Meyer that was politically mainstreamed by Ronald Reagan. (In the above FNL piece, Connelly succinctly and effectively characterizes fusionism’s components as national security hawkishness, free market economics, and traditional virtue.) I kept trying to refine it, asking myself if I was properly taking into account everything about fusionist conservatism, such as the emphasis of Richard M. Weaver and Russell Kirk on hierarchy and tradition.
I don’t intend to trot out some latest version of my bullet-point summation of what conservatism is here. But as I think about the matter, the word virtue keeps coming to mind.
Who among the big shots on our cultural radar screen extols the cultivation of virtue? Any of the people onstage at either the Democratic or Republican conventions this year? (Come on, now. Be honest with yourself.) Any pop music star or movie star? Any athlete? (Actually, there were some great examples of character, which results from the cultivation of virtue, at the Olympics.) How many pundits are more motivated by an exploration of virtue than they are dragging their ideological brand across the finish line? How many educators (beyond those with a classical-education focus)?
We all have an inkling of what virtue is - or rather, what the virtues are. If asked to name some, most of us would come up with a common list including courage, honesty, generosity, kindness, delayed gratification, empathy, and humor.
But are the types of virtues ordered? If so, how and why?
Jacob Allee, at his Substack Study The Great Books, does a systematic and thorough job of examining this. (He clearly takes his cue in large part from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, but brings Aristotle’s framework to its logical conclusion - namely, the triune God as the author of virue.)
What is a virtue?
A virtue is a kind of strength or excellence.
Is virtue one thing or many things?
Virtue is one thing because it participates in excellence (which is one), but virtue is also many things because there are sundry ways of exhibiting excellence.
From whence does the word “virtue” come?
The word “virtue” is derived from the Latin word vir, meaning “man,” and it is expected of men to be strong and to show that strength when called upon in defense of what is true, good, and beautiful.
Does the etymological source of the word “virtue” mean that virtue cannot be practiced by women also?
No. Virtue can be practiced by women also when they exhibit strength or excellence, but the word originated in the context of battle where men were expected to be strong and courageous.
What is a moral virtue?
A moral virtue is a kind of strength or excellence which aids human happiness and flourishing.
Why should a person desire virtue?
A person should desire virtue because it is vital to one’s own well-being and happiness and also because it is vital to the well-being and happiness of their neighbor.
How is the desire for virtue bestirred in the human heart?
The desire for virtue is bestirred in the human heart by the observation of virtue in practice in others and through taking note of its beneficial effects upon the person practicing virtue as well as upon their neighbors who enjoy virtue’s benefits.
How is a particular virtue obtained?
A particular virtue may be obtained by first making a conscious choice to pursue it, followed by the regular practice of it, until that particular excellence or strength has become a settled habit.
What is the relation of virtue to vice?
The relation of virtue to vice is that of the relation of a healthy person to a parasite. Whereas virtue is any kind of excellence, vice is any kind of weakness. Like evil, vice has no real existence in itself but is only observable when there is an absence of virtue.
In what forms does vice appear?
Vice is always a bastardization of virtue, a faulty imitation thereof, or a failure to obtain the real thing. Therefore vice appears as either a deficiency or as an excess related to some particular virtue.
What are the Cardinal Virtues?
The Cardinal Virtues are those particular moral excellencies which have been recognized by all men, across all times, and in all nations.
Why are these virtues called “Cardinal?”
These virtues are called cardinal because of the Latin word cardo which may be translated as “hinge.” The Cardinal Virtues are those upon which “the good life” turns.
How many Cardinal Virtues are there?
There are four Cardinal Virtues, namely, Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice.
What does it mean to exhibit the virtue of Prudence?
The virtue of Prudence is exhibited by acting in accordance with knowledge and wisdom so as to make the right decision in the moment of action.
What does it mean to exhibit the virtue of Temperance?
The virtue of Temperance is exhibited in the mastery of one’s own passions and desires so as only to yield to a natural appetite when it is prudent to do so and to deny those same appetites when needful.
What does it mean to exhibit the virtue of Fortitude?
The virtue of Fortitude is exhibited by the willingness to risk one's own personal wellbeing, according to the dictates of prudence, to do that which is just.
What does it mean to exhibit the virtue of Justice?
The virtue of Justice is exhibited by the fair and equitable treatment of one’s neighbor, and those under our authority, according to the moral law of God.
What are the Theological Virtues?
The Theological Virtues are virtues imparted to human persons as an act of divine grace, by the power of the Spirit, when God regenerated human hearts to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.
How many Theological Virtues are there?
There are three Theological Virtues, namely, Faith, Hope, and Love (but the greatest of these is love).
How do the Theological Virtues work upon the Cardinal Virtues?
The Theological Virtues infuse new life into the Cardinal Virtues allowing men to practice them to an extent that would never be possible without divine aid, thereby making “the good life” truly possible in ways unknown among the pagan world.
Are there other virtues besides the Cardinal and Theological Virtues?
There are many other virtues besides the Cardinal and Theological Virtues, but these are to be recognized as species of one of these seven virtues which are, ultimately, comprehensive of virtue.
What does the life of virtue provide to whosoever obtains it?
The life of virtue provides men with a general sense of well-being and happiness which is much to be preferred over and against the mere carnal pleasures which vice pursues. Further, it gives men a kind of sub-sovereignty, under the Lord Jesus, by which they can rule themselves and others well.
Is virtue the same or different from righteousness?
Virtue, perfectly practiced, is synonymous with righteousness because it makes men walk in accordance with the good, and the good is that which obeys God’s moral law.
Is vice the same or different from sin?
Vice and sin are one and the same, a rejection of what is good and pleasing to the Lord, they are the practice of lawlessness.
To whom should we look for a perfect model of virtue?
The Lord Jesus Christ is the one to whom we should look for a perfect model of virtue. In his life and ministry, preserved in the Gospels, Christ provides us with the archetype example of virtue.
Where else may we look for examples of Virtue?
We may look for examples of virtue in faithful men and women who have loved and followed Jesus Christ, we may look for virtue in stories (both historical and fictional) which tell of great deeds in the midst of great struggles, and we may look for virtues in any such place whereas God’s common grace or divine grace has broken through the sins to cause them to behave excellently in accordance with his moral law.
Can we obtain perfect virtue in this life?
We both can and cannot obtain perfect virtue in this life, but in two different senses.
In what sense may it be said that we cannot obtain perfect virtue in this life?
It may be said that we cannot obtain perfect virtue in this life because we are sinners and we fall into vice each and every day, even when we desire to do otherwise.
In what sense may it be said that we can obtain perfect virtue in this life?
It may be said that we can obtain perfect virtue in this life because we can obtain Christ himself, by God’s grace and mercy, who is himself perfect virtue and whose perfect virtue is counted as our own through faith.
Look, it’s a plain fact that many an elected official in these here United States has been a scoundrel in his personal behavior, and has defended indefensible policies (think slavery). But until recently, we had at least some who at least gave lip service to virtue. Again I ask, who, on Capitol Hill, at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, or in the chambers of your state legislature or city hall, is making a believable case for the role of virtue in public life?
As I say, I’m not prepared this afternoon to bite off a task like condensing Actual Conservatism into ten bullet points.
But what do you think of an effort to re-inject the subject of virtue into our national - civilizational - conversation (to the extent there still is one) as a starting point for getting our arms around the subject?
An insistence that certain things are good, right and true, and that we have some great minds and souls to whom we can turn for some guidance as to what those things are, is, it seems to me, what the rock-solid ground of the NST is made of.
To kind of mix the metaphors on which the names Late in the Day and Precipice are based, you can see a narrow beam of light, albeit with a twilight fade to it, shining on the Narrow Sliver of Terrain. The deep chasms on either side are completely dark.