(no subject)
Sleep deprived. Been resetting my clock, not ignoring anyone. :-p
Because it often bugs me: anytime someone - fictional character, pundit, whomsoever - quotes "pursuit of happiness", I sigh mentally. Jefferson borrowed John Locke's tripartite "life, liberty, and property", turning "property" into "pursuit of happiness". I've read up on that one single change previously, though my memory's currently lacking, but, really, of all the things Jefferson could have done differently, did he have to do that?
It works, yes, but the problem is that "happiness", especially "pursuit of happiness", is far more ambiguous than "property", even taking into account two centuries of semantic drift. "Property", in the context used by Locke and other political theorists, is generally meant to mean not only objects possessed (things), but more inclusively also includes both "life" and "liberty", where one possesses both.
I suppose my main gripe is that, even regarding some of the more important things in life, people insist on living superficially. Everyone knows of the Declaration of Independence. Most - I hope - can quote, if nothing else, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" - although beyond that, good luck. What it means, its significance, where it came from, its implications for the country, the Constitution, democratic institutions, etc - forget about it. Of all things an American should know, the Declaration and Constitution (and subsequent Bill of Rights) should top the list - and not just vague quotations or fictional cliches of "I plead the fifth", but real actual meanings and purposes and principles.
Because it often bugs me: anytime someone - fictional character, pundit, whomsoever - quotes "pursuit of happiness", I sigh mentally. Jefferson borrowed John Locke's tripartite "life, liberty, and property", turning "property" into "pursuit of happiness". I've read up on that one single change previously, though my memory's currently lacking, but, really, of all the things Jefferson could have done differently, did he have to do that?
It works, yes, but the problem is that "happiness", especially "pursuit of happiness", is far more ambiguous than "property", even taking into account two centuries of semantic drift. "Property", in the context used by Locke and other political theorists, is generally meant to mean not only objects possessed (things), but more inclusively also includes both "life" and "liberty", where one possesses both.
I suppose my main gripe is that, even regarding some of the more important things in life, people insist on living superficially. Everyone knows of the Declaration of Independence. Most - I hope - can quote, if nothing else, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" - although beyond that, good luck. What it means, its significance, where it came from, its implications for the country, the Constitution, democratic institutions, etc - forget about it. Of all things an American should know, the Declaration and Constitution (and subsequent Bill of Rights) should top the list - and not just vague quotations or fictional cliches of "I plead the fifth", but real actual meanings and purposes and principles.