To: 2MAR$ who wrote (8007 ) 4/10/2002 11:50:23 AM From: Neocon Read Replies (3) | Respond to It is a pretty good site. I have a more complicated idea of the role of tradition, however. In the first instance, simple tradition is something one is advised to be considerate of in order to avoid unnecessary strife and cause a great deal of social disorientation. That has to do with what I have said about taking a more modest tack in contemplating social change, relying on persuasion and not having too many balls in the air. In the second instance, the hallowed elements of tradition help to secure allegiance to the community and its higher aspirations. Thus, for example, we invoke the Constitution and the Founding Fathers as icons, as much as anything else. In the third instance, tradition consists of a patrimony of great cultural products, human achievements to be passed on especially by those who succeed the authors. Thus, paintings by Michaelangelo, "The Iliad", "Othello", the pyramids, St. Peter's Basilica, "Discourse on Method", and "Les Demoiselles D'Avignon" are part of the patrimony of the West, although they are shared with all, just in the same way that the Chinese have a special interest in Imperial art, or the Cambodians in Angor Wat, but share them. Finally, in the last instance, tradition consists of the higher order ideas and institutions that have developed with experience and criticism over time, and reflect an ongoing project of improvement and civilization building. Unfortunately, in this last instance, the great civilizations of the East, especially Indian and Chinese, stagnated, whereas the West managed to progress. Therefore, there is a problematic relationship between the other senses of tradition and the last, encapsulated in the word "modernization", which pits foreign traditions against native traditions, in some sense, with a view to material improvement. A lot of the turmoil currently experienced in the world comes out of this inevitable cultural imperialism, and the trauma and resentment engendered by it. That is one reason why it is necessary not to force the pace of change, but allow non- Western, traditionalist societies some breathing space to adapt to the modern world........
