As the Year Closes: Appreciating One’s Political Opponents

“In this spirit I would like to thank all the many individuals who have written or commented on my writing the last year, especially those who have offered sincere and interesting criticisms that have helped me develop my understanding of the world.”

“But if you have an enemy, do not requite him evil with good, for that would put him to shame. Rather prove that he did you some good. And rather be angry than put to shame. And if you are cursed, I do not like that you want to bless. Rather join a little in the cursing.”

Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The past year has been a gratifying one for me, seeing the publication of my first two books and taking the leap into married life. As I will be taking several weeks off through the holidays, I wanted to present a small article expressing gratitude towards my various interlocutors and intellectual opponents at Merion West and elsewhere. Through the year I engaged in edifying dialogues with writers such as Henry George and Samuel Kronen, while also responding to various critics who have put forward arguments against my positions. Many of these dialogues were highly engaging. Some were just eye-roll inducing. But each encouraged me to think more carefully about the relationship between an author and his or her critics and opponents. This has obvious bearing in our strained political climate, where increasing polarization and the banalization of post-modern culture can make it hard to appreciate those who feel differently than we do.

This is not to say that everyone who holds an opinion worth criticizing is saying something of value. Nazis, racists, and so on may all hold views which should be criticized, but they are not saying much that contributes to the public discourse or adds anything to the world. Their reactionary impulse is to simply negate anything that betters the lives of those they resent. Such individuals can be understood and criticized, but the only thing we can truly learn from them is the root causes of such a distorted mindset. Fortunately, many (let’s hope most!) of the people in our society are not creatures of resentment and anger but, rather, morally-committed citizens with strong opinions and aspirations as sincere as our own. Perhaps they are mistaken. Perhaps we are. But there is much to be learnt from hearing their perspectives and trying to incorporate their insights into our own worldview.