Fragment 204, word count: 157.

tags: humanism, dignity, property, equality, empathy, value, culture, politics

There is a necessary connection between democracy and the de-valuing of violence. More democracy, less violence. Violence offends the dignity of persons, and empathic recognition and demonstration of universal dignity is the direction of democracy. Universality of dignity, which means general equality, is the authenticating test of democracy. Less equality of dignity, less authentic democracy. This means that the privileged value of property, as compared to the value of dignified personhood, is progressively reduced in democracy. A deep culture war rages here: partisans of property against partisans of inherent personal dignity. Property as elite value always requires protection by imminent violence, and is often the justification or inspiration for an elaborate culture of violence. Property possession is sometimes asserted as the marker and exclusive revelation of dignity. That view is anti-democratic and anti-humanist since a humanist recognition of universal dignity requires the decoupling of dignity from any property that involves a threat of violence.

Copyright © 2024 Sandy MacDonald.