Schelling Points & the Catholic Church

Named after Professor Thomas Schelling, 2005 Nobel Prize recipient, a Schelling point is “that which gives a group of like-minded individuals their common purpose.” Groups with strong Schelling points are able to “coordinate their actions with minimal communication.”

Less Wrong’s Explanation

Here in the Mandrosphere Game is the Schelling point – Roosh’s forum and Roissy’s blog in particular.  Men want to get laid, after all, and modern culture makes this difficult by masculinizing women, femininizing men.  But that’s not all they’re focused on; once they tire of that you have the whole alt-right schlew of politics, economics, survivalism, history, et cetera.  Game is the one thing we can all agree upon as men, and it branches out from there.

Game is not going to be the Schelling point of Western Civilization, however; the Libertarian Party certainly won’t be it, either, and as for the Republicans?  Maybe – but despite some cross-border Conservative associations, it’s still a very local phenomenon.

Within an American State – yes, the Republicans will be a good local Schelling point of decent people.  But worldwide?  Unlikely.

There are good arguments that the Catholic Church – the oldest, and in many ways the last institution of Western Civilization – will be the last organization which still holds for values like family, education, and virtue.  Honestly, I have trouble thinking of anything else that’s even contending

Pope Benedict’s resignation seems to have been driven by the attempts to prosecute him for the Priest Molestation scandal (and let’s keep things in perspective; children are still 100 times safer around a Priest than a School Teacher – let alone a Social Worker [the original report – long and boring for you]), which is all the more of a loss since he did so much to clear out the Liberal, and possibly Marxist priests from the Church.  But nonetheless, this leaves the Cardinals with a tough decision on their hands tonight.  And some of their possible choices downright frighten me.  So whether you’re an Atheist, Protestant, Jew, or heck, even one of the civilized Muslims in the West, this decision will hold momentous import for our future.

The Catholic Church may be imperfect, but it’s the best one we’ve got.

I’ll finish off by quoting Dr Robert Moynihan (HT The Orthosphere):

. . . I saw the cardinal’s face grow dark and sad, and he said, forcefully: “I love [Benedict XVI], but this should never have happened. He never should have left his office.”

I was silent.

“It is like a man and a woman, a husband and wife, a mother and father in relation to their children,” he said. “What do they say?” It seemed he was asking me the question.

I was silent.

“They say, ‘until death do us part!’ They stay together always.”

So I understood him to be saying that he felt a Successor of Peter should not step down from the throne, no matter how weary and tired, but continue until death.

I felt the words he was speaking were the words of an argument that may have been used even among the cardinals, but of course, that may not be the case.

But I felt that I was catching a glimpse of how at least one cardinal was thinking about the Pope’s renunciation.

“Your eminence,” I said, “I’ve forgotten. Are you already above age 80, or not?

“I am not yet 80,” he told me.

“So you will be voting tomorrow.”

He nodded, and a look passed over his eyes which seemed filled with shadows and concerns. I was surprised at his intensity. I was surprised by the whole conversation.

He squeezed my hand. “Is there anything else I can do?” I asked.

“Pray for us,” he said. “Pray for us.”

He turned as if he needed to go.

“I have to go.”

He took a step away from me, then turned again.

“It is a dangerous time. Pray for us.”

I think we should do as he asked.