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News Briefs 25-10-2018

You reap what you sow.

Thanks to Greg, and congrats to Josh and Sarah!

Quote of the Day:

Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.

Albert Einstein

  1. At the U.S. Military Academy last year, Obama pronounced unequivocally: “I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being.”

    What are the differences between American Exceptionalism and Nationalism (if there are any)?

    Answered Mar 27, 2016
    Observing the current political spectrum and ideology as of today, March 26th 2016, I don’t see much of a difference except one key factor.

    For those needing the definition for both terms: (note to Quora Moderation: source were obtained by your sponsor, Wikipedia).

    Exceptionalism: American exceptionalism is one of three related ideas. The first is that the history of the United States is inherently different from other nations.[2] In this view, American exceptionalism stems from its emergence from the American Revolution, thereby becoming what political scientist Seymour Martin Lipset called “the first new nation.”

    Nationalism: Nationalism is a shared group feeling in the significance of a geographical and sometimes demographic region seeking independence for its culture and/or ethnicity that holds that group together. This can be expressed as a belief or political ideology that involves an individual identifying with or becoming attached to one’s nation. Nationalism involves national identity, by contrast with the related concept of patriotism, which involves the social conditioning and personal behaviors that support a state’s decisions and actions.

    Whereas exceptionalism is based on historical particularism, nationalism is based on a feeling of pride. Although both terms seem similar, I believe exceptionalism is believing in speciality, which in itself is a false dilemma, because all countries are exceptionally special in terms of development. Einstein, a German, lived for a while in Switzerland. He contributed to works in the German language and made German the seat of physics for the world, but we see a rise in Facism and Nazism during the later 20th century. One could argue that Nazi Germany is “the first new nation,” just as one could argue that Germany pre-nazism is “the first new nation.”

    Nationalism is mostly a social phenomenon relatable to sociology and social conditioning, but where exceptionalism falls short is the sense of speciality. Sure, nationalists pride themselves and their countries, but so does any sports fan who sits there rooting for their favorite football or baseball team. What sets exceptionalism apart from nationalism is the belief in being the first nation in terms of creating football or baseball.

    Then again, we can argue that a nation is “the first nation” in changing the essence of baseball or football, and we’re back to the ambiguity of exceptionalism and nationalism.

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