Are You a Classical or Romantic American?
Our Enlightenment republic was organized around two pillars: sovereign reason and sovereign personhood. During the Enlightenment, in the late 18th century, the two pillars were seen as mutually reinforcing. As history marched on, though, and scientific knowledge progressed, our country’s two pillars separated a bit. For instance, the development of genetic knowledge proved that individuality was relative, not absolute. And the development of macroeconomics showed that the national economy—at least in its vibrant and expansive form—begins with aggregate behavior, not sovereign personhood.
Today, much of the political divide in our country results from the divide between classical and romantic Americans. Classical Americans—whether Left, Right, or Center—see the world in one way, and romantic Americans—whether Left, Right, or Center—see it in another. Of course, romantic Americans see the world differently from one another as well. That is a big part of the problem: proudly disinterested in seeing the same world as their countrymen, romantic Americans divide our country in a way that classical Americans do not.
To find out if you are a classical or romantic American, take this short quiz.
Please answer “Yes” or “No” to the following questions:
- Does “all men are created equal” have an important secular and non-religious meaning
- Is “experiencing” life more important than “understanding” it?
- Do rational people see the world in much the same way?
- Are engineering and technology the most important parts of science?
- As a rule, is it in our power to “manifest reality”?
- Is passion an inherently admirable quality?
- Are human beings morally obliged to reason and science?
- Is it possible for a Christian put his country before God?
- Can we be fully committed to an idea while acknowledging that we could be wrong?
- Is there an inverted relationship between emotions and reason, where one comes at the expense of the other?
- Are countries based on their individuals?
- Do the American people have a right to government which governs with their consent?