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samraja v0.2.0: - Epistemology

· 3 min read

Every society needs a story that binds them together. For a majority of America's history that identity was WASP. White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant. Since the 1960s this common identity has been eroded to the point that America does not have a common identity but a series of different ones. Each of these identities are competing for dominance within America and we have reached a point where the conflict between these identities is coming to a head. There will be a civil war of sorts, not necessarily a shooting war but a war of ideas and epistemologies.

Epistemology is the study of knowledge: how we know what we know. It is a foundational element of culture and society. When there is a common epistemology within a society, that society is able to function cohesively. When there are competing epistemologies within a society, that society becomes fractured and unable to function cohesively. We are at a point where America has multiple competing epistemologies. The problem with multiple competing epistemologies is that these is no singular identity of "American" anymore. Instead, there are multiple identities that are competing.

But the gist of this battle is that of American Empire vs American Republic. Further, it is divided along age groups, religious and ethic lines. The competing ideologies are: Consumerism/Neoconservatism, LGBTQ, multiculturalism, and MAGA.

When looking at it from this lens what Trump is trying to accomplish becomes much more clear. Trump is trying to create a common epistemology that binds America. In all the battles he is fighting, the underlying theme can be his fight against these competing epistemologies. This epistemology is one of returning America back to being a WASP nation.

  1. Consumerism/Neoconservatism. The tariffs are a way to destroy individualism which is a creation of consumerism. Individualism arose as a Baby Boomer idea as is defined by choice. Having the choice of 10 different peanut butters at the grocery store. By limiting choice, you limit the scope of individualism. However, individualism exists as a function of empire. It is only with an empire that one really has the ability to choose from a wide variety of things. By destroying the empire, you destroy individualism. Further, neoconservatism is the ideology of empire. By destroying neoconservatism, you destroy the ideology of empire. In this way we can see Trump's fight for peace with other countries and his want to leave foreign entanglements.
  2. LGBTQ. LGBTQ is fundamentally at odds with Christian belief system that Trump is looking to return to. The LGBT community can be considered the polar opposite of MAGA. And as has happened in other wars in WW2 the destruction of LGBTQ will be the last fight.
  3. multiculturalism. There is a war of culture in terms of: Blacks, Latinos/Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, and Chinese are all being suppressed. The refutation of Black Lives Matter, the deportation of largely Catholic migrants, the full removal of Muslims, viritol and limitation of legal immigration of Hindus, and anti-Chinese rhetoric. There is a new goal to limit the power of other voices and move the primary voice to be from white Americans.
  4. MAGA. Lastly, the last battle is within MAGA itself which is a battle of isolationism and empire. This is a battle between the elites that want the empire to continue and the non-elites that don't want entanglements.

So hopefully, I have made a case that Trump's goal is about epistemology and his actions when looked at from this perspective are about the true meaning of MAGA as a return to America being a WASP nation.