Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Idealism v Reality in The Declaration of Independence
Self-Evident
The
Declaration of Independence: The most
important non-scientific document in human history – the power of
idealism over realism
Jefferson
wrote “we hold these truths to be self evident”
IN
CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The
unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When
in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,
and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal
station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,
a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should
declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these
truths to be self-evident,
- that all men are created equal,
- that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
- that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--
- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
- deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –
- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness
a
priori knowledge,
in
Western philosophy since the time of Immanuel
Kant,
knowledge that is independent of all particular experiences, as
opposed to a
posteriori knowledge,
which derives from experience. The Latin phrases a
priori
(“from
what is before”) and a
posteriori
(“from
what is after”) were used in philosophy originally to distinguish
between arguments from causes and arguments from effects.
- The ideas do not come from history – are contracted by experience – up to the current time
- To abolish government is treason (unless you win)
- it comes from free masons 18th century liberalism – anti royalist church and state
- the function of government is first to maintain order,
- to protect itself from enemies foreign and domestic
- to preserve the privileges of the ruling class
- manage conflict about who gets what, and who pays what: when and how
- provide for common welfare by the provision of “public goods” that can't be divided and charged separately.maintain the myths of the people and wave the bloody flag
- provide bread and circuses for the masses
- provide jobs, contracts, patronage, to its troops and give benefits for the money
