Ideology is for society what personality is for a person. It determines what this society is like. What it believes and how it behaves. And as such it is essential. Without personality a person is a corpse. And in the same way there is no society without some ideology and that ideology determine how society act. It is essential both for society itself as well as for our knowledge of it. It is essential for society because every society have some ideology. The same as every person have some personality. Yet personalities can be widely different. That is why perhaps even clones would be different people. Ideologies are very different as well. And so, also, societies that may look very similar materially can be very different if and when they have different ideologies. They will do different things and they will evolve differently. And because complex entities, like living beings and societies, are not known simply by looking at their shape or by measuring their mass, but by what they do and how they do it and because those are determined by ideology (if we are talking about society), it is essential for our knowledge of society to know this ideology. For this ideology is our ideology.
And since liberty is essential feature of our society, or perhaps better, it is our most fundamental value, we could say that liberalism is ideology of our society. And so we should think about liberty and determine what it is conceptually. That is how we will start to understand ideology of our society. Which will enable us to understand how this society will change and how its members will behave.
I think that in everyday life we understand and use the idea of freedom in a certain way. We think that we have different options and that we than choose one. For example, I can go jogging or I can go read a book. So if I have different options and if I can choose between them, if I decide for one or another, then I am free. Liberty is that notion of freedom in political space more specifically. If people have different choices of who will lead them, then there is liberty in such society.
However, perhaps surprisingly, that is not the meaning of liberty in theoretical sense. Perhaps it is best to first express reason for different understanding of liberty, than to say what exactly this other meaning of liberty is. For this reason will explain why different meaning is needed in the first place. And this reason can be expressed very eloquently when we remember and paraphrase Aristotle, who once said that our institutions reflect stars in the sky. This is very nice, poetic sentence. But it also has a deep and profound meaning. That our institutions reflect stars in the sky means that our understanding of reality in general or stars in the sky, determines how we organise our society and how we construct our institutions. They can only reflect what is already there, they can reflect reality in its broadest sense. And so, they have to be in accordance with laws of nature, for this is what is given and what is possible. This is extremely important because it means that our ideas about society, our ideologies, have to be in accordance with science, with our most fundamental believes about reality. Scientific believes about reality are what we as a society really believe about reality. And so our ideas about society, our ideology, have to be and are in accordance with that scientific knowledge. Liberty too have to be in accordance with science.
And here comes history into the picture. For scientific knowledge changes. What was known by Galileo was reviewed later and has evolved into different set of believes. Science is not revealed truth that stays the same no matter what. That is religion. Science is fundamentally different. It knows that it does not know everything. And it is constantly rethinking what it considers as a truth now. And so it changes. Its truth is not absolute. And yet our ideas about society have to be in accordance with that truth, they are founded upon such truths. Because scientific truth is relative in that sense, it is vitally important when have our fundamental ideas about our own society been formed. With which scientific ideas are they in accordance with.
Liberty has been virtue in our society for quite some time, at least from French revolution onwards, so for at least a couple of centuries. Because of this persistence of liberty in ideology of our societies, liberty had to be first thought of as an idea that is not in contradiction with science when it first became prominent. And that is all that centuries ago. When classical mechanics or Newtonian physics was science that was explaining reality. Liberty had to be and is in accordance with that science. And some philosophers who established and emphasized the concept of liberty, like Voltaire and Kant, were great admirers of Newton. Voltaire was perhaps the biggest promoter of Newton and his science in the continent. And Kant had a figurine of Newton on his writing desk (besides Rousseau). So liberty had to be in accordance with Newtonian science. And thinkers who established it were very aware of contemporary natural science and of problems that this science poses for freedom.
And there are problems. Namely, Newtonian science, especially how it is understood by philosophers, is deterministic. Every thing and every event has its own cause. And that cause determines the effect. And that cause is a thing or an event and so has its own cause. And so everything is causally determined, even predetermined. That is why physics can predict movement of celestial bodies and billiard balls. But if it is so, how is then freedom possible? How can you square determinism of the world with ability to chose?
The short answer is that you can’t.
But let’s see their argument in more detail. The first step was to undervalue the importance of different choices, of different possibilities. This was done by mocking this feature of freedom (of how freedom is understood by a common man). So Voltaire compare different choices with instincts of a dog, asking himself, rhetorically of course, if dogs have such freedom. Besides clearly expressing contempt for animals this argument also belittles those who think that different choices are essential for freedom or liberty, because it equates their thinking with instinct of a dog. Kant is not so tactful. He compares such freedom with, (that is, the belief that there are different choices and that they are essential) with an animal that is on a spite roast. When the spite turns something changes, and it can turn in two directions, clockwise and anticlockwise. Animal on a spit may believe to have a choice in which direction it will turn, but such believe is complete illusion. Choices, causes of change are entirely external. According to that view the same is true for all choices. They are all illusions. In reality different choices are mare ideas in our head. That ideas are something, which means that they too have some cause. We may not be conscious of them, but according to determinism they have to be there. So different ideas have their own causes. And that causes are in the end of the day external, because we are mortal and therefore chain of ideas or causes cannot be infinite. In conclusion, different possibilities, different choices are an illusion, they are in contradiction with physics, with our understanding of reality. And this is why and how this step undermines importance and indeed reality of different possibilities and choices. It makes them relative and indeed illusory, because they are not ultimate, but are merely one link on the chain of events. And that chain ultimately leads outside the subject to some external cause.
So this is the first step. Next came the change of subject. Instead of focusing on possibility of different possibilities, instead of trying to solve the problem of ontology of freedom in deterministic universe, they (proto-liberals) are focusing on what is ultimately real. In the following sense. According to that scientific understanding of reality every thing and every event has its own cause. And that cause is determining that thing or event. So that thing or event is determined by something else. So it is not entirely real for it is dependent, it is conditioned by something else. Its existence, its being, is dependent and determined by its cause. As such it cannot be ultimate or unconditioned cause of something or of some event. It is just one link in a chain. But if everything is of such nature, then we have an infinite regress. Every cause has its own cause ad infinitum. And that is logical fallacy.
So something else must exist. Something that is structured differently, something that can be foundation for other things and events. In philosophy that was called the substance, which means something that lays under. Something that is under, as a foundation of ordinary things. Substance is supposed to enable existence of ordinary things. It is supposed to enable them by it itself being unconditioned, by being outside of chain of causes and effects. It is essential for this philosophical notion that in regards to causality it is not in ordinary relation to it. Substance was supposed to be more primordial to causation. It was what reality in general is supposed to be. In that sense it was enabling causation as relation between phenomena, between instances of that same substance. Substance was not dependent on anything else for its existence, while effect is dependant on its cause. In that sense it was the most real. Its reality could not be questioned.
But now, trying to connect freedom and causality, trying to explain how freedom is possible in light of mechanical physics and its string of causation, philosophers joined the two. They combined old philosophical notion of substance with the framework of causality. Now substance wasn’t so much enabling causation, but more became something else within the causation. Substance became predominantly thought of as causa sui, as cause of itself. And substance is reality and cannot be dependent on something else, but now in this context is thought of as a cause of itself. So now instead of harmonising different possibilities with scientific ontology, they are searching for a cause of itself. The question was, how to break this chain of causation. If something could break this chain, then this would be, well, outside causation. And it would have the possibility of being free. But it would still have to be in accordance with determinism and science. So it cannot be in contradiction with causation or something non-causal. Notion of substance came in handy. Because there cause and effect are supposed to be the same. If something is cause of itself it breaks chain of causes and effects and is therefore real and free. And not only real, it can give reality to other things, things that are dependent on something else. It is real because it is not dependent on anything else. And so it is more real then ordinary things. And it is free because now it is not important if and how possibilities are possible or real, no, now it is important what is chosen. Or how things progress, how they develop. If something chooses itself that means that it is a cause of itself, it produces circularity and so it is free. What is chosen became essential. And it (potential subject that is) have to choose itself, because that way ordinary chain of causes is in a way avoided or surpassed.
Here another thing happen. In philosophy substance was thought of as reality in general, it was part of ontological thinking. But now, when this notion is introduced as something that could surpass ordinary chain of causes and effect, something else happens. Substance is not thought any more as something that is primordial, as something that enables other things to be, but as something that itself become. There are ordinary causes and effects. That is reality. If however somehow a cause creates an effect that determine that same cause, then we have something that is free. And that is a substance as causa sui. So we can have someone, a person, a subject that becomes substance in that sense. Subject becomes a substance through an act of freedom. Which is asserting himself, or “choosing” himself.
So, first step was to denounce ordinary meaning of freedom or liberty as incompatible with science and therefore with reality. Next, they introduce the idea that something that would break chain of cause and effect and would be most real and that would be freedom. And in final step of this epic journey they found solution for this new problem. If someone became a cause of himself, then the chain of causes would be broken, because cause and effect would form a loop. And therefore this subject would not be determined by anything else any more but only but by himself. Honestly, this could as easily as liberalism be called a loopy philosophy (or ideology).
Ordinary person would of course never come up with such a unique argument, but fortunately humanity was able to stand upon the shoulders of mental giants, whose ability to argue was proportional only to splendidness of an image they cast in a mirror.
So instead of solving ontological difficulties of freedom, they reintroduced old philosophical notions. Notions that are not in accordance with scientific outlook or understanding of reality. Instead of combining two areas of understanding, science and ontology, nature and humanities, they have divided them further. For this solution, causa sui, cause of itself is profoundly anti-scientific and is in contradiction with ordinary notion of causality as well. It is not able to be the ground for reality, it repudiates it.
And this new notion of freedom has very far reaching and unsettling consequences for society as well. Because different possibilities are substituted for something that is not conditioned by anything else, freedom transforms itself into will for power. As it was said previously, in philosophy something that is not caused or conditioned by something else is the most real, it is what really exists. This is what notion of freedom is searching for. If there is something that is a cause of itself, then this is not conditioned and is therefore undoubtedly real. Something needs to be strong enough to posit itself, to break with ordinary chain of causes and effects. That way this something becomes outside the chain of causes. When it act on itself, when it causes itself it steps outside of ordinary causality. And for that it needs strength. Such potential substance needs power to do it. Especially if it is thought of as a subject. As something that is not eternal and always present. Then this subject needs to somehow have to posit itself and have the will for that act. Subject is not thought as something that is outside of the world or as something that is necessary for the world to exist. It is part of the world. And freedom is not thought as something that is outside of causation, but as something that surpasses causation within causation. It is not something that is different then causation. It is causation that forms a loop in itself. Cause produces consequences that are determining that cause. Subject, free subject, is supposed to be that. Here causality is supposed to be circular. That is way that subject would be unconditioned, not determined by anything else. Of course, that such things exist is not proven and it is impossible to prove that such things exist. And so the essence of freedom is not the power to be this unconditioned substance (or to be real), but is merely a will for such power. Truth or essence of freedom is therefore will to power.
And this explains why and how ontology of liberalism go so well along with other ideologies that are all about power, such as imperialism and capitalism. These are very similar concepts, just their application (their object) is slightly different; liberalism is applied to domestic politics and to an individual, while imperialism is practised in foreign policy. And while liberalism is about society in general, capitalism is focused on economy.
Second thing to note are the consequences of this change of essence of focus in notion of freedom. Because now it isn’t important that there are choices but what is chosen, that “what is chosen” becomes the most important thing for freedom. And thing that must to be chosen (if he wants to be free) is the one making the choice. Only in this way we get that something is the cause of itself (presumably, or as far as this argument can see). Only in this way that something is a subject or a substance, only in this way this something is undisputedly real, for it is not dependent on some other cause or thing. And is therefore independent. De facto this ontological considerations have big consequences in praxis. Such notion of freedom demands that you choose yourself. You have to, to be not only free but also real. According to this theory this is the only way to step outside of illusions and doubt. Direct consequence of that is all-encompassing narcissism. In politics this ideology legitimises egoism of enormous proportions. Consequence of this ideology in politics is megalomanic narcissism. And it legitimises self-serving interests exactly in positions of power. It is also delegitimize everything else. And so such societies are ruled by those who only care for themselves, who effectively don’t see society as collection of many. The only way liberals can care for society is if they identify with entire society (for example father of a nation figure), which is insanity of another kind.
The result of this “logic” is that the truth of liberalism is narcissistic will to power. And because will to power is all that liberalism is, it is so successful in politics. Politics is essentially about power, in the sense power is something that politics have to take in consideration and so only ideologies that are about power can be successful there. However if an ideology is about power, if power is an integral part of such ideology, so if an ideology is successful in obtaining power, that does not mean that that ideology is good. It does not mean that it is able to use that power well. It still needs competence to use power that it has. And it still needs wisdom to chose what to use that power for. Using it exclusively to obtain more power, as liberals do, leads straight to insanity, because a cause of itself is logical impossibility, it does not exist and it cannot exist. It is in contradiction with notion of the world. Yet will for ever more power is predicated upon such notion. It exists. However once some subject has some real power, like political power, then the promise of liberalism proves empty. Because in that moment when someone has power, the idea that if you have power and apply it to yourself, that that will make you somehow more real and completely unconditioned, this then proves unreal. This leads to frantic destruction of anything that is not liberal. And anyone who doesn’t want to identify with it. Anything becomes mortal danger for liberals. In the end liberals would want to exterminate (or in modern jargon cancel) the world, because it is limiting their power. Before that it just enforces militarization and it uses everything as a weapon, for it is in the state of war with anything that it is not. And it uses all different areas of society for its spread, because it has to be absolute. And for that it needs total control.
That replacement of choices with will for power has serious consequences for said choices. They are not thought as real in the last instance. They are not really possible. In the sense that each choice has its own cause and that cause is determined from outside. And in the sense that the act of choosing has its own cause in the same way. Therefore these choices are an illusion for liberals. Something that seem important but is not. Only ordinary people and their common sense believe that. In reality importance of different choices is persistent illusion. Liberals don’t fight that illusion but simply focus on other things, on how can cause produce itself. That is why they keep the language of choices and freedom but they mean something entirely different. And that is why they actively try to undermine acts of choosing. They do that by different means. Act of choosing is for them fake anyway (ontologically). So if they are rigging the game they are not changing anything. Things will unfold with iron certainty of one billiard ball determining movement of another. But they will still talk of freedom and liberty and choices and be absolutely zealous about that. It just mean something completely different. It always means that right choice has to be chosen, and that is them, this is the only way to avoid utter catastrophe. These fake choices (for example between “different” political parties) are very present in liberal societies. They are present in places where there is an explicit manifestations of will to power.
This ideology was dominant in the west for the last 200, 250 years and still is. But I do not think that it is as convincing as it was any more. Reason for this doubt is in its reliance upon science, more precisely upon its interpretation of what it conceives as one axioms of science. Liberalism was founded upon an idea that the world is deterministic. Philosophers that promoted liberalism thought that sciences thought that determinism is the most fundamental feature of the world. However determinism is not the law of nature, it is not any law of nature. It was also never proven. It was a postulate of science for a time at best. That means that it was presupposed. It made speculations and calculations easier, and it made thinking about reality (that is; production of theories) more straightforward. But eventually its heuristic value diminished. And because it was never an axiom of science or a law of nature in the first place, it doesn’t have a hold on science any more. And so now this idea is not a postulate of science any more. In Logic of life, in biology it was explicitly stated that this idea doesn’t hold and that if anything, it hinders understanding of life. In its place some combination of necessity and chance is considered and taken as real. Similarly in quantum mechanics determinism is problematic. Character of physics has become different. It doesn’t need determinism to the extant that it once had. Science doesn’t believe in determinism any more. It is not an essential postulate for it. Now perhaps second law of thermodynamics is such postulate but not determinism. Science doesn’t believe that world is deterministic. And so liberalism has become outdated. I think that that is why it is not convincing any more. It is an ideology that is in accord with outdated postulates of science.
That is why politicians when, in classic gesture of liberalism, claiming that there is a problem and as a solution we have to “choose” them, seem rather pathetic. We don’t think that only one outcome is possible or desirable. We believe that there are different options and that there are different options is freedom. And politicians if they really are about freedom should just present different options and then let the people chose. And not present only one option that happens to promote them. The truth, obsessive narcissism is too easily seen in their actions. The truth is that they are just one option and a repulsive one at that.
Post scriptum
When ontology of freedom is replaced with ethical considerations something quite ironic happens. Instead of considerations of what is possible, instead of possibilities there are now considerations what should be irrespective of what is or can be. In that case ethics becomes cause and criterium of all actions. In that way liberty is exchanged for following that so called ethical ideas, no matter if they are in accordance with reality or not and that is fanaticism, even worse it can be moralising fanaticism. Modern example of this is so called woke culture. That happens because understanding of reality, which is ontology, is explicitly (either intentionally or not) replaced by ethics. And so actions are not measured with reality but with ethical ideas. That is with what has been postulated in the beginning. There is no freedom there any more. It is just blind and strict conformity to those ideals. That is how liberty turns to religious fanaticism. Many liberals are liberal in that sense, they are fanatics, unable to comprehend reality and unwilling to question their postulates. This is self imposed determinism. Doing something with accordance to some ideas that are not necessary in any way. But unable to change those ideas, either because of lack of courage or wisdom, despite those ideas being perfectly changeable.