The will to rise

David Warren:

The notion that “knowledge is power” is a cliché to which I was exposed early and often in childhood. It is one of the secular myths of the modern West: a version of the myth of technology, that underpins our magical belief in quick fixes.

Nietzsche came much closer to the truth by associating “will” with power. Freedom exists so long as we will it (including freedom from Nietzscheans), and the knowledge that supports it is a moral knowledge, quite different from technical expertise, which can be hired, ultimately, for any cause at all.

The former U.S. president, George W. Bush — a man of solid moral convictions, ridiculed for his supposed ignorance — was abundantly clear about Iran, and about North Korea for that matter. These two regimes have continued to offer the most pressing threats to the peace of the world since Saddam Hussein’s lawless regime was eliminated. Bush referred to all three as an “axis of evil.” Continued close co-operation between Iran and North Korea vindicates both terms.
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