Western Intelligence

We, most of the western world, live in the skepticism produced in the change from modernity to postmodernity.  The rational intellectual perception of human development has been absconded by the empirical suggestion that “image is everything.”   Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) “at thirteen years of age said he was enraptured by the reading of John Locke’s” An Essay of Human Understanding (Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards, p. 7).  I use that quote to show that although Edwards was considered precocious by many prominent philosophers and theologians, he was a product of his age.  During the same period of time Isaac Watts wrote a book titled Logic subtitled The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth.  It is only 315 pages, but replete with laws of logic and the explanation of syllogisms.  Many college graduates would have great difficulty understanding this text book that was used for what now is called elementary school.  Later Watts wrote another book titled The Improvement of the Mind  subtitled A Supplement to Logic.  He wrote it so that young children may improve “their reason, even in the common affairs of life” (Preface).   One of his opening comments to these young children was “It is the design of Logic to give this improvement to the mind, and to teach us the right use of reason in the acquirement and communication of all useful knowledge” (page 2).

When words were used to describe and define truth and reality, men and women expressed intelligent discourse.  While many words are used on communication devices, there is little intelligent discourse. Postmodern theory illuminated “image is everything.”  Rational human discourse has been replaced with the postmodern ideas that absolute reality and truth does not exist.

The postmodern culture is not a demon to be tamed, but a cultural milieu that must be replaced with a solid foundation that will grow a new culture.  There must be an objective standard for the new culture, a standard that will survive cultural wars for the sake of its progeny. Today your most formidable enemy is not Washington D. C. as bad as they are.  No, your most imposing enemy is the postmodern culture that feeds Washington D. C.  If you don’t remove the root that feeds the tree, you’ll spend all your time pruning the tree. (Constitutional Authority in a Postmodern Culture, page 22)

Jonathan Edwards and Isaac Watts were shining examples of men who were rational and logical. The solution to the present dilemma is rational and logical. That’s it: rational and logical!