Agreed, the declaration of independence is a major, if not the current in America’s political philosophy.
But what I also want to know is: what do Americans consider to be the good life?
What are we to do with all this, liberty?
And how do Americans think, how do they view the cosmos and their place in it?
Note I’m asking these questions in a more philosophical than scientific spirit.
Really?
Interesting, please elaborate.
What’s also interesting is: how progressives, libertarians and conservatives can read the declaration of independence, hear the words equality, liberty, and interpret them very differently.
Progressives hear them and think: education, healthcare, food, housing, freedom from discrimination, freedom from hate, etcetera.
Libertarians hear them and think: my right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins.
Conservatives who aren’t also libertarians hear them and think:…I’m not sure what they think.
Perhaps they think we’re forgiven by Jesus, but not necessarily by society, the state.
Or we should be punished for the sins we commit (fornication, narcotics, etcetera), not for who we are or what we believe (race, creed, etcetera).
Or we shouldn’t be punished for things that’re supposed not to harm others, but for things that’re supposed to harm others, even indirectly.
Or perhaps they think such matters should be determined municipally and at the state level rather than federally.
I have little idea, maybe they just pay lip service to the DOI.
Maybe they think: freedom from tolerance, from having to tolerate other peoples wickedness, or eccentricities.
Oh, so now you’re making it an immigration issue! 
Of course, we can’t have 4th or 5th dimensionals taking our jobs too, so we’ll just have to do without absolute(s) (equality).
Our outlook as a country seems to be under pressure and judgement on any given day, and our Government and lobbyists are constantly having to react to these daily changes we are going through because of our MPs and Honourable Lords constantly doing u-turns on so many policies and legislation in their need to keep up with our constantly-changing sociotel needs.
The previously rebranded British model seems to be reverting back to an (amended) original model, and our philosophy is constantly amending alongside that change… until a synchronicity is reached.
Yea, the UK, as with much of the west, is undergoing major changes.
There’s a growing trend to nationalism and populism away from globalism and elitism.
I, for one, welcome this change.
If we look at its prominence in the world, the U.S. population has for a long time now been nationalistic, i.e., expressing strong identification with one’s own nation and vigorous support for its interests. If this had no been the case, it wouldn’t have achieved the status of the most powerful country on the global stage. What the majority of that population does not care for is the ‘brand’ of nationalism spewed by the far-Right and Trump which is more an identification with authoritarian interests. Which in turn means aspiring bosses wanting the old bosses’ power.
And it always amuses me when I hear the far-Right’s criticism of, ‘the elite’. Trump has been part of the elite since he was born. He has devoted his whole life to maintaining that status by hook or by crook. 99% of Trump’s ‘base’ could not afford the $200,000 fee to join the Mar-a-Lago Club and on top of that the annual dues of $14,000; and don’t forget his ownership of 17 golf courses. So who do those that rail against the elites elect? They elect one of the most entrenched of the elite, who by the way, also cheats at golf. What’s that saying about a sucker born every minute? . . .
As for globalization which is basically, “The opening of local and nationalistic perspectives to a broader outlook of an interconnected and interdependent world with free transfer of capital, goods, and services across national frontiers.” That has already been in place for some time and it is likewise what has brought the US, China, and other countries to world prominence. None of the top 10 most powerful countries in the world: U.S., Russia, China, U.K., Germany, France, Japan, Israel, Saudia Arabia, United Arab Emirates, are going to drop globalism anytime soon. They know there’s no going back — and will enforce that by any means necessary.
So if we -everyone in the thread- drop, or black box, the right left battle for a moment, how do we deal with the problems of globalism. Both sides, it seems to me, should be concerned about the anti-democratic control global corporations have over government. I think also there is something unique in the new monopolies - Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon - and they are even more capable of avoiding oversight and affecting government policy than anything that has come before. Leftists are skeptical of nationalistic approaches to combatting globalism. Rightists often hesitate to seem in any way critical of corporations, as if their freedom is equal to and part of the freedom of individuals. So, what do we do about the bad side of globalization, in those areas where the right and left can agree there are negative aspects?
That’s the current crux of it, isn’t it? The keyword is ‘agree’ and I don’t see much of that in the current political atmosphere. I figure that provided there aren’t any long-range consequences from present actions, that a generation or so from now there will be an assessment as to what the problems were and perhaps a better view of things.
As I noted, nationalism is basically about social identity on a larger scale. Thing is, there are those who demand their identity to be considered more than others, not as part of a multiculturality. Their type of nationalism seeks to overturn of civil rights because they consider it bad deal that’s been stripping away at what they considered as privileges.
"When their privileged status quo was recently threatened by the election of a black president, the rise of new civil rights movements, and the empowerment of traditionally maligned segments of society, a massive culture war pitted weakening religious factions against populations they no longer “controlled.” Politically, many white Christians rallied around a man who personifies the American Idol of Nationalism, Populism, and Greed, and they enthusiastically preferred the rallying cry of “Make America Great Again” over the wisdom of “loving your neighbor as yourself.” source
Yet, power in America continues to be largely in the hands of white men of European descent who in fact would have not profited to the extent they have if it had not been for that multicultural premise. When the iIndustry started up America, the majority of the workers were immigrants. And that has continued to where we are now.
Solution? it simply comes down to the acceptance that if we are going to address the negative aspects then we do so for the benefit of all, a true and complete nationalism. But Trump’s and the Right’s view is not so egalitarian, theirs is more, ‘us vs. them’ . In other words, the attitude is, if you do what we say it’s positive, if you don’t it’s negative.
Everyone can agree that there are negative aspects, but some are very biased as to solutions.
I don’t think this is a right wing quality. Everyone seems to have this attitude.
I think actually both sides are more fascinated by the hatred of the other team. The Left seems to have lost if skepticism about government, and even trade alliances. The Left, at least the non-communist Left, should also be concerned about centralizing power, as it large nations like the EU would be. The Left should also be, as a rule, concerned about Google, facebook and Amazon. But they aren’t. I see the right as not wanting to look at corporations as regions of fascism and how they undermine the supposedly holy democracy or republic. Though more of the right is making noises there, especially about social media, though not other kinds of companies. The right also hates Leftist socialization ideas, which get lumped under political correctness. But they are afraid to notice technological changes as socialization changes and radical ones. Some of the right is starting to notice that social media are changing children’s brains in bad ways and are starting to criticize technology. Until recently if we could do it we should do it and make money through it. Now they are starting to get that AI, genetic products, nanotech and social media are problematic. But they don’t want to notice how this is also true of corporations in general and their power over media and government and control over wars.
There are tiny groups on both sides who are starting to realize that the other side had some valid criticisms, though often solutions they did not like. But in general they don’t like to notice good things on the other side. Not one lefty I saw said anything positive about Trumps plan not to allow certain EU US trade agreements recentl that were basically Nafta 2, with new partners, including bascially allowing trade organizations to dictate national policies that would normally be the purview of democratically elected representatives.
Since it was Trump saying this, no lefty stood on his side. I understand why liberals beholden to Wall St. wouldn’t touch it, but other leftists…silence.
We are now team players only, in ways I have never seen before.
When in fact there are things the right and left agree about and share values around.
But they won’t talk about it because the hating and virtue signaling (which both sides do, though the term came out of the right) are now the main thigns.
And this benefits the powers that be.
Free-Will exists, and America must do all in its power to stop those who promote slavery (Determinism) and spread Doubt/Fear/Excuses/Whines.
If your life is shit, then it’s your fault and nobody else’s. The power of the gods, Absolute Freedom, is within every American heart & soul, waiting to be unlocked.
Every American citizen is born Absolutely Free.
Those who say-otherwise, those who Doubt, those who want to spread ‘slavery’ are anti-American.
The American Spirit has triumphed and gained ‘Freedom’.
We have a Free-Will. Americans are no longer bound by Nature, Determinism, Law, Science, or anything. Nothing stops us. Nothing is in our way, except pure creativity and possibility. The Future is entirely, absolutely ours. There are no more barriers, no more boundaries, preventing or impeding US.
Many people are still scared. They enjoy security. They will sacrifice Freedom for false-security and false-happiness. This is an anti-American attitude that is poisonous. It is a Doubt/Fear complex. Because Freedom is scary. It is horrifying, for many, to accept the immense-probability, that any negativity, any downfall, any loss, is entirely one’s own fault. For too long, the blame, the guilt, the zealotry of putting blame onto others, has persisted, and still this clings to many.
But America, and Americans, will prove you all wrong. You’re wrong, a thousand times.
‘all in its power’? if there is free will and the kinds of free will you talk about in these posts, there is no problem. These people cannot affect america or you. You will always be free even in they convince others. There is no need to fear the spread of doubt, etc., since this cannot affect your freedom.
as you say below…
And this would include the determinists. They and the spreading of their ideas are no threat. Nothing stops you.
Correct,
The next step then, is how to begin to unveil the light and power of freedom, to those who are blind and shackled.
It must be done one ray at a time, because it is too blinding to unleash all at once, upon the blind (Determinists).
Well, it might help to not treat them like threats. Charged arguments that go personal seem to correlate with digging in one’s heels. It also role models the belief in freedom. If the determinist are not, in fact, a threat to those who are free, then they don’t have to be attacked, just informed.
I was of the thought that globalism would be fruitful for us individuals, but it’s only been proving fruitful for those who are already affluent… which is so ironic, it’s funny. 
The new ‘quote on the block’ is that money does not exist, yet we use it to purchase items and services, which we gained through earning it through working for it, but I digress.