onE oF thE sADDEst things ABout thE pErioD in whiCh wE livE is thE growing EstrAngEmEnt BEtwEEnAmEriCA AnDEuropE. this mAy BE A surprising DisCovEry to thosE who ArE ovEr imprEssED By thE spEED with whiCh turBojEts CAn hop From nEw york to pAris.But to AnyonE who is AwArE oF whAtAmEriCA onCE mEAnt toEnglish liBErtAriAn poEts AnD philosophErs, to thE young iBsEn BittErly ExCoriAtingEuropEAn royAlty For thE murDEr oF linColn, to itAliAn novElists AnD poEts trAnslAting thE ninEtEEnth CEnturyAmEriCAn ClAssiCs As A DEmonstrAtion AgAinst FAsCism, thErE is somEthing pArtiCulArly DisquiEting in thE wAy thAt thEEuropEAn lEFt, historiCAlly "pro-AmEriCAn" BECAusE it iDEntiFiEDAmEriCA with ExpAnsivE DEmoCrACy, now punishEsAmEriCA withEuropE’s lACk oF hopE in thE FuturE.
AlthoughAmEriCA hAs oBviously not FulFillED thE visionAry hopE EntErtAinED For it in thE romAntiC hEyDAy,AmEriCAns hAvE, until rECEntly, thought oF thEmsElvEs As An iDEA, A "proposition" (in linColn’s worD) sEt up For thE EnlightEnmEnt AnD thE improvEmEnt oF mAnkinD、oFFiCiAlly, wE livE By our originAl prinCiplEs; wE insist on this BoAstFully AnD EvEn inhumAnly.AnD it is prECisEly this stEADFAstnEss to prinCiplE thAt irksEuropEAns who unDEr so mAny prEssurEs hAvE hAD to shiFt AnD to ChAngE, to CompromisE AnD to rEtrEAt.
historiCAlly, thE oBstinACy oFAmEriCA’s FAith in "prinCiplEs" hAs BEEn stAggEring—thE sACrAmEnt oF thEConstitution, thE lEgACy oF thE FounDing FAthErs, thE morAl tightnEss oF All our poliCiEs, thE invinCiBility oF our FAith in thE EquAlity AnD pErFECtiBility oF mAn. From thEEuropEAn point oF viEw, thErE is somEthing impossiBly romAntiC, visionAry, AnD FinAlly outrAgEous ABout An AttAChmEnt to politiCAl FormulAs thAt ArosE EvEn BEForE AEuropEAn rEvolutionAry DEmoCrACy wAs Born oF thE FrEnCh rEvolution, AnD thAt hAvE survivED All thE soCiAlist utopiAs AnD intErnAtionAls.AmEriCAns honEstly insist on thE EquAlity oF mEn EvEn whEn thEy DEny this EquAlity in prACtiCE; thEy holD FAst to romAntiC DoCtrinEs oF pErFECtiBility EvEn whEn suCh DoCtrinEs ContrADiCt thEir ACtuAl or thEir FormAl FAith—whEthEr it BE As sCiEntists or As orthoDoxChristiAns.
it is A FACt thAt whilEAmEriCAns As A pEoplE ArE notoriously EmpiriCAl, prAgmAtiC, AnD unintEllECtuAl, thEy livE thEir livEs AgAinst A BACkgrounD oF unAltErABlE nAtionAl shiBBolEths. thE sAmE ABunDAnCE oF thEory thAt AllowED wAlt whitmAn to Fill out his poEtry with philosophiCAl roAD signs oFAmEriCAn optimism Allows A prEsiDEnt to mAkE pious rEFErEnCEs to goD As AnAmEriCAn trADition—rEFErEnCEs whiCh, DEspitE thEir somEwhAt mEChAniCAl quAlity, ArE not only sinCErE But whiCh, to mostAmEriCAns, ExprEss thE rEAlity oFAmEriC
A、
whiCh oF thE Following wAs not mEntionED By thE Author As AnAmEriCAn prinCiplE
A、EquAlity oF mAn.
B、morAl tightnEss AsAmEriCAn poliCy DECisions.
C、mAn’s CApACity to BEComE pErFECt.
D、thE inviolABility oF thE inDiviDuAl’s intEgrity.