CatNamedRudy wrote:
Well, I don't think power has a whole lot to do with "greatness".
Well, Cat, thats quite nice and liberal of you
. But just to clarify, the 'power' i'm talking about is 'soft', 'hard' and otherwise, e.g. power of ideals, power of opportunity and upward mobility, power of freedoms, power of our legal system, power of equality of opportunity, as well as technological power, military power, economic power.
CatNamedRudy wrote:Having said that, one also has to look at WHO is it was that built America into what it is today! Had it not been for Europeans, America wouldn't be! At least not in the same state it's in. Our very core was founded by people of European descent and primarily the English!
Exactly. I've been stressing that we are really an extension of Western Europe, and our success is really an extension (turbocharged!) of the momentum of the European Renaissance. This is true to such an extent, moreover, that it might be a better argument to contend that "Western" culture is the greatest
culture in the history of the planet. Its just that America is the most powerful (in 'hard' terms of course, but
in my opinion in 'soft' terms as well) national representative of this culture - the standard bearer. But there are significant - and probably increasing - differences between America and the rest of the Western world. I think we (that is American ideological Right) are on the right path while the American Left and Western Europe may be in a death spiral. I am reading a book called "America Alone" that goes into this phenomenon.
Of course just about all of you in this forum disagree. Its like I'm on the campus of Cal Berkely!