And he has posted a comprehensive article on Europe and the Post-Modern Left. Warning, it is not light reading and could serve a graduate report on the subject. It is quite interesting if you enjoy philosophy and has some interesting premises even if you do not.

I really like his main thesis - that a cold war exists between some in Europe and the States, but this war is war of philosophies. It is a very reasonable explanation for the actions of some in Europe. He also states we are losing the war because of our schools. And if we cannot get a handle on our education system, I agree we will have a problem. However, I'm not quite as concerned as the Wild Monk since I believe the children and grandchildren of the Baby Boomers are more conservative than their parents. I'm still concerned mind you, but I think there is more room for optimism.

I fully agree with the Monk's claim that Rousseau completely missed the impact of Christianity on a society. I'm not sure if it was reasonable or not for Rousseau to make this mistake, it was probably his biggest blunder. I wonder what would have happened if Max Weber had been a contemporary of Rousseau and had first written about the Protestant work ethic?

I also agree with him about the position of France and why they are anti-American. (Of course there is also the European view of things too. "It is not enough to succeed, a friend must fail." - there is a German word for this concept that currently escapes me, but many folks in Europe hold this view. I don't know when it originated, but it goes back to at least the 15th Century (Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld. (1613-1680), maxim 34).

However, I disagree with lumping Germany and France together. While the French have clustered behind Chirac, Schroeder's popularity has crashed to record lows. I have great hope that German-American relations may improve after Schroeder leaves office in 2006. I don't have much hope for Franco-American relations to improve.

There are many perceptive points in the essay. My favorite part was the point that America should not defeat itself - if it doesn't the Left is left to shout at the wind. And his take on Chomsky comments made me laugh - very true and observant. Again, if you are interested in the impact of philosophy on current events, go read it yourself.