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Originally Posted by ARTelevision
These ideas have lost much of their meaning as a result of the cold, cruel, and existential experience of the Modern and Postmodern eras, yet they still stir the emotions of many.
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I don't follow you here.
How have ideas such as human dignity and the sacrosanct nature of individual expression and untrammeled human freedom lost their meaning? Granted, I've never subscribed to the notion that humans are perfectable, nor that the species is basically good, but I still subscribe to the idea of human dignity and basic human freedom.
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Originally Posted by ARTelevision
The notion that the state, government in general, and mechanisms of control stand in opposition to these romantic principles is a hallmark of our time.
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I am sure that you understand the philosophical ideas behind the American Revolution of 1776. It is clear that the Founding Fathers did not trust government, and they believed it to be the greatest threat to human freedom that existed. They wrote a constitution that was intended to hobble government power at every turn. In fact, the Bill of Rights is often incorrectly seen as a list of rights the state is obligated to
protect. This construct turns reality on its head. In truth, the Bill of Rights was written to
limit government power. It simply says to the state, " into these areas of human freedom, you shall not tread."
My point is that I do not believe that a distrust of the state is a hallmark of our time. I do believe that it is a fundamental of American culture, and that loathing of state power was in our character from the beginning of the Republic.