Deep Thinkers in Person: God Defend New Zealand: Patriotism in the Modern World

Are you a citizen of the world or do you pledge your allegiance to a country, flag or king?

Patriotism, as defined by Britannica, is the feeling of attachment and commitment to a country, nation, or political community. Patriotism (love of country) and nationalism (loyalty to one’s nation) are often taken to be synonymous, yet patriotism has its origins some 2,000 years prior to the rise of nationalism in the 19th century.

Greek and especially Roman antiquity provide the roots for a political patriotism that conceives of loyalty to the patria as loyalty to a political conception of the republic. It is associated with the love of law and common liberty, the search for the common good, and the duty to behave justly toward one’s country.

This association between patriotism and the exclusive attachment to one’s nation has led critics to view the sentiment of patriotic pride as morally dangerous, giving rise to a chauvinism that is incompatible with cosmopolitan aspirations and the recognition of the equal moral worth of all human beings. More sympathetic approaches to patriotism have sought to ground it in new forms of loyalty that are compatible with universal values, respect for human rights, and tolerance of ethnic and national differences.

At the heart of this renewed interest in patriotism lies the belief that to be stable, democratic societies require a strong sense of allegiance on the part of their citizens. Not only does the high degree of pluralism that characterizes contemporary societies potentially give rise to tensions and disagreements among citizens that may destabilize the polity, modern democratic states committed to a degree of equality rely on the willingness of citizens to make sacrifices for the common good, be it in terms of the everyday redistribution of income to meet welfare needs or the provision of collective goods and services such as education or health care. Hence, in the eyes of advocates of new forms of patriotism, stable democratic societies require a strong sense of solidarity.

Note: We're back at our Sunday Lunch Venue on The North Shore - The Constellation Cafe.

CUSTOMS:
You must register and be on the “Attendees - Going” list to attend.
Bring $2 to cover Meetup costs.

RSVP POLICY:
RSVPs and cancellations will be accepted up until 6 hours before the start of the meetup so that people who feel unwell on the day have time to change their RSVP and allow someone else to attend.
Please only click 'attend' if you are going to come, and remember to change your RSVP if you need to change plans.
No-shows will be removed from the group; i.e. being registered to attend and not attending OR cancelling your attendance after 11:00am on the day will be considered a 'No Show'.
This RSVP policy has become necessary due to the high number of last-minute withdrawals and non-attendance. This unfairly causes people on the Waiting List to miss out. Thanks for your cooperation.