Robert Nisbet on the Tragic Aspects of Revolutionary Communities as Civilizational Forms

Discussion

Paul Mueller:

"the Revolutionary community. Though derivative, in a sense, of all three major types of community (Military, Political, and Religious), the revolutionary community has demonstrated incredible influence. From the French Revolution to the major communist revolutions of the twentieth century to the cultural Marxism and critical race theory of the twenty-first century, the revolutionary community is a force to be reckoned with.

Nisbet does an excellent job portraying just how radical the French Revolution (1789–1799 AD) was. The radical leaders of that revolution wanted to burn down everything that came before: holidays, the seven day week, the Catholic church, property structures, local governing bodies, etc. and centralize all of life in a “rational” state. In many important ways, the revolutionary community is the religious community without God and the political community with religious zeal—a potent mix!

It is also an unstable mix.

Because the revolutionary community has no metaphysical grounding—either in immutable nature or in an immutable Creator—it has no end. The Revolution is perpetual. That is why revolutions tend to eat their own. Robespierre and Danton went to the guillotine themselves. Trotsky was assassinated by Stalin.

Part of the perpetual revolution is practical—it must be perpetual in order for the rulers to maintain control. The deeper reason, though, is that modern revolutionaries are not primarily seeking new legal and political structures. They are seeking to remake people. Changing behavior is not enough; people must change their beliefs. This is why, for example, demands for toleration quickly turn into demands for affirmation. It is not enough to tolerate those people and beliefs you disagree with. You must cease to disapprove of them.

Rousseau bears a great deal of blame for this inward turn of the revolutionary. He was the philosopher who wrapped political community (and revolution) in the garb of moral righteousness. He defined virtue as the right kind of (political) willingness and the right kind of social beliefs. This is why he said that men must be “forced to be free.” Along with this moral garb came a relentless drive for “purity” in the revolutionary community. After all, what is a purge but a quest for purity?

One of the most tragic elements of the revolutionary community is its ability to sanctify evil. Just as religion creates methods and rites for sanctifying work, sex, and discipline, the revolutionary mindset “sanctifies” violence, terror, and destruction. Not only are heinous acts approved of, they are lauded by revolutionaries. These are not “necessary evils” but rather a kind of holy work in service of right and truth. This is why the most brutal regimes in history have been revolutionary communities—and why those with a revolutionary bent hardly bat an eye when told about the horrors and deaths of millions of people at the hands of fascist and communists."

(https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/how-do-communities-form-exploring-social-philosophers-5920234)