Political Theory as the Basis for Political Action

Though fairly simple to understand it is surprisingly incomprehensible to the modern spectator that it is ideology that drives political action more than any other factor. The usual rhetoric of the modern television-viewer or twitter-user -anyone that speaks of politics in a non-academic level- goes like this: “The politicians are in it for the money,” or perhaps “the only reason why anyone would take X decision, would be because someone gets really rich afterwards.” While these may be true in certain situations, and while there are certainly many corrupt political figures out there, the simple reason of profit is not enough to motivate the massive political decisions and changes that are brought upon our societies as the days and years pass. That quite simply is not politics but rather, business. The “politics” and “politicians” therefore, who are in it “for the money” are nothing but businessmen and women, and shrewd ones at that. This is not written in a condescending or critical tone, but rather in an educational one. And what I write of here is not an attempt to scold the common folk in their way of desribing what they think is politics, but rather to make a crucial clarification. It is important to remember that Politics, refers to something far greater than business-like behavior with the mask of state, or public interest clouding its motives. Rather, it can be described as the philosophical desire for truth, prosperity, utopia and perhaps other romantic notions, of nationhood, volk, race etc. that manifests itself as combined action. Ideology in this context is what fuels it; what fuels its practicioners and what produces their machinations.

This is where the importance of intellectual history comes from. Political theory, ideological history and the lineage of political thought and ideological evolution is perhaps one of the most important keys in understanding both the current motives for political action in multiple contexts, as well as the historical location of a nation and its people, but perhaps most importantly ourselves therein.

The divide between policy and political theory grows more and more absent in what today many see manifest in a great dissappointment towards politicians. What is often the telling sign that politics are not practiced properly is the lack of vision, and the evident demonstration thereof. Business instead of being subjugated to politics, instead subjugates the latter to its own will. This is what many authors have described decades ago as the clash between Economy and Politics. Spengler, Evola and many others on the Right are quite verbose on this conflict, whereas as the Left usually manifests its discontent on the matter in its most extreme authoritarian expressions. The issue is deeply rooted in third-positionism, with overtures, both evident and subtle, to an ideological reality that romantically existed before 1789 or that ideally would have existed for some after 1933.

There will follow several articles which discuss the nature of the Economy-Politics conflict in post 1789 society, as well as the 20th century understanding of this immense and surprisingly evident bifurcation. Classical liberals, Marxists, Fascists, Reactionaries and Traditionalists collide in a discussion that spans centuries and that may prove to affect the very immediate cultural and political future of the West.