First Friday Discussion - America 250, Looking back and looking ahead
Details
With the 250th anniversay of the signing of the Declaration of Independence right around the corner, let's talk about the American story. Where have we been and where do you think we are going, from a philosopical perspective? I want to avoid discussing politics, as that tends to devolve into tribal emoting.
We'll be INSIDE, due to the heat. Feel free to bring food to share! We'll socialize for about an hour before the discussion begins at 8:30.
Ideas to Discuss:
- What is the American Experiment, and what does its future look like?
- If a political system is an "experiment," what are the criteria for its success or failure?
- In a hyper-pluralistic society with vastly different moral frameworks, what is the unifying thread that holds "We the People" together?
- How should a we balance healthy historical critique with civic inspiration?
- Can an 18th-century political system designed for slow, deliberate compromise survive intact when paired with hyper-fast, godlike digital technology?
- Recent SCOTUS cases.
Resources/Quotes
"The earth belongs always to the living generation… Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19 years. If it be enforced longer, it is an act of force and not of right." — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison, 1789
- Is our deep reverence for a 250-year-old document a source of essential stability, or does it trap us in the past just like Jefferson feared?
"The challenge of social justice as a unifying myth is that it is essentially a vision of endless conflict, an unresolvable struggle between competing identity groups for power and recognition... We need a story that brings us together, not one that perpetually sorts us into victims and oppressors." — Francis Fukuyama, Liberalism and Its Discontents, 2022
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/is-consent-of-the-governed-possible-amid-polarized-politics/