Research Note: Reading Nietzsche and Weber: An Essay on Religion,Science, and the Human Spirit in Modernity

This essay discusses the views of Max Weber and Friedrich Nietzsche on the questions of religion, science, and the human spirit in the modern age. The essay drawsfrom Daybreak, Twilight of the Idols,and The Anti-Christ by Nietzsche, and The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism and two other short essays by Weber, cognizant that relevant passages could be found in other works by both theorists. The essay seeks also to initiate critical discussion ofthe above issues within the social sciences, and calls upon social scientists, particularly sociologists, to carefully examine these issues. canonical work within the field, and our interpretations offamous theorists that we generally take for granted

Smiles, Styles, and Profiles: Claim and Acclaim of Ronald Reagan as Charismatic Leader

This paper critically evaluates Ronald Reagan's popular appeal using two theories that have currently regained considerable interest: charisma and authoritarianism. Viewed through these concepts together, the paper argues that Reagan's presidency depended on a charismatic, or in other words, an emotional appeal that fulfills a longing for submission. This longing arises from social conditions and creates a sort of apprehensive, if not fearful insecurity that compels a person to seek out something more powerful than oneself and submissively embrace it as a type of savior or sacred object. This means, in short, that people accept a charismatic claim. Subsequently, the nature of charismatic recognition requires the believer to bow down in submission. The paper suggests that submission to charismatic authority is an example of authoritarian submission. and furthermore suggests a theory that ties together Max Weber's theory of charismatic authority with the theory of authoritarianism in the tradition of Critical Theory

Modern American populism: Analyzing the economics behind the Silent Majority, the Tea Party and Trumpism

This article researches populism, more specifically, Modern American Populism (MAP), constructed of white, rural, and economically oppressed reactionarianism, which was borne out of the political upheaval of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement. The research looks to explain the causes of populism and what leads voters to support populist movements and politicians. The research focuses on economic anxiety as the main cause but also examines an alternative theory of racial resentment. In an effort to answer the question, what causes populist movements and motivations, I apply a research approach that utilizes qualitative and quantitative methods. There is an examination of literature that defines populism, its causes and a detailed discussion of the case studies, including the 1972 election of Richard Nixon; the Tea Party election of 2010; and the 2016 election of Donald Trump. In addition, statistical data analysis was run using American National Election Studies (ANES) surveys associated with each specific case study. These case studies were chosen because they most represent forms of populist movements in modern American history. While ample qualitative evidence suggested support for the hypothesis that economic anxiety is a necessary condition for populist voting patterns that elected Nixon, the Tea Party and Trump, the statistical data only supported the hypothesis in two cases, 2010 and 2016, with 1972 coming back inconclusive. The data also suggested that both economic anxiety and racial resentment played a role in 2010 and 2016, while having no significant effect in 1972 in either case. This suggests that further research needs to be conducted into additional populist case studies, as well as an examination into the role economic anxiety and economic crises play on racial resentment and racially motivated voting behavior

Authoritarianism and Destructiveness in the Tea Party Movement

The contemporary lower middle class, as constituted in the Tea Party movement, holds increasingly unfavorable views of government, especially among exurban whites, based on imagined and preferred versions of reality. This imagined reality valorizes the in-group as the hegemonic standard even as their actual status and class opportunities decline. At its center, the Tea Party movement relies on moralism (conservative values), essentialistic fantasy (racism and religiosity), and Manichaean categorization (good/evil) to explain the reality of job loss, rising prices, and severe real estate decline. Rather than interrogate finance capital and deregulation, the Tea Party movement instead indulges in spectacle as both individual gratification and to herald renewed white privilege. However, the simultaneous rejection of the established institutions of power, simplistic policy formulation, and condemnation of out-groups suggests a racially motivated authoritarianism and destructiveness rather than any particular political commitment

Marxist Class-Cultural Spirituality in Theory and Practice

The paper applies Critical Theory to understand the progressive and oppressive potential of contemporary religious revival in the United States. The analysis focuses on Neopaganism as a progressive spirituality, possibly compatible with Marxist theory. Whether religion is progressive (or oppressive/reactionary) depends not on the content of beliefs, but rather, on the type of social relationship a religion establishes between the individual and society. The paper treats Neopaganism and Marxism as practices and worldviews that often inform social movements and sometimes become the basis of functioning communities. They at once correspond to political-economic agendas, but both also assert the cultural foundations of life – the symbolic expression of shared meaning as the legitimization of social relations. In conclusion, Marxism must develop a spiritual component to survive in and critique modern society, and to posit a vision of the future that might exert actual social influence. To accomplish this, the paper proposes the material-mystery thesis

Social Thought and Research, Volume 20, Number 1&2 (1997): Book Review

Review of Philip Lamy's "Millennium Rage: Survivalists, White Supremacists, and the Doomsday Prophecy", Walter Laquer's "Fascism: Past, Present, and Future", and Brandon M. Stickney's "All-American Monster: The Unauthorized Biography of Timothy McVeigh

Corporations Good, Government Bad: The New Heroes of the Working Class

Based on various recent studies, the paper argues that the contemporary wage earning working class and lower middle class holds increasingly unfavorable views of corporations, as well as towards the federal government, especially among white males. This corresponds to rising authoritarianism, which itself results from declining economic opportunity and loss of status. Consequently, white males are searching for a leader to set things right and herald renewed white working man privilege. However, the simultaneous rejection of the established institutions of power suggests a generalized nihilism rather than any particular political commitment. Should frustration escalate and economic conditions deteriorate further, the paper predicts a generalized and randomized authoritarian destructiveness, rather than a coherent political movement

From Multi-Valence to Polarity to Fragmentation: Politics and Character in the United States

Other than the English language, very little else has unified the Untied States as a nation. Character has formed through diverse social, economic, and cultural forces throughout its history to create fundamentally different perceptions of events. Only unusual events of monumental proportions have created any semblance of unity, and then typically in a bifurcated manner, and only temporarily. Using historical analysis, this paper explores the present and future implications of the ongoing economic crisis in conjunction with social and cultural change. A conflict looms as class interests polarize, yet conflict that takes the form of transgressive identity and inclusion, in opposition to normative and hierarchical associations. In other words, class conflict will take the form of identity conflict, consistent with the history of the United States and in contrast to Europe. Collective orientations battle with hierarchical, and need-centered orientations challenge private property, fomented by declining economic opportunity. Today`s cultural rebellion challenges economic exploitation. The paper considers whether and to what extent such rebellion might facilitate structural change in US political-economy, create an alternative or parallel social network, much like evangelical Christianity has done, or be assimilated as many past movements

The Future of an Illusion: The Irony of Religious Resistance to both Rational Corporate Domination and Irrational Invasion Paranoia

The United States was formed consistently by antagonistic forces. Among these antagonisms is the force of religious faith and secular management. Manifest today as corporate management, this ideology forces its way throughout society, now appearing in higher education as assessment, best practices, accountability, and student-centered learning. People like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos envision corporate management remaking education, and in the process, eliminating anything that does not directly contribute to the pursuit of profit. Tied to political interests that profess absolute faith in the superiority of the private corporate sector, science and best practices have become the creed of the business faithful, whether as for-profit enterprise or the many layers of research and policy down through the ranks of academia, K-12, and local government. In short, profit justifies itself. What can resist the scientific, corporate, and government trinity? This paper considers the potential of religion as social resistance to plutocracy. At the same time, progressive religion has been a vocal opponent of authoritarian irrationality, attacks on the poor, and various manifestations invasion delusion. The paper uses historical and contemporary examples of religious innovation specifically organized around faith as a moral commitment to humane, green, and egalitarian practices