Curtis Yarvin has published a friendly critique of our campaign to transform New College of Florida. He understands the difficulties of the task ahead, but is far too pessimistic about the prospects for the future. Here's why. 🧵
graymirror.substack.com/p/acorns-for-t…
Yavin's basic theme is that the progressive-managerial state, or Cathedral, is so powerful, that any action to challenge it will end up reinforcing its power. This is right-wing doomerism—if the beast is all-powerful, better to adopt the position of a prey animal and do nothing.
But even if we accept Yarvin's premise of inevitable failure—and I do not—he should remember the words of Leo Strauss, who, in a critique of Burke, counseled that even against immense odds, there is nobility and utility to "last-ditch resistance."
But I'm more optimistic than this. The takeover of New College has already changed the dynamics in higher education. We have a strong new president who has a mandate to change the administrative and academic trajectory of the institution. You'll see changes in the next 120 days.
We will be shutting down low-performing, ideologically-captured academic departments and hiring new faculty. The student body will be recomposed over time: some current students will self-select out, others will graduate; we'll recruit new students who are mission-aligned.
I believe in an uncompromising new conservatism that attempts to restore the authority of the people over their government—and lay waste to woke institutional capture. The Republic is not yet dead. We have a duty to do whatever we can to save it.
I'm ready to fight—and win.
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