The central flaw of the social conservative project is confusing one's own lifestyle preferences for universal truths about how everyone ought to live.
This is SO beautifully put, and almost fully encapsulates my ethos, at least insofar as the way I've viewed the essential difference between these two perspectives and how baffling I've found the conservative one. Even understanding it, and how fear-based and narcissistic it is, I am constantly brought up short by how so many people can be THIS devoid of empathy. But your point about "tolerance" is well taken, and I've even had twinges of this myself; a good thing to be aware of and smack down as we age. "Hold up, there. Remember your REAL aim - live and let live, period. It doesn't MATTER what YOU would be comfortable with. Nobody's ASKING you to do it or live with it. Just leave people alone." What a concept.
Thank you for the kind words about the essay. On the tolerance point, you might be interested in this later essay I wrote, which digs into the point and expands it into a series on the liberal virtues. https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/p/liberalism-and-sympathetic-joy
This is SO beautifully put, and almost fully encapsulates my ethos, at least insofar as the way I've viewed the essential difference between these two perspectives and how baffling I've found the conservative one. Even understanding it, and how fear-based and narcissistic it is, I am constantly brought up short by how so many people can be THIS devoid of empathy. But your point about "tolerance" is well taken, and I've even had twinges of this myself; a good thing to be aware of and smack down as we age. "Hold up, there. Remember your REAL aim - live and let live, period. It doesn't MATTER what YOU would be comfortable with. Nobody's ASKING you to do it or live with it. Just leave people alone." What a concept.
Thank you for the kind words about the essay. On the tolerance point, you might be interested in this later essay I wrote, which digs into the point and expands it into a series on the liberal virtues. https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/p/liberalism-and-sympathetic-joy
Also, the most recent episode of my podcast: https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/p/the-liberal-virtues-w-peter-boettke#details