Mysticism will always negate and prevent Freedom
Ideas are powerful, they shape the lives of men and set the course for civilisations. Ideas are what motivate us. The ideas we adopt as true determine our values, our goals, and every aspect of our experience. And the more fundamental an idea is the more powerful it is.
Imagine 2 different people. One holds that disease is caused by ‘germs’, the other holds that disease is a detoxification process. One lives in a dangerous world full of trillions of potential disease causing enemies of health, the other lives in a world where care must be taken to avoid toxicity and to regularly detoxify the body as part of one’s lifestyle. One lives in fear and in a world that is hostile to human health, the other is empowered and lives in a world that is not fundamentally hostile to human existence.
Philosophy is the science of fundamental ideas that shape and affect man’s view of existence and of himself and of his relationship to existence. If you want to be free you must go all the way down to the basement (in terms of ideas) to understand how the most fundamental ideas control the way people think, if they think and what they think. You must be conscious of, and examine, the most fundamental ideas so you can grasp how they relate to each other and grasp the very significant implications of holding particular fundamental ideas.
The Bedrock
It must be noted that logic is our only means of discerning truth because it’s our only means to knowing anything. It must be noted that acceptance of reality as being independent of consciousness is crucial for the concept of truth to have any meaning. Although it is very apparent if you stop and think, it must never-the-less be understood and held consciously that A is A, that things are what they are, independent of any consciousness. It must also be understood that causality proceeds from identity, and that contradictions cannot exist outside of the mind. These basic irrefutable tenets underpin all rational thinking and any and all claims to knowledge.
The purpose of this post is to point out that mysticism in general (and any kind of theism) contradicts these basic irrefutable facts that constitute our means to truth and knowledge.
Mysticism is the idea that there are non-rational means to knowledge.
The logical fallacy of the stolen concept was identified and called as such by Ayn Rand. I sometimes think of it as the fallacy of cutting off the branch you are standing on. This logical fallacy is the one that makes all of our (so-called) ‘thinking’ circular and un-grounded in reality. It is the logical fallacy that results in people holding contradictory ideas and not grasping that one negates the other, or empties the other of meaning. It is arguably the most fundamental cause of the widespread inability to think logically that effectively blinds the people of the world to what is going on and how they are being led into tyranny. It is compounded by a lack of understanding that knowledge is necessarily hierarchical in nature—somethings have to be known (and accepted as true) first in order to infer other things—since all knowledge is either self-evident or inferred.
Firm Foundations
No freedom movement, or any movement in history, has ever endured without a coherent set of core principles (ideas) to unite its advocates under a common understanding that validates the cause. A common philosophical root is the only way to ensure that everyone is coming from the same fundamental place, and that everyone is assuming the same fundamental understanding of the concept of freedom and is therefore arguing for the same thing from the same premises.
The ability to see which ideas fundamentally support (or undermine) others is absolutely essential if we are serious about a truth or freedom movement, and if we are serious about our success of achieving freedom and escaping the impending tyranny. Those seeking freedom must all be on board a solid ship that can endure the rough seas of challenge solely by using logically strong reasoned argument.
The freedom movement must necessarily rest on the non-aggression principle.
The only two options you have, if you want to affect the behaviour of other people, are either; one, through rational persuasion, or two, by using some kind of force or coercion. You can only ‘fight’ for a cause using reasoned argument or brute force. These are the only two options. In fact, lets say it accurately… One can only reason for freedom, it cannot be fought for. That is a contradiction in terms. Those advocating for freedom are seeking escape from the use of force, and seeking to be left alone to act on their own judgement un-coerced. They are the ones who recognise that force is the problem. Force is the only means by which rights can be violated. Those seeking freedom are opposed to force. The argument for freedom is an argument against the use of force. Therefore, those genuinely seeking freedom (as opposed to infiltrators and shills) will advocate for reasoned argument over brute force and violence.
If we want to avoid being subject to force and violence, and avoid the violation of people’s rights, we must advocate for the exclusive use of reason. This means we must rely on evidence, proof, logic and the rational argument. But to do this we must understand which fundamental ideas reasoned argument rests upon, and make sure we do NOT undermine these! We must hold in full conscious awareness that A is A, that contradiction don’t exist and that causality proceeds from identity. And we must demand of ourselves and others that ideas be validated by such epistemological means. We must know and consciously uphold that reality (the world out there) exists independently of any consciousness, human or divine. Because this is the bedrock of the non-violent approach.
First things first
Start by recognising that existence exists, and that consciousness is conscious. This implies both that something exists, and that you exist and are able to know it. We must logically start here, at the philosophical bedrock, agreeing that reality must be regarded objectively. Then we may proceed from that fundamental premise to investigate the facts of reality. This is of huge importance because if we challenge or argue against these fundamentals we are emptying the concept of truth of meaning, along with the concept of knowledge, and undercutting our means of rational persuasion.
To be a mystic and to hold that miracles are possible and that we create our own reality, or to sanction the existence of a supernatural deity who can suspend the law of causality, is to implicitly render ourselves powerless and ineffective with no means of rational argument! It is to remove the only means to achieving the goal of freedom that can work! When reason is discounted or abandoned, violence and intimidation (force) is all that is left as a tool of persuasion. Without reason being championed, and logic being held as the method to discern truth, the campaign for freedom cannot succeed.
The potential freedom of humanity rests on whether we can shake off this irrational clinging to mysticism. It’s that crucial.
It is NOT a matter of personal opinion. It is not a subject that must be ‘respectfully’ avoided so we don’t upset people. It is a matter of freedom or slavery, truth or deception, life or death, reason or mysticism.
Contradictions
Many people do not realise that freedom is inherently selfish. Or perhaps its more accurate to say that they don’t want to acknowledge this fact because its very controversial. Which means, that because the concept of selfishness is so widely misunderstood, thought leaders or Youtubers or anyone trying to build an audience, will NOT want to address this point for fear of making themselves unpopular. People fear being labelled as selfish. And yet grasping the modern misunderstanding of selfishness is crucial to the achievement of freedom.
Freedom is the ability to live for one’s own sake and not be bound by a duty to keep sacrificing for others. The concept of selfishness must be re-examined and redefined to grasp that it is not evil. Rational self-interest is no less than our human method of survival! We must also re-examine our understanding of kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. These ideas rest on the assumption that one’s action is voluntary, freely chosen (or not) according to circumstances and context. As soon as moral obligation comes in (as it does with any code of morality such as today’s altruism) then kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness are destroyed and simply become what you should do. What makes kindness, thoughtfulness, consideration, compassion, empathy, generosity and kindness the positive values that they are, is the fact that you don’t have to do them. They are a choice made in a specific context.
But duty and moral obligation are the core of the culturally dominant idea of altruism. This idea holds that you have no right to live for your own sake. You must not be selfish. This is the idea we have all grown up with, and its wrong it negates freedom. In other words, its crucial to understand that while the idea of altruism is widely held, there is no possibility for freedom in a culture of altruism. It is either one or the other. The idea of ‘freedom’ and the idea of ‘altruism’ are mutually exclusive. Living for one’s own sake is not compatible with living a life of dutiful sacrifice for others. This is just one example of how the vast majority of people hold contradictory ideas.
The idea of philosophical subjectivism is that we create our own reality. It holds that reality is not a fixed absolute independent of any consciousness. This ideas is similarly dangerous because it negates and undermines the concept of truth and the idea of rational persuasion. It therefore undermines peace, freedom and abundance—the very things that everyone professes to want more of! Peaceful persuasion, rational argument and logical demonstration all rest on the essential foundation of regarding reality objectively, independent of consciousness. If this is not held as the base of all human thinking then there is no rational, peaceful way to persuade anyone of anything because the foundations of the method of rational persuasion are being argued against! All that is left is coercion, brute force and violence.
Mystic beliefs are a call to inaction
Mystical ideas, such as, you create our own reality, or that God will save us, all necessarily imply that the nature of the threat is reduced or negated. If you create your own reality then (implicitly) you can avoid the negative consequences of the globalist take over. The existential threat is effectively mitigated, reduced. It can be considered avoidable in some implicit way. Notably, if you believe you create your own reality, then everything you do actually suffer is your own fault. Every tyrannical ruler wants you to think this!
If someone believes that they have eternal life, or that this is just one of many lives, then what’s the problem if we all die? The delusion goes on to assume that we will all learn from the experience and everything will be OK in the long run. Back in reality, tyranny will reign and the existence of many people will be ended. Similarly, all the mystic Christians will tell us that Jesus is going to come along at the last minute, and save us all from evil. So I don’t have to do anything. Jesus saves.
All mystic beliefs are a departure from reality, because they are held in contradiction to facts, evidence, logic and rational argument. Therefore if followed to their logical conclusion such beliefs inevitably lead to human suffering, as well as being implicit arguments for inaction. They are the means to duping people away from creating a credible opposition to exploitation and enslavement.
Mystical ideas were invented to mislead people!
Anyone who wants to deceive people, and enslave people, will advocate mysticism. Mysticism amounts to, just believe. Don’t question, don’t make a fuss, just accept what you are being told. I don’t know about you, but I can see no place for the blind acceptance of ideas in a world of human flourishment.
Conclusion
If you want to be free you must know the truth, and you must grasp that all the ideas you hold must be consistent with each other. No particular idea that you hold to be true can be allowed to negate another idea you also hold to be true. You must grasp that mysticism is a negation of truth because it silently removes the foundations of truth and reasoned argument, and leaves you in a world where might is right and force is the only arbiter of disputes.
For humanity to have any chance of freedom, thinking people must grasp that reasoned argument is the only means of persuasion, and it is destroyed by faith and mysticism.
Nigel Howitt
May 20th, 2025
Some objective reality would be writing as if two genders exist. How about showing some respect for female existence? You’re just like the theocrats/mystics yourself. Not much difference there, showing that indeed it appears to be in the testosterone that male imbecility is found.
I was going to aggregate you, but since your mode of writing shows you are unaware that women and girls exist, I cannot. Try getting in touch with objective reality.
It is sad that, deliberately or not, you have completely missed the very important point that the above post makes. You have been so unnecessarily focused on gender that you have blinded yourself to any potential increase in your knowledge. In the writing above I make one reference to “men’s rights”, and I am using the term men as a species term. You can only see a gender term because you are irrationally fixed on this issue of gender. I recognise both human genders and consider them beautifully complimentary, and I assume my readers are mature and rational enough to do the same. I see no need to get hung up on language and make silly accusations that simply distract us from the important issues. Well done for missing the point! Well done for being preoccupied with an irrelevance. You must have tried really hard to find something to have a gripe about in the above post. And you succeeded. You succeeded in completely failing to move your knowledge forward or grasp anything new. The approach that you demonstrate undermines any hope for humanity to avoid the coming totalitarianism through an understanding of fundamental important ideas. People who think and act like you, are the problem.
Thanks for this, Nigel. Well written, as always.
> Mysticism amounts to, just believe. Don’t question, don’t make a fuss, just accept what you are being told. I don’t know about you, but I can see no place for such in a world of human flourishment.
Aren’t we all born into the world with this mindset? A blank slate, with zero experience. As such we trust our parents (and teachers) to tell us the truth, and we simply take it for granted.
So this seems to be a state you have to “grow out of”. With the necessary experience, effort, and critical thinking skills it should be possible, I suppose.
However, if my above statement is correct, this means that there will always be a receptive element for ‘mysticism’ in the population, namely via the youth. EVEN IF they possess the required capacities to become rational thinkers.
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I wanted to finish with the above, but let us continue on this train of thought for a moment.
How are you going to protect your children from any and all sorts of mysticism? Through rational persuasion only?
I imagine a situation like this has already played out before. Perhaps in the not so distant past.
Imagine a classical world in the past, where suddenly the fire of Christianity burns through society. First primarily via the rebellious youth. Afterwards also via the older, influenced, generations.
The end result: most knowledge destroyed. Critical thinking pretty much outlawed. Most people are (knowingly or not) part of the slave class. Everyone bends their knee to authority.
What is the protection mechanism for the freedom loving ‘critical thinkers’ in this scenario? (Yes a black and white picture, I know…)
Once again, Loose tooth, thank you for your intelligent probing questions. As usual, they help me to understand better how to communicate the intended point. I feel inspired to clarify. Forgive me if my tone sounds authoritative. I do not wish to sound as if I think I know it all. I don’t. But answers do come to my mind, and I share them below, and hope they help clarify.
“Aren’t we all born into this (mystical) mindset?”
Yes we are, for a few reasons.
1. Its easier to just accept, rather than think. And in the short term its practical. For example, we all assume truth in conversation, and children have to accept the truths of things they have not come across before, on the implicit assumption that they will validate the idea(s) in due course.
2. We get conditioned into the mystical mindset by our parents (and surrounding culture). For example, pretending Santa Claus is real, fairies are real, ghosts are real, god is real, miracles happen, etc.
3. Some men always want to deceive others, in order to expropriate some value from them. (Parasitism over independent productivity) This comes out in our culture, as influenced by the controlling class. And we are encouraged into the practice of belief in ideas without validation, and it is sanctioned as good in religious and secular matters.
Each of these gives cause to simply accept ideas without question. And thus, there will always be a tendency towards mysticism in the young and in the old.
You asked how can we protect against this? How can the freedom loving thinkers protect themselves and their children from the temptation of an apparent short cut to knowledge?
I think the answer is simple, if not easy. And I can identify 3 components to it.
It must come from the elders, the parents, those who have learned. Because the answer is not at all self-evident.
1. Parents and guardians should consistently demonstrate rational behaviour in all contexts, but in this one specifically, they should be seen to consistently demand reasons for the ideas they hear, before accepting them as true and acting on them.
2. Parents and guardians should NOT unwittingly condition children into mysticism by talking about Santa Claus and fairies AS IF THEY ARE REAL. This is a massive stumbling block in modern child raising. Children need to first learn to distinguish between what is real and what is not real, before they can enjoy stories of fantasy knowing that they are just that—stories.
3. Parents and guardians should also use rational persuasion to make logical and convincing points to young people in their charge, appealing to their reason AT THE SAME TIME AS demonstrating the demand for reasons in point (1).
My whole thesis here on this website is about learning that logic and reason are our means of functionality, and thus are our mode of living. In mainstream culture they are vilified and rubbished, or pronounced inadequate to human life in some way or other. And this is the undercurrent of propaganda that is not being questioned.
Yes there will always be a temptation to mysticism, one that deceivers can take advantage of. And although I agree with your points illustrating the susceptibility of the young, but I think it affects all ages.
However, there is no practical advantage in simply believing what you hear, as we saw from those who died as a result of their covid jabs. Conversely, truth and logic, reason and evidence are immensely practical, in the form of cars, computers, internet communications, etc. The point is that with conscious awareness its not hard to make a case for reason, and against mysticism. You could say, reality is on our side (as it were). Parents and young people alike need to observe this fact and follow its implicit guidance. I think it all comes down to awareness and thinking skills, which in turn are determined by the dominant philosophical undercurrent. And today that is anti-reason!
In my opinion, the parasites and deceivers (or those in their control) know this, and will continue to extol the virtues of having faith in mystical ideas, and of believing in things without evidence, proof, or logical argument. AS Rand observed, the fundamental attack is on the mind.
Thanks for that.
Regarding your three points to protect against mysticism: I think they seem quite reasonable. I don’t really have anything to counter these. But, I have to say that I am not convinced that these points alone will be enough. I still have to do more research and thinking to come up with other solutions, though.
I am currently reading the book “The Darkening Age – The Christian Destruction of the Classical World” by Catherine Nixey. It surprises me how the more-or-less tolerant and free thinking Romans were pretty much annihilated in the end. – The Christians were much less tolerant once they got in power. (Also explains the ~99% destruction of classical literature, and who knows how much more tampering of it.)
Also, after reading the first book of “History: Fiction or Science?” by Anatoly Fomenko (and also some personal realizations), I now also believe that:
1. the Roman empire was not as long ago as currently claimed.
2. much of history has been tampered with.
The reason I bring up these points, is that if correct, this topic of mysticism is actually quite pressing since the progress of human civilization was almost (or at least temporarily) stopped or even reverted by it not so long ago.