Could Objectivists Have Founded the United States?
Recently, Dr. David Kelley was asked:
Given the rifts in the Objectivist community and even among the so called open side of Objectivism, do you think it would have been possible for a group of Objectivists to actually found the United States or to even participate in its founding?
It seems to me that most fundamental trait of the founding fathers was their willingness to work with others who had very different views of religion, philosophy, and government so long as they were dedicated to the principles of liberty and independence from Great Britain. I don't see any way that Objectivists could have been party to such an activity as freeing the colonies and developing a Constitution. All of which required a willingness to work with others and to compromise. Of course, their doing so meant risking their lives, their liberty, and their fortunes whereas, today, it might only mean a guest blog or voting for a less than ideal candidate.
Here is his answer:
This is an interesting historical question. I wish I could get David Mayer to answer it; he’s a professor of law and history with deep knowledge of the founding era (and a frequent speaker at our events, including this year’s Summit).
I take the point that people committed to “ideological purity”—whether Objectivists, Rothbardians, or any other—would not have worked well in the mix of viewpoints among the Founding Fathers. But the range of viewpoints then was narrower than today. As you note, there was a common commitment “to the principles of liberty.” As far as I know, there were no socialists among the Founding Fathers, no Bernie Sanders. In addition, independence from Great Britain was a specific, concrete goal. Rand herself, and most Objectivists, would be prepared to collaborate on a specific goal of that sort.
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Read the entire exclusive Galt's Gulch interview with Dr. David Kelley: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/31...
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What do you think? Could Objectivists have founded the United States?
Given the rifts in the Objectivist community and even among the so called open side of Objectivism, do you think it would have been possible for a group of Objectivists to actually found the United States or to even participate in its founding?
It seems to me that most fundamental trait of the founding fathers was their willingness to work with others who had very different views of religion, philosophy, and government so long as they were dedicated to the principles of liberty and independence from Great Britain. I don't see any way that Objectivists could have been party to such an activity as freeing the colonies and developing a Constitution. All of which required a willingness to work with others and to compromise. Of course, their doing so meant risking their lives, their liberty, and their fortunes whereas, today, it might only mean a guest blog or voting for a less than ideal candidate.
Here is his answer:
This is an interesting historical question. I wish I could get David Mayer to answer it; he’s a professor of law and history with deep knowledge of the founding era (and a frequent speaker at our events, including this year’s Summit).
I take the point that people committed to “ideological purity”—whether Objectivists, Rothbardians, or any other—would not have worked well in the mix of viewpoints among the Founding Fathers. But the range of viewpoints then was narrower than today. As you note, there was a common commitment “to the principles of liberty.” As far as I know, there were no socialists among the Founding Fathers, no Bernie Sanders. In addition, independence from Great Britain was a specific, concrete goal. Rand herself, and most Objectivists, would be prepared to collaborate on a specific goal of that sort.
- - - - -
Read the entire exclusive Galt's Gulch interview with Dr. David Kelley: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/31...
- - - - -
What do you think? Could Objectivists have founded the United States?
