PrintMarch 9, 2007
Intellectuals and the Military: reader responses
I believe a quick read of the classic The Anatomy of the State by Murray N. Rothbard provides good insight to the reason why government is attracted to "wordsmith intellectuals" and to why those wordsmiths oppose the military.
While the whole dozen pages or so of Rothbard's article are very worthwhile reading, the short introduction itself is a good summary in few words. Rothbard is widely known as having been a leading economist of the “Chicago” or “Austrian” School making him a true champion of individual freedom and free markets yet acknowledging a limited need for government to defend them from foreign invaders. Rothbard handily demonstrates why that need gives rise to employment of wordsmith intellectuals by government. Every free man, especially those in the military, should read this short piece.
I also suggest to Mr. Holmes that he will quickly find Rothbard also provides the answer to the question on why "numbersmiths" are less prone to "anti-capitalist animus". Like the good soldier, numbersmiths have skills which are in great demand in the marketplace.
Harry Becker
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While the whole dozen pages or so of Rothbard's article are very worthwhile reading, the short introduction itself is a good summary in few words. Rothbard is widely known as having been a leading economist of the “Chicago” or “Austrian” School making him a true champion of individual freedom and free markets yet acknowledging a limited need for government to defend them from foreign invaders. Rothbard handily demonstrates why that need gives rise to employment of wordsmith intellectuals by government. Every free man, especially those in the military, should read this short piece.
I also suggest to Mr. Holmes that he will quickly find Rothbard also provides the answer to the question on why "numbersmiths" are less prone to "anti-capitalist animus". Like the good soldier, numbersmiths have skills which are in great demand in the marketplace.
Harry Becker
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This is in response to James Homes' enlightening article. if the intellectuals believe that by virtue of their "intellect" they are superior--and we have seen this espoused recently by John Kerry's admonition that if "you study hard you won't end up in Iraq"--it must be particularly galling that so many of our military members are as well educated and as well spoken as they are today. Though these "intellectuals" that run amok in our government and media congratulate themselves on their superiority, they must be a little discomfited by the fact that most senior military officers have post graduate degrees which again contradicts the intelligentsia's stereotype of those dumb people in the military. And maybe because our military is synonymous with get-it-done action, these intellectuals need to draw the gossamer cloak of their delusions more closely to them to ward off the insecurities that deep thinkers exist outside of their vacuum of passivity.
If as your article and the referenced articles state, Intellectuals pride themselves in witty and quick thinking/speaking then they must demean those in the military since warriors must process information quickly and make split second decisions on life or death matters. Most Americans admire those who can think and act quickly and decisively on their feet.
When will we grow tired of those Intellectuals who have become victims of their own worn out "self esteem" psychology(pathology), that if someone tells you often enough that you are special then you must be even though individual results suggest otherwise? Members of the military earn self esteem through processing information and acting. And although the schools hype the self esteem agenda, real life teaches us that it is a quality or quantity that must be achieved though ones on actions.
Sincerely,
Lou Ann Atwood
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Although I enjoyed the article "Why Do Intellectuals Oppose the Military?" by James Homes, I disagree with his conclusion.
I do not think intellectuals oppose the military, in general. I think intellectuals oppose the American military only. They had no problems with the North Vietnamese military in the 60's. They praised many leftist revolutionaries during the 70's and 80's. They even call the insurgents in Iraq, "freedom fighters!"
I do not think intellectuals oppose the military, in general. I think intellectuals oppose the American military only. They had no problems with the North Vietnamese military in the 60's. They praised many leftist revolutionaries during the 70's and 80's. They even call the insurgents in Iraq, "freedom fighters!"
The reason they oppose the American military only is the same as the reason they hate capitalism. They still think that a socialist country is the best, fairest and most desired system for governance.
Robert Tessmer
Robert Tessmer
