“In God’s Name, I Beg of You to Think.”

There are times that you come upon a gem, like the following three paragraphs by Russell Kirk, written in his book, “The American Cause.” The title of this section in chapter one is, “Ideology and Ignorance.” It has been our contention, at For Freedom’s Sake, that folks need to take more time to think deeply about the first principles that underlie our liberties. Mr. Kirk makes the case with a sense of urgency (although written over 50 years ago) that we must not ignore today:

It is doubtful whether the great majority of American citizens are possessed of any clear understanding of those differences of principles which distinguish their society from that of their adversaries. And this is a perilous condition. There is small danger that the majority of Americans ever will embrace a radical anti-American ideology actively. But there is considerable danger that the majority of Americans may fail to oppose such movements intelligently. It is not required that radical doctrines be accepted with enthusiasm; rather, such nostrums flourish upon the indifference and ignorance of the majority.

We need badly some millions more of Americans who are hard to beat. Our immediate task, it seems, is to re-affirm the faith that has been our nation’s. Nowadays we Americans – as Edmund Burke said of Englishmen in the time of the French Revolution – “are combating an armed doctrine.” Not so long ago, the armed and fierce doctrine against which we fought was Soviet Communism; before that, it was Nazism; now, it may be some fresh fanatic challenge to the things we love. Our American principles, we think, will stand the test of such a ferocious assault – if only we know those principles. A fanatic armed doctrine can be resisted only by a strong body of sound principles.

Demosthenes, the great Athenian patriot, cried out to his countrymen when they seemed too confused and divided to stand against the tyranny of Macedonia: “In God’s name, I beg of you to think.” For a long while, most Athenians ridiculed Demosthenes’ entreaty” Macedonia was a great way distant, and there was plenty of time. Only at the eleventh hour did the Athenians perceive the truth of his exhortations. And that eleventh hour was too late. So it may be with Americans today. If we are too indolent to think, we might as well surrender to our enemies tomorrow. [Emphasis Added]

Russell Kirk, The American Cause 3rd Edition (Wilmington, Delaware, ISI Books, 2006), p. 3,4.