What Are American Values.docx

What Are American Values.docx

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WhatAreAmericanValues

WhatAreAmericanValues?

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