{"id":37412,"date":"2024-04-11T17:00:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T00:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=37412"},"modified":"2024-04-11T17:00:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T00:00:29","slug":"is-there-such-a-thing-as-absolute-liberty-kebebasan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/is-there-such-a-thing-as-absolute-liberty-kebebasan\/","title":{"rendered":"Is There Such a Thing as Absolute Liberty? (\u2026 Kebebasan?)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture<\/em> by Matthew Petrusek,[1]<\/sup><\/a> is a hard book to absorb, nevertheless it is thought provoking and confusing at the same time. Questions like, \u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d \u201cWait, what?\u201d This is definitely a coffee table book to discuss with my friend Barry. I re-read some passages twice or even three times, just so I can get the meaning and connect with the content, took me a while. Realistically, it will take me a month to finish this whole book because I want to know it all – many of the words in this book; reading, pronouncing looking for definitions for the first time. Oh well! I do not have that like of time \u2013 it is already Thursday!<\/p>\n

This book led me into the intersection of faith, politics, and culture.\u00a0It felt like a roadmap for engaging with secular ideologies while remaining rooted in Catholic principles. Even amidst the complexities of our contemporary world, the book encourages readers like me to share Christ with a delusional world. The book proposes that our\u00a0overly political society\u00a0can be an opportunity for evangelization. \u00a0After deliberating, I chose to write on \u201cMirror, Mirror.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a> classical liberalism and libertarianism aim to liberate individuals to define their own good, while acknowledging the arbitrariness inherent in these definitions.<\/p>\n

This passage below highlights the tension between individual liberty and the potential fragmentation of society. It warns against extreme subjectivity and the dangers of narcissism, especially when ideologies become absolute and inflexible:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is ultimate truth? Anything you want it to be (just as long as you don’t call it \u201ctrue\u201d) what is the purpose of life? Anything you want it to be (just as long as you don’t think that it’s rational!!). What is the nature of adjust, well ordered society? Beyond making sure no one kills or robs each other and perhaps it’s not desperately poor anything you want it to be! (Just be sure you don’t call it \u201cgood\u201d). In short, the flip side of absolute liberty is unmitigated narcissism both individually and socially. Since nothing anybody says or does makes any more sense or any less sense than anything someone else says or does each society can be more than a community of solipsists, each member believing that he saw her own way of life an understanding of reality is the best and no one literally no one can’t say it is a mistake horror such classical liberals and libertarians may still be mortal but they transformed into a epistemic and moral gods each creating the world in his or her own image and likeness.\u201d[3]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I agree with Petrusek argument regarding the following statements he voiced in this chapter:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn short, the flip side of absolute liberty is unmitigated narcissism, both individually and socially.\u201d<\/strong> I agree that excessive freedom can lead to self-centeredness. When individuals prioritize their desires without considering others, it becomes narcissistic. Socially, this can manifest as a lack of concern for the common good, where everyone pursues their interests without regard for the collective. \u201cSuch classical liberals and libertarians may still be mortal, but they transform into epistemic and moral gods, each creating the world in his or her own image and likeness.\u201d<\/strong> Petrusek criticizes classical liberals and libertarians, suggesting that their emphasis on individual freedom can lead to a god-like view of their own perspectives. The phrase \u201cepistemic and moral gods\u201d (\u201cepistemic\u201d another word I had to consult the dictionary) implies that classical liberals and libertarians shape reality based on their subjective beliefs, akin to divine creation.<\/p>\n

Thought to Self:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I asked the question, \u201chow does the passage above applies to me, and what am I thinking.\u201d This would be such a great dinner dialog amongst my friends and colleagues:<\/p>\n