The Demon in Democracy - Ryszard Legutko

This book was extremely relevant and important in light of the current political climate we face today. The subtitle is Totalitarian Temptations in a Free Society. That free society is defined by the author, Ryszard Legutko, as a liberal democracy. Lgutko, aside from having suffered under Polish communistic dictatorship, has also held an active role in the European Union's Parliament. He gives a stark warning about the temptations that creep up in a liberal democracy and draws strong comparisons between the two forms of government throughout the duration of his book. Not just the forms of government but the ideology and political theory they obsess over.

He starts by laying out his own introduction of his life experience. His life experience is important as this shows his qualifications in judging the matter. His position as a professor of ancient philosophy and political theory. His position in the European Parliament. And his sufferings under Polish communistic dictatorship. Indeed, he was actually a product of recent censorship back in 2019 when the Alexander Hamilton Forum tried to have him give a lecture at Middlebury College. The warnings he gives about the temptations should not be taken with a grain of salt.

The ideology starts with the warped end of history view. Both liberal democracies and communist dictatorships see their era of history as the most progressive and incrementally driven forward of all historical eras. This pattern continues as they see one era of history as more progressive than the next and gradually driving toward their goal. They view those who are romantic toward another era of history as being backward, a threat to their goal toward progress. This view of history leads both liberal democratic ideology and communistic ideology into a form of utopianism. They view their systems of dogma as politically superior to all the rest. Any one who questions it is taken as a traitor or an attacker of the most perfect form of government and should be annihilated.

The utopian vision both philosophies hold leads them to sharing and investing in similar if not identical politics. They view the politics of the nation as the one doctrine that everybody should hold to. All matters of life should center around the communal activities of the communist government or the shared vision of the democratic state. Those who oppose this or cast doubt on the processes are seen as traitors. They claim the goal is to liberate man from politics but in doing so, they have made man even more political than before.

They ingrain this ideology in through education and the political system. They reinforce an ideology of the duty that man has to his government. It revolves around either the majority or the dictatorship or both. The ideology is intended to subject man. While glamorizing how dignified man is, this dignity is degraded into his relationship with the government and is stripped of the moral context that it is meant to remain in. From this, we navigate to religion.

Religion is held in contempt by both communists and liberal democracies. Liberal democracies claim to be multicultural but the thing that gets in the way most with this is the transcendent aspect of religion. If religion holds a central role, it puts man under a different governance than the majority. Communists have declared it to be the opium of the people hopeful that it will die out. Liberal democracies seek to subvert religion. Warping it into obeisance to the liberal democracy first and foremost. Religious people seek to conform their religion to the liberal democracy or even to the communistic regime hoping it will appease the blood-thirsty tyrants seeking to stamp it out. He gives a strong condemnation of the changes brought to the Catholic Church by Vatican II. He points out that even as the Church tried to capitulate to the world, it still remained hated and in disgust.

There is a hopeful note to be gained from this. A genuine practitioner of religion is not only seen as a threat to the liberal democratic regime and communistic regime, but it was ultimately religion that capsized communism. It may very well be religion which will capsize the liberal democratic onslaught of modern times as well. It may take years, even decades, but with the considerations of the lessons we have gathered from recent history, only a genuine religious and moral ethos appears to be formidable in combatting the system of liberal democracy. This book is strongly recommended.