What Are American ValuesWord文件下载.docx
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What Are American ValuesWord文件下载.docx
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Formorethanadecade,thename“InstituteforAmericanValues”hasbeenprimarilyanalbatrossaroundourneck,signalingtosomethatweareright-wingnuts,andtoothersthatwearewateringdownthemeaningofvirtuebyusinganamby-pamby,everything-is-relativewordsuchas“values.”Soeitherway,weusuallylose.
Butperhaps,inourignorance,wewerebuildingbetterthanweknew.Forinthepost-September11thworld,aseriousdiscussionofAmericanvaluesisaboutasimportantasanydiscussioncanbe.Thesevalueslargelyincitedtheattackagainstusandwerearguablytheultimatetargetsoftheattack.ThebestofAmericanvaluesarealsotheorganizingprinciplesuponwhichwemustfightback.Indeed,itseemscruciallyimportant,forbothpracticalandprincipledreasons,tofightbackonlyonthebasisofcoreAmericanvalues.
Seldomhasthevocabularyofmaterialism-theassumptionthatmaterialandespeciallyeconomicinterestsarefundamental,whereasphilosophicalandespeciallyreligiousideasareessentiallyreflectiveandderivative-beenmoreofanimpedimenttounderstandinghumanbehavior.Fewofus,Isuppose,havemuchrealknowledgeoftheinnerlivesandmotivationsofthepeoplewhoattackedus,butbasedontheiractionsandpublicstatements,itseemsclearenoughthattheydidnotattackNewYorkandWashingtonmerelybecauseofU.S.policyintheMiddleEast,U.S.tiestoIsrael,theeconomicsandpoliticsofoil,theactivitiesandinfluenceoftheU.S.military,ortheU.S.roleintheworldeconomy.Thesearebutsomeoftheroughoutgrowths,partialby-products,ofsomethingelse.Thatsomethingelse,fundamentally,isourvalues,oursharedwaysofliving.
Letusbehonest.Formanypeople,includingmanyAmericans,someofthesevaluesareunattractive,especiallyintheirpureform.Consumerismasawayoflife.Crasscommercialism.Risingsecularism.Sexuallibertinism.Thenotionoffreedomasnorules.Thenotionoftheindividualasutterlysovereign,whatJohnRawlscallsaself-originatingsourceofvalidclaims.Plusanenormous,money-makingentertainmentandcommunicationsapparatusthatrelentlesslyglorifiesmanyoftheseideasandparachutesthem,whethertheyarewelcomeornot,intonearlyeverycorneroftheglobe.Justasitisobsceneforterroriststobelievethatpeoplelivinginasocietythatisflirtingwiththesevaluesshouldbemurderedenmasse,itisnaiveforustopretendthatthesenormscarrylittleweightinoursociety,orthattheyarebenign,orareirrelevanttohowothersviewus.
ButcoreAmericanvaluesaredifferentfromthese,andtheyarequiteattractive,notonlytoAmericans,buttopeopleeverywhereintheworld.Thesemorefoundationalvalues-theidealsthatmostdefineourwayoflife-wereamongtheprimaryintendedtargetsofourattackersonSeptember11th.Atthisinstitute,wewroteaboutthesevaluesina1998publicappeal,ACalltoCivilSociety.Letusbrieflyconsiderfourofthem:
Firstandforemostistheconvictionthatallpersonspossesstranscendenthumandignity,andthatconsequentlyeachpersonmustalwaysbetreatedasanend,neverasameans.TheU.S.Founders,drawinguponthesecularreasoningoftheEnlightenmentaswellasuponthefundamentalreligiousclaimthatallpersonsarecreatedintheimageofGod,affirmedas“self-evident”theideathatallpersonspossessequaldignity.Theclearestpoliticalexpressionandresultofthebeliefintranscendenthumandignityisdemocracy.
Second,followingcloselyfromthefirst,istheconvictionthatuniversaltruths(whattheFounderscalled“lawsofNatureandofNature’sGod”)existandareaccessibletoallpeople.
Thirdisthebeliefthat,becauseourindividualandcollectiveaccesstotruthisimperfect,mostdisagreementsaboutvaluescallforcivility,opennesstootherviews,andreasonableargumentinpursuitoftruth.
Andfourthisfreedomofconscienceandfreedomofreligion-thetwinfreedomswhichmanypeople,fromGeorgeWashingtontotoday’sfinesthistorians,believetobethefoundationandpreconditionofallindividualfreedoms.
Whatismoststrikingaboutthesevaluesisthateveryonecanparticipate.Becausetheyapplytoallpersonswithoutdistinction,theycannotbeusedtoexcludeanyonefromrecognitionandrespectbasedontheparticularitiesofrace,language,memory,orreligion.
Thisisnotordinaryinhumanaffairs.Forexample,itmakeslittlesensetotalkofsomeone“becomingJapanese”or“becomingFrench,”sinceidentityasJapaneseorFrenchisastatusthatislargelyindependentofchoice.Butanyone,atleastinprinciple,canbecomeanAmerican.Andinfact,anyonedoes.Muslimsdoiteveryday.Peoplecomeherefromeverywherewithayearningtobreathefree,andsoonenoughtheyareasAmericanasanyonewhosefamilycameoverontheMayflower.Wearetheonlycountryinthehistoryoftheworlddefiningitselfandorganizingitsaffairsprincipallyonthebasisofanabstractanduniversallyinvitationalphilosophy.Nootherfactaboutthiscountryismoreamazing.ItisthethingaboutAmericathatIammostproudof.
ThepowerofcoreAmericanvaluesisalsothereasonwhymillionsofpeoplewhodonotliveintheUnitedStatesidentifywiththem.InthedaysimmediatelyfollowingtheSeptember11thattack,Igotcallsfromseveralfriendswholiveinothercountries.Theytoldmeaboutthemood,thefeeling,inthosecities.Thewholeplaceisprettymuchshutdown,theysaid.Peopleareverysubduedandquiet.Abitstunned.WatchingeverythingonTV.Hardlyanyshoppingoreatingout.Peoplearebeingverykindandconsideratewithoneanother.Isaid,that’sexactlyhowitisinNewYork.JustwhythemoodinTorontoandFrankfurtandMelbournewouldsocloselyresemblethemoodinNewYorkonSeptember12thand13thisaquestionthatIcan’tfullyanswer,buthereisonepossibleexplanation:
anattackonthesymbolsandcitizensoftheUnitedStatesiswidelyviewedasaworld-scaletransgression,anattackonallpeopleofgoodwill.
Irecognizethatthoseintheworldwhohateus,hateusforreasonsthataremultipleandcomplex.Buthereisoneproposition.Thisnetworkofterrorists,alongwiththeirsponsors,financialsupporters,and(sadly,many)cheerleadersintheMuslimworld,emphaticallydenytheequaldignityofthehumanperson,emphaticallydenythattruthisaccessibletoall,andunequivocallyrejecttheprincipleoffreedomofconscienceandofreligiousexpression.Indeed,theserejectionsarethefoundationoftheircurrentcaseagainstus,thephilosophicalrocksuponwhichtheyarebuilding.Moreover,thisrepudiationofhumanuniversalsinthenameofreligiousparticularismisopenlyviolent,frequentlyinvolvingstate-sanctionedandreligiouslyauthorizedcallsnotonlytoindividualmurder(asinthecase,forexample,ofthenovelistSalmonRushdie,whowroteanovelmockingtheKoran)butalsotothemassmurderofinnocents.
Perhapsthesefactspointtosomeofthewaysinwhichintellectualsandthinktankscancontributetoournew,post-September11thnationalmission.Firstandforemostistheneedclearlytodefine,bothmorallyandasmatterofstrategy,whoisthe“us”inthisconflictandwhoisthe“them.”Thisstruggleisnotbetweentwosocieties,ortwocoalitionsofsocieties.ItisnotastrugglebetweenIslamandtheWest.Itisultimatelyacontestbetweenallpeopleintheworldwhowouldembracecertainuniversalhumanvalues-let’scallthemtranscendenthumandignity,naturalmoraltruth,civility,andfreedomofconscience-andthosewho,inthenameofanexclusivistandhighlyrepressivetheology,wouldcarryoutorsupportmassmurderinordertodestroythosevalues.
Arelatedpossiblecontributionfromintellectualsistohelpusasasocietytoclarifythewaysinwhichfightingbackeffectivelyisconsistentwith,andinlargepartdependentupon,fightingbackinwaysthatembodyratherthanviolateourbasicvalues.Forexample,actsofviolenceagainstArabAmericans(therehavebeenmanysinceSeptember11th)andexpressionsofcontempttowardIslamasareligion,orIslamiccultureasawhole,makeusweaker,notstronger,sincesuchbehaviorflatlycontradictsourreasonsforprosecutingthiscampaigninthefirstplace.Anotherexampleisourlevelofconcernaboutciviliancasualtiesinthearmedconflictsthatappeartobeimminent.Sincetheindiscriminatemurderofnon-combatantsistheprimarymethodofourenemy,weareunderaspecialobligation,itseems,bothmorallyandasamatterofbuildingworldsupportforourmission,towagewarjustly,confiningourkillingasstrictlyaspossibletotheterroristsandtheirimmediatesponsorsandcollaborators.
Athirdpossibleintellectualtaskistoengageandevenseekoutthebattleofideasaboutthenatureandjustnessofourcause.Weallneedtoknowwhywefight,andwhywemustfight.Moreover,notwithstandingourcurrentsenseofnationalunity,therearegenuinedisagreementsamongusonthesematters.Somepeople,perhapsdisproportionatelyrepresentedamongthosewhohaveneverattendedgraduateschool,mayviewtheconflictas“American”versusArab,orasthetruereligionofChristianityversusthefalsereligionofIslam.Others,perhapsdisproportionatelyrepresentedamongthosewhohaveattendedgraduateschool,willviewbothSeptember11thandournationalresponsetoitasyetmoreevidencethattheUnitedStatesisabadcountrythatdoesbadthingsintheworld.Theformerisold-fashionedchauvinism,anotherversionofethnicandreligiousparticularism;
thelatterisanotherexpressionoftheanti-Americanismthatiswell-representedinU.S.highereducat
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