John Adams and Virtue: Making America
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the shared objective of every American. We all have a pretty good idea about what life and liberty mean, but what about pursuit of joy? John Adams, our 2nd president, comprehended how crucial this principle was to the American concept. Dinesh D’Souza discusses.
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Script:.
” … life, liberty and the pursuit of joy” is the shared objective of every American..
The US Constitution was composed to make it possible..
We all have a respectable idea about what life and liberty mean, however what about the tail end of the phrase– the pursuit of happiness?
That’s a little more difficult to determine..
Let’s offer it a shot..
The 17th century English theorist John Locke spoke narrowly of the rights to life, property and liberty. The Declaration of Independence expanded the scope to something far grander, the mission for what Aristotle termed the real end of all human undertaking– happiness itself.
We think today of joy in relativistic terms, something each person pursues in their own method. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet Polonius advises Laertes, “To thine own self be real.” Simply put, be yourself.
We hear this a lot today..
To John Adams, America’s 2nd president and a seminal figure in the production of the country, this was bad guidance..
For Adams and the Founders generally, happiness was a method vivendi, a way of living, expressed by how one carried out oneself, specifically in public..
Adams understood that people are an imperfect amalgam of the exceptional and the abominable; that “being yourself” does not automatically lead to great character. It’s more likely, in reality, to cause self-absorption. The only way to attain an excellent character is, like everything else, to work at it.
The very best way to do this, Adams contended, was literally to envision a worthy character– here we’re speaking about a character like a character in a play– and after that make every effort to become that character..
Walk like that character, believe like him, feel like him, act like him. In time, through the result of consistent effort and the sluggish working of routine, one can become that person. Adams practiced what he preached. In this method, he became a public figure both unfailingly honest and incorruptible. He ended up being the very best variation of himself.
This takes us back to the Founders’ conception of happiness..
They registered for the Aristotelian belief that authentic happiness is accomplished when “the activity of the soul” remains in best harmony “with virtue.” None of the creators reflected on this idea more than John Adams..
Not only did he desire his own life to be specified by virtue, he likewise desired the infant republic to be built on it. Without virtue, he believed, America could not be successful.
Today the term “virtue” appears anachronistic, a notion from the past. To Adams, America’s survival as a totally free nation depended on it..
” The conservation of liberty,” he wrote, “depends upon the intellectual and ethical character of individuals. As long as understanding and virtue are diffused usually amongst the body of a country, it is impossible they need to be enslaved.”.
In a monarchy, Adams noted, the individuals don’t need virtue. The virtue of the state is a reflection of the virtue of the people.
Given that humanity is deeply flawed, this created an obvious problem of which Adams was painfully conscious..
” I have actually seen the whole time my life,” he observed, “such selfishness and littleness … that I often shiver to believe that, altho we are engaged in the best cause that ever employed the Human Heart … the Prospect of success is doubtful– not for Want of Power or of Wisdom however of Virtue.”.
How could the brand-new country establish a virtuous citizenry? A devout Christian with huge regard for the Jews and the Hebrew Bible, Adams certainly saw belief in God and worry of His judgment as important. Was a proper education..
He did not believe these were enough..
A virtuous government would likewise be essential. Here’s where a plainly delineated, and easily comprehended constitution would be necessary. And nobody worked harder than Adams to produce one.
For the complete script as well as FACTS & SOURCES, see https://www.prageru.com/video/john-adams-and-virtue-making-america.
source
John Adams, our 2nd president, understood how vital this idea was to the American concept. Adams comprehended that individuals are an imperfect amalgam of the admirable and the abominable; that “being yourself” does not immediately lead to good character. In a monarchy, Adams kept in mind, the individuals do not require virtue. A devout Christian with massive regard for the Jews and the Hebrew Bible, Adams certainly saw belief in God and fear of His judgment as important. And no one worked more difficult than Adams to develop one.
