With a global and a historical perspective, there is much to be grateful for here in the USA, in our current conditions and in some of our political history, traditions, and institutions. The US Declaration of Independence is a document that lays a foundation that seems to me to be far superior to many alternatives that one can observe elsewhere in time and space. With its emphasis on individual liberty and consent, and its expression of the wisdom for people in general to alter or abolish a government that interferes too much in their lives, it comes near my own perspective.

However, today I’d like to make a few brief critical comments on the Declaration.

Here is an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence of the original thirteen united States of America, containing the main philosophical content of the document:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, -That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Critical Comments:

Few truths — perhaps none — are universally self-evident.

Humans are not “created equal”, whatever that means; they are diverse and different in many ways, in body, mind, environment, interconnection, history, ability, skill, et cetera. Perhaps the only thing that is truly equal or the same amongst humans is the basic laws or patterns of physical reality they live in, including probably some patterns of physiology and psychology for survival, satisfaction, and happiness. Perhaps we can construct some political principles that would be wise to apply uniformly across humanity, but that would be an ideal to strive toward, not a political reality.

Without defining what a “Right” is, it is a kind of “magic” word that leads to sloppy thinking and inability to problem-solve effectively. This sort of thing can lead and has led to political confusion, turmoil, disaster, and mass slaughter.

In my view, reality seems to be much more complicated than the concepts and narratives we use to describe it. The same goes for politics and political institutions. We cannot accurately make sweeping statements such as “Governments are instituted among people to secure certain universally self-evident unalienable rights.” Modern governments in technologically advanced regions seem to be extremely complex institutions with a wide variety of purposes and motivating forces interwoven with each other, stretching over a deep history into the present. This complexity doesn’t mean that these governments are finely-tuned and good solutions to our political problems — I believe the complexity arises for both good and bad reasons (resulting from freedom and innovation as well as philosophical contradiction and political deals, exploitation, and some legitimate compromise). Better solutions may at once be both simpler and more complex, in different ways.

To improve upon the social and political systems we have today, we need to be able to confront this complexity humbly but with realistic optimism and ambition. We need to recognize the benefits we accrue and the successes we obtain with the current structures as well as the derived injuries, failings, and destruction. We need to recognize the sources of the good and bad outcomes, the alternatives we have, and the risks and rewards we face in our attempts to improve and innovate.