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May 28, 2006
Catblogging - Carpet Protocol as a Logical Rebuttal to Liberalism
Peg-Eye Nate is home from school, and as you can see from the picture, the carpet in the family room is no longer covered in papers, old socks, and DVD boxes. This means the carpet is now free for other uses, and therein lies a tale about an important difference between conservatism and liberalism.
The carpet in this picture is very old, and so flat that the nap is almost nonexistent. It makes sense, therefore, that if I sharpen my claws on it, I'm not doing any real harm. I mean, who is going to notice? In fact, when nobody sees me sharpening my claws, it's not a problem. But if I do it in the presence of Bruce's wife, she subjects me to a very loud and violent show of disapproval.
I am, of course, a superior life form, so I've learned to wait until she's asleep before doing any sharpening. Still, the point is that you can't conclude something is true just because it makes sense.
In Dr. Thomas Sowell's book A Conflict of Visions, the above statement is the defining characteristic of the constrained vision, to which modern conservatism belongs. A conservative is automatically skeptical of the new and untried, regardless of whether it makes sense, common or otherwise. It makes sense that economic planning is superior to letting the market take its course, but in fact it's been a dismal failure whenever it's tried. It is this skepticism that gives us our reputation as stick-in-the-muds.
Interestingly enough, although the mainstream media template is of liberal scientists fighting against evil Republicans, the truth is that science is itself a conservative discipline, because a hypothesis does not become a theory until it is confirmed by experiment. The scientific method is a conservative approach to learning.
So the next time some liberal hits you with a public policy that seems to make sense, remember that the burden of proof is on him, not you. Just because something makes sense doesn't mean it applies to the big picture. Even something as simple as the proper uses of a carpet has its complexities, and I have the bruises to prove it.
Respectfully submitted,
Ferdinand T. Cat
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