Friday, August 12, 2005
Moral revival?/Not with both eyes open
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
On the opposite page, columnist David Brooks has noticed that Americans are living in the midst of a moral revival. With one eye open, he runs through a litany of good news. Family violence has declined since the early 1990s. So have violent crime, drunken driving fatalities, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, abortion, sexual promiscuity, divorce and so on.
These are indeed wonderful trends to celebrate. And, as Brooks suggests, they are part of an improved climate of private virtue.
But Brooks sees only half the picture. If he opened his other eye -- his eye on public virtue -- his claims of a clear moral revival would quickly blur.
Let's look at the public side. Is it moral to lead a nation to war based on false and selective information? Is it virtuous to pursue policies that eliminate medical care for the poorest people? Where's the morality in lavishing ever more tax advantages on the wealthy while the economy produces more inequality and less social mobility? Is it virtuous to steal millions from employees, pensioners and stockholders in the name of free enterprise?
Is it right to systematically abuse prisoners and detainees? Is it moral to advocate policies that irreparably damage the environment? Can it be honest to blithely deny the overwhelming scientific evidence of global warming and evolution? Is it acceptable to spread rumors and lies about your political opponent in order to get votes? How is it OK to exploit prejudices against people of a different sexual orientation to further your political gains?
Is it not arrogant and presumptuous for leaders to declare "God bless America" when, perhaps, America should worry whether its public actions in the world match up to its claims of divine guidance and match up to its progress on private virtue?
In posing these questions, we make no claims of moral superiority. We simply seek a wider view. As Brooks suggests, a revival in private morality is a wonderful thing. If that revival is truly genuine it will soon spread to the public side. When it does we can all rejoice.
On the opposite page, columnist David Brooks has noticed that Americans are living in the midst of a moral revival. With one eye open, he runs through a litany of good news. Family violence has declined since the early 1990s. So have violent crime, drunken driving fatalities, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, abortion, sexual promiscuity, divorce and so on.
These are indeed wonderful trends to celebrate. And, as Brooks suggests, they are part of an improved climate of private virtue.
But Brooks sees only half the picture. If he opened his other eye -- his eye on public virtue -- his claims of a clear moral revival would quickly blur.
Let's look at the public side. Is it moral to lead a nation to war based on false and selective information? Is it virtuous to pursue policies that eliminate medical care for the poorest people? Where's the morality in lavishing ever more tax advantages on the wealthy while the economy produces more inequality and less social mobility? Is it virtuous to steal millions from employees, pensioners and stockholders in the name of free enterprise?
Is it right to systematically abuse prisoners and detainees? Is it moral to advocate policies that irreparably damage the environment? Can it be honest to blithely deny the overwhelming scientific evidence of global warming and evolution? Is it acceptable to spread rumors and lies about your political opponent in order to get votes? How is it OK to exploit prejudices against people of a different sexual orientation to further your political gains?
Is it not arrogant and presumptuous for leaders to declare "God bless America" when, perhaps, America should worry whether its public actions in the world match up to its claims of divine guidance and match up to its progress on private virtue?
In posing these questions, we make no claims of moral superiority. We simply seek a wider view. As Brooks suggests, a revival in private morality is a wonderful thing. If that revival is truly genuine it will soon spread to the public side. When it does we can all rejoice.
