A judgement of value is merely an opinion. A judgment of value would, for instance, be one viewing an inflated economy while saying to himself, “Look at the wealth.” Meanwhile, a different person looks at the same inflated economy and says to himself, “Look at all the waste.” A judgment of value is what one thinks of a situation for himself, while his opinion may not hold true for those around him.Looking at the next piece of this sentence, one sees that Von Mises states, “. . . a fact of the actual state of the universe . . .,” which, in effect, simply refers to the actual state of the universe. This cites the world in which man lives in presently. Simply put, he is stating that the actual state of the universe is each person’s daily life.Finally, one should examine the phrase, “. . . the topic of existential propositions.” This phrase contains two very important, but little known words of great meaning. According to Noah Webster, “existential,” in its present context, refers back to the definition of existentialism. Henceforth, when one looks at the definition of existentialism, he sees that Mr. Webster defines it as, “A philosophy centered on individual existence and personal responsibility for acts of free will in the absence of certain knowledge of what is right or wrong.” A proposition is, “That which is offered or affirmed as the subject of the discourse; anything stated or affirmed for discussion or illustration.” Thus, putting these two definitions together, we see that an existential proposition is basically the discussion of whether or not the concepts of right and wrong are absolute.
Now that one has uncovered the meaning of the individual phrases of this sentence, he must now look upon it as a whole. This sentence can be interpreted in everyday language as an opinion, excluding absolute right and wrong, that rules our everyday lives. When one looks at this definition, a certain philosophy should come to mind—postmodernism. The definition of postmodernism is the philosophy of “rejecting any notion of a universal, overarching truth and reducing all ideas to social construction shaped by class, gender, and ethnicity.” From the examination of this quote by Von Mises and the definitions of existentialism and postmodernism, it is blatantly obvious that they are one and the same. From a Christian perspective, is this really the way one should view the world?
To be continued . . .
Sources:
1. Colson, Charles and Nancy Pearcey. How Now Shall We Live?
2. Webster, Noah. New Explorer Dictionary and Thesaurus.
3. Von Mises, Ludwig. Theory and History; An Interpretation of Social and Economic Evolution.
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