 Share
|
Email
Print
|
The future of the American idea has of course to do with the question of permanency. It is here and there observed that the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence and those who signed it were schooled enough in history to acknowledge, though they did not endorse, the proposition (Lincoln’s word) that the ideals hailed in that declaration were adventitious in our history.
Return to:
The American Idea
Scholars, novelists, politicians, artists, and others look ahead to the future of the American idea.
I would doubt any claim that the American idea is finally validated by historical and human experience. It is, for men and women of my perspective, judged to be secure in warranting perpetual loyalties. But ours are loyalties to an ideal, not to a revelation, and this must have been the reason, even if he was not conscious of it, why Lincoln referred to the American “proposition.”
By the measure of fragility, surely the doctrine of human equality is most at risk. Yet it is that proposition in American idealism that most sublimely transcends science, asserting as it does a distinction that elevates Homo sapiens beyond the reach of science and evolution.
I plead the continuing relevance of the American idea, but acknowledge that I do so moved mostly by proud possessiveness, and of course grounded in the bulwark of Christian faith.
AP
|
Submit Your Photos of America at Work
Send us your images of friends, family, and neighbors on the job. We'll publish the best. Read more › |
The History of Thomas Edison
This Must Be the Place: Byun
Video Documentary: The Impact of a Principal
James Fallows on Obama's first term, Raymond Bonner on the death penalty, Christopher Hitchens on G.K. Chesterton, and more
Browse back issues of The Atlantic that have appeared on the Web. From September 1995 to the present, the archive is essentially complete, with the exception of a few articles, the online rights to which are held exclusively by the authors.
See All Back Issues: September 1995
Malaysia Celebrates Valentine's Day by Arresting Unmarried Couples
February 13: Political Emotionalists and Neurotics; Mysteries of Providence
How the iPhone Is and Is Not Like a Chipotle Burrito
Carla Bruni to Represent the Working Class
Why America Keeps Getting More Conservative
Should Building Taller Be Much, Much Easier?
Join the Discussion
After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus