Utopianism and Statism

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I have just started reading Mark Levin's new book, Ameritopia. His thesis is that a desire to build a utopian society is the justification for totalitarian government. In his own words, "Utopianism is the ideological and doctrinal foundation for statism."

"Utopianism substitutes glorius predictions and unachievable promises for knowledge, science, and reason, while laying claim to them all. Yet there is nothing new in deception disguised as hope and nothing original in abstraction framed as progress. A heavenly society is said to be within reach if only the individual surrenders more of his liberty and being for the general good, meaning the good as prescribed by the state. If he refuses, he will be tormented and ultimately coerced into compliance, for conformity is essential. Indeed, nothing good can come of self-interest, which is condemned as morally indefensible and empty. Through persuasion, deceit, and coercion, the individual must be stripped of his identity and subordinated to the state. He must abandon his own ambitions for the ambitions of the state. He must become reliant on and fearful of the state. His first duty must be to the state--not family, community, and faith, all of which challenge the authority of the state. Once dispirited, the individual can be molded by the state with endless social experiments and lifestyle calibrations." (Mark Levin, Ameritopia, p. 4)

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Duane Steen said…
Who is this Mr./Ms Anonymous that keeps posting comments? Don't they have the courage to put their name to their comments?
Duane Steen
January 31, 2012 at 7:46 AM
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