"telescopic benevolence"
"Just so with the modern Welfare State: a sterling incarnation of the
sort of abstract benevolence Stove anatomizes. It doesn’t matter that
the welfare state actually creates more of the poverty and
dependence it was instituted to abolish: the intentions behind it are
benevolent. Which is one of the reasons it is so seductive. It flatters
the vanity of those who espouse it even as it nourishes the egalitarian
ambitions that have always been at the center of Enlightened thought.
This is why Stove describes benevolence as 'the heroin of the
Enlightened.' It is intoxicating, addictive, expensive, and ultimately
ruinous."
Roger's Rules looks at the modern day do-gooders. Be sure to follow the link to New Criterion.
Roger's Rules looks at the modern day do-gooders. Be sure to follow the link to New Criterion.
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