---
title: Simplicity Leads to Despotism
tags: [Quote, Conservatism]
summary: Russell Kirk explains the connection between ideological simplicity and despotism.
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> Man being complex, his government cannot be simple.  The
> humanitarian theorists who contrive projects of ingenious
> simplicity must arrive, before long, at the crowning simplicity
> of despotism.  They begin with a licentious individualism, every
> man deprived of ancient sanctions and thrown upon his own moral
> resources; and when this state of things turns out to be
> intolerable, as it must, then they are driven to a ponderous and
> intolerant collectivism; central direction endeavors to
> compensate for the follies of reckless moral and economic
> atomism.  Revolutionary idealists of this stamp are faithful to
> simplicity, though to nothing else in heaven or earth.  They
> cannot abide any medium between absolute freedom and absolute
> consolidation.
> [@kirk85 102]

As I mentioned at our Thursday night reading group, I have been impressed by Kirk's ability to make deep connections between ideas that I have never considered before.  The very simplicity of a radical ideology necessarily leads to a consolidation of power when the fanatics of that ideal run up against the intractable complexity of concrete human existence.