We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism by John Derbyshire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It is interesting that an atheist presents a better understanding of human nature and potential than many nominal Christians, but National Review contributor John Derbyshire does that in his call to a return to pessimism. In We Are Doomed, Derbyshire lambasts happy talk, including from too many conservatives, that lacks foundation in reality. He moves swiftly and deftly through a broad range of topics -- diversity ("nothing to celebrate"), politics ("show business for ugly people"), culture, education, human nature, religion, war, immigration, and the economy among them. As he notes, things are getting worse, they have been for some time, and human efforts to intervene and make them better have the opposite effect. Too many conservatives have, among other things, "are fully invested in the wrongheaded educational theories of our time" and "were made fools of by George W. Bush's grand world-saving project." Derbyshire is even the rare atheist who laments the decline of religion, at least the right kind. Somehow Derbyshire's pessimism is refreshing rather than depressing. After reading this book, I read an interview of former U.S. representative Dick Armey in WORLD. "It's a prudent thing for a man to know his limitations," said Armey. "When you're in a position of authority like public office, it's a moral imperative.... I'm amazed at how little introspection I see from privileged people." Both pessimistic and true, things that often go hand in hand.
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