Commentary ROME—Did a relatively unknown, Hungarian-born political philosopher discover the answer to countering dangerous, reactionary polarizations that have emerged in Western culture in recent years? Understanding the foundation behind the current extreme movements in political activism to dismantle traditional forms of governance, cancel culture and critical theory may answer the causation behind the rhetoric, argued German philosophy professor Jan Benz, at a recent conference sponsored by Michael Severance of the Acton Institute in Rome, Italy. Whether it is ANTIFA riots in Portland, the fiery protests in Washington, D.C. or the Black Lives Matter manifesto, Benz believes that Thomas Molnar’s understanding of man’s innate desire for authority answers the post-WWII socio-political movements that seek to dismantle traditional authority (from the family unit to governance), essentially in order to replace it with their own version of authoritarianism. Benz argues that Molnar, who lived at one time under the Nazis, only to later …