Today, we celebrate American Independence Day. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation.
In celebrating the National Day, I feel that the Americans should thank Confucianism. Why so? Confucian moral philosophy had influenced the founders when unfolding the blueprint of this nation.
As the main
designers of the new nation, the founders knew that it took more than a perfect
plan of government to preserve liberty. They needed some moral principles
accepted by the people to encourage them to obey laws voluntarily. They
recognized that a free government should be supported by people who could act
morally without compulsion, and would not willfully violate the rights of
others. Benjamin Franklin firmly believed that "Laws without morals are in
vain."Cultivating new virtues
for the fledgling United
States therefore became one of the most
significant themes during this time of social and political transformation.
With this notion in mind, the founders turned to Confucian moral
philosophy.
No comments:
Post a Comment