I object to Trump’s campaign slogan and post-election efforts to “put
America first” for two reasons.
Firstly, trying to “put America first” is ultimately self-defeating
behavior similar to an egocentric’s efforts to put him/herself first. As I have
repeatedly explained in Ethical Musings posts, no person is an island. Our
individual welfare depends upon assistance from other people. Therefore,
reciprocal altruism and not self-serving behaviors best describe human
behavior, regardless of any dissent by selfish gene proponents. The survival of
the fittest, for humans, requires not only personal but also interpersonal
competencies. Theological ethics express this idea in the various formulations
of the Golden Rule, e.g., love others as you love yourself.
Similarly, as globalism inexorably expands until one day it will touch
every aspect of our existence, larger human communities, such as nations, will
maximally thrive only by practicing reciprocal altruism. In other word, win-win
will ultimately replace win-lose in geopolitics. Trump’s America first is a
throwback to win-lose and therefore has no long-term viability or future.
What’s best for America is to try to balance US interests equitably
with the interests of other nation states instead of putting America first.
Secondly, Trump’s slogan is blatantly dishonest. His executive actions, legislative
proposals, and tweets consistently put only select Americans first: the wealthy,
the healthy, the military, and those alive today (not future generations who
will have to deal with the consequences of global warming and pollution).
America consists not only of the people Trump likes and favors but also of
those he apparently dislikes and treats unfavorably: the poor, the ill,
globalists, future generations, immigrants, and many others. Genuinely putting America
first requires treating all Americans equally, thereby emulating the living God.
2 comments:
Actually, our individual welfare depends on cooperation with other individuals.
There is a difference between cooperation and the coercion that drives the welfare state.
As for the ruling class, they are all disasters. Read Chapter 10 in Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.
Reciprocal altruism denotes cooperation between individuals. The welfare state rightly employs coercion to ensure cooperation. Otherwise, not everyone would cooperate and the community as a whole would be worse off.
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