I intend to tell you, dear reader, what democracy is: not as an abstract ideal that represents nothing but "The Good", which is something about which we have had to change our minds very thoroughly, but as it actually exists and as it is actually practiced. Here is what the democratic state is: A society in which a man lives better when he has no strong convictions and claims there is no truth other than all convictions and truth are mere subjective opinions that must conform to what is permitted by Law. A society where this former statement is immediately contested by a chorus that says: "no, you live better when you are willing to die for the state which grants you freedom! Ask not what your country can do for you, but how you can sacrifice for your country! The nation must be your highest conviction and value, without it, nihilism reigns!" A society which looks down upon clarity, clear distinctions, and reasoned knowledge with suspicion. A society which instea...
Translated from: https://de.cba.media/683061 So, let's revisit the tiresome topic of nationalism – nationalism understood first and foremost as an individual, subjective feeling of belonging to a community, based on characteristics that certainly vary nowadays; but these are, in any case, contributed by the adherents of nationalism. Let's also start with the assertion that nationalism and patriotism are the same attitude towards one's beloved fatherland. "Patriotism" generally expresses a positive, approving stance towards this attitude, while "nationalism" conveys a negative or at least problematic one. Nationalism is often interpreted as an excessive form, as an excess of an otherwise desirable love of one's country, which by no means necessarily has to lead to the devaluation of other fatherlands – and that doesn't quite hold water. The argument for this lies in looking at the complexities of international relations and the question of how th...