This problem seems even to afflict Mencius Moldbug. His ideology of formalism seems to be based on ensuring absolute unquestionable authority in order to avoid any violence (whether used to overthrow an authority or cement the hold of an existing one). At the same time he tries to base the appeal of his reactionary narrative by pointing highlighting how reactionaries are “those who lost” (in the terms of William Appleman Williams, whom Mencius would rather not mention) and the strong horse is universalism/antinomianism.
Perhaps you figured this out since April, but the quoted clause makes sense in the context of Mencius’ particular use of the terms “universalism” (roughly: what everyone in polite society believes these days in the West) which he categorizes as “antinomian”, roughly: opposed to natural law.
This problem seems even to afflict Mencius Moldbug. His ideology of formalism seems to be based on ensuring absolute unquestionable authority in order to avoid any violence (whether used to overthrow an authority or cement the hold of an existing one). At the same time he tries to base the appeal of his reactionary narrative by pointing highlighting how reactionaries are “those who lost” (in the terms of William Appleman Williams, whom Mencius would rather not mention) and the strong horse is universalism/antinomianism.
What does that mean? The whole clause. And I don’t understand why you equate universalism with antinomianism.
Perhaps you figured this out since April, but the quoted clause makes sense in the context of Mencius’ particular use of the terms “universalism” (roughly: what everyone in polite society believes these days in the West) which he categorizes as “antinomian”, roughly: opposed to natural law.