Self-Evident Truths

Quote of the day:
"There's nothing constant in the world,
All ebb and flow, and every shape that's born
Bears in its womb the seeds of change."
--Ovid

A while back I ranted and raved about those who see the King James bible as the one true bible. In effect, they believe that the book dropped to the earth with a thud in 1611, with nothing relevant before or after it.

I get the distinct impression that many people treat the Declaration of Independence the same way: it just appeared all of a sudden, thanks to the brilliance of the Founding Fathers (otherwise known as the 2F’s).

Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the document, and Benjamin Franklin, who edited it, were indeed both brilliant men. But what they were brilliant about was history. They had read deeply and had had an unusually broad cultural experience.

The Declaration of Independence came out of this knowledge and experience, which included the historical scope of English and European attempts to govern. These attempts went as far back as the Etruscans as well as the ancient tribes of northern and central Europe.

Also brought into play by Jefferson and Franklin was an inherent grasp of classical ideas, especially those of Plato, Aristotle and the bible.

To say America was born out of nothing is ludicrous. And the one idea that is unique in its prominence--that “all men are created equal”--is a ways down the list of America’s attributes, according to many.

At least, that’s the way it seems when people say “America is the greatest nation on earth” and mean that Americans are somehow better or more special than others.

The principle upon which we are founded is “all men are created equal” not “all Americans are created equal.”