Motus Mentis

Over at Bill Vallicella’s place, commenter “mharko” (who also has things to say over here from time to time), left such a fine comment on Bill’s accelerationism post that I am going to repost it here:

I had a thought mulling these things over while pulling weeds and cultivating soil that I wanted to risk exposing here regarding acceleration.

I have experienced spontaneously erupting notions, over this nouveau era, of the accelerationist idea, and I’m old enough to have been around the block on these themes before. As one of our prophets says, “If you you don’t believe me I can show you the scars.” (I am not very unlike any of you posting and commenting on this thread wrt the political and philosophical underpinnings of my worldview.) For example, “Oh God, bring it on! This world is FUBAR! Let’s get ready to rumble!”

I’m not disavowing that notion, and I acknowledge the moral issue of ‘doing the right thing versus the expedient thing’, but here’s my sticking point right now:
There are, and have been all along I presume, 1) those elements and agents who like arson on principle, and 2) on a spectrum or gradient, many others also, persuadable or influenceable.

Signing on to a protocol of acceleration is not our proper calling, gentlemen. Signaling acceleration to the social engine that feeds on humanity is what powers the beast. But recognizing the inevitability of acceleration is proper. The acceleration will continue (until morale improves) whether we will it or no, but surely, it will. The answer to the question, “What shall we do, now that the shit is slow motion hitting the fan before our eyes while we watch”? must be to occupy and witness (?????, ???????) without giving occasion to our neighbor to stumble.

Too many people are vulnerable, susceptible to or already on suicide watch to give any leash to notions of activist accelerationism or a posture of advocacy, but we can and must at least acknowledge with one another the signs of the times, and encourage each other as charity and wisdom commend.

I’m cultivating a close connection to local sustainability as I always have, gardening, conserving, prepping sanely, keeping powder dry and living as simple a life as possible, hoping even an ignored example will bear some witness, have some effect. Trying to balance being a modern and a traditionalist, and a stranger in a strange land. As I heard someone say earlier this evening, trying to marry beauty with divine intelligence. And be awake and responsive now and in the hour of you know what, amen.

I have to say that, despite my serious consideration of accelerationism (at the end of my own recent post on the topic, I wryly suggested pulling the lever for another term for the Big Guy), mharko’s words feel right to me, in particular the point he makes that the acceleration of our Progressivist catastrophe is jerking along just fine without any assistance from good and decent people. I was particularly affected by his use of the word “gentlemen” in his appeal to our higher instincts; perhaps that’s at odds with the cold tactical logic of the accelerationist, and perhaps gentlemanly restraint may even, in the long run, be our undoing, but one must be a steward of one’s own soul and dignity as well as of one’s civilization.

I won’t say the question’s now settled in my mind (and of course I won’t flatter myself that what an obscure blogger thinks about any of these great tides of history really matters in the slightest anyway). I’m grateful for the thoughtful conversation we’ve been having (and, I expect, will continue to have), and I wanted to thank mharko for his contribution by republishing it here.

PS – as noted in the comments below, the question-marks in parentheses above are the Greek words “katecho” and “marturo”. I am having trouble getting them to render!