“Even a thought, even a possibility, can shatter us and transform us.” Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Principles are the primary source of unity — and division. Fundamental principles (self-evident Truths) are key to global sustainable freedom and security. Most principles created by human minds only pave the way toward human extinction.
“Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth.' “ Khalil Gibran - The Prophet
“A frequent recurrence to fundamental principles ... is absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty and keep a government free.” Benjamin Franklin
"The danger to which the success of revolutions is most exposed, is that of attempting them before the principles on which they proceed, and the advantages to result from them, are sufficiently seen and understood." -- Thomas Paine (1737-1809) US Founding father, pamphleteer, author
Fundamental principle (noun) - principles from which other truths can be derived; "first you must learn the fundamentals"; "let's get down to basics"
Bedrock principle - a basic truth or law or assumption;
The greatest speech in American history may be The Gettysburg Address. It begins with it’s author referring to the fundamental principle used in the creation of our nation “all men are created equal”. He was not referring to the U.S. Constitution. “Four Score and Seven years ago” referred to the Declaration of Independence. He did NOT say ‘all Americans men’ are created equal.
Even more important… his conclusion declared that “the great task remaining before us” is “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom…”. He did NOT say ‘this’ government. He said, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
In saying “that government” suggests the great value and power of “We the people” having agency in the creation and implementation of any government we decide to live under. Is this agency a fundamental principle? It is, but only valuable if virtuously applied can it ensure the fundamental principle of human freedom.
Thomas Paine in his “Common Sense” pamphlet wrote that the only legitimate purpose of government is protecting human freedom and security. He never mentions national sovereignty which is the freedom of nations to ignore fundamental human rights and the environment upon which all life depends. The consistent protection of these rights are vital globally if the systems we have created are to be effectively and sustainably managed in human affairs…with the “government” system…“of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
Freedom is the first fundamental principle of life. We are free to think, say, and do whatever we want. The 2nd FP is there will always be consequences to freedom. This FP is inseparable from the first. The 3rd FP. To sustain humanities maximum freedom and security — we must be aware, responsible, virtuous, and accountable for how we and our government use our individual freedoms and our national sovereignty.
4th FP: Justice for all. The Magna Carta is one of the most famous documents in history. It was established in 1215 by King John of England as a practical solution to the political crisis he faced then. “The Great Charter or Charter of Liberties” recognized the fundamental principle that everybody, even the king, was subject to the law.
5FP: A child should not die before their parents. The fundamental purpose of life it so procreate. Any human activity that limits the freedom of a couple determined to accomplish this is in violation of nature’s law.
6th FP: If the conditions that one lives in is unlivable (an imminent mortal danger or threat) then those threatened have the fundamental right to move away from those conditions- or correct them. And even correct those who are responsible for creating such conditions.
7th FP: Security is not a function of strength or disarmament. It is a function of liberty and justice for all created with virtuous acts consistent with “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”.
8th FP: All living things have two basic drives. The survive and thrive.
9th FP: The human mind evolved as a problem solving tool. Using it to defend flawed concepts in an era of unprecedented killing capacity is species suicide. Anything other than abiding by the Golden Rule moves us closer to chaos that will not end well.
10th FP: Our immune system protects us from most natural lethal forces. To the degree we harm it by the things we put into our bodies or harm things around us, is the degree to which our mind has failed it primary function.
11th FP: Humans may learn best from stories. But unless we learn and apply objective Truths rather than defending personal or political truths that we acquire from others or creative thoughts, do not expect things to work well for very long.
SUMMARY: Everything is connected, interdependent, and vulnerable. Absent a global system of accountability - any attempt to maximize human freedom and security for all - will be limited. cw
"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of infidels or idolaters should be a nation of freemen. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles." -- Patrick Henry (1736-1799) US Founding Father Source: Attributed - no source found.
Temporary deviations from fundamental principles are always more or less dangerous. When the first pretext fails, those who become interested in prolonging the evil will rarely be at a loss for other pretexts. The first precedent too familiarizes the people to the irregularity, lessens their veneration for those fundamental principles, & makes them a more easy prey to Ambition and self Interest. – James Madison, Letter to Caleb Wallace [1785]
"That frequent recurrence to fundamental principles, and a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, industry and frugality, are absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty, and keep government free. The people ought, therefore, to pay particular attention to these points, in the choice of officers and representatives, and have a right to exact a due and constant regard to them, from their legislators and magistrates, in the making and executing such laws as are necessary for the good government of the State." -- Vermont Declaration of Rights Source: Article 16
"If liberty is worth keeping and free representative government worth saving, we must stand for all American fundamentals—not some, but all. All are woven into the great fabric of our national well-being. We cannot hold fast to some only, and abandon others that, for the moment, we find inconvenient. If one American fundamental is prostrated, others in the end will surely fall." -- Albert J. Beveridge (1862-1927) American historian, US Senator (R-IN) 1920
"A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which, of all things, most emphatically belongs to God: himself." -- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), British novelist
"Many Americans hunger for a different kind of society -- one based on principles of caring, ethical and spiritual sensitivity, and communal solidarity. Their need for meaning is just as intense as their need for economic security." - Michael Lerner, journalist
"And this I must fight against: any idea, religion or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about. I can understand why a system built on a pattern must try to destroy the free mind, for this is the one thing which can by inspection destroy such a system." -- John Steinbeck (1902-1968) Author, Nobel laureate. Source: East of Eden, 1952
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)
“That no free government, or the blessing of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.” George Mason, Virginia Declaration of Rights [1776]
"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is impossible that a nation of infidels or idolaters should be a nation of freemen. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles." -- Patrick Henry (1736-1799) US Founding Father Source: Attributed - no source found.
Temporary deviations from fundamental principles are always more or less dangerous. When the first pretext fails, those who become interested in prolonging the evil will rarely be at a loss for other pretexts. The first precedent too familiarizes the people to the irregularity, lessens their veneration for those fundamental principles, & makes them a more easy prey to Ambition and self Interest. – James Madison, Letter to Caleb Wallace [August 23, 1785]
"Human nature itself is evermore an advocate for liberty. There is also in human nature a resentment of injury, and indignation against wrong. A love of truth and a veneration of virtue. These amiable passions, are the "latent spark"… If the people are capable of understanding, seeing and feeling the differences between true and false, right and wrong, virtue and vice, to what better principle can the friends of mankind apply than to the sense of this difference?" -- John Adams (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President. Source: the Novanglus, 1775 (also under freedom)
"Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind." Benjamin Rush
"A frequent recurrence to the fundamental principles of the constitution, and a
constant adherence to those of piety, justice, moderation, temperance, industry
and frugality, are absolutely necessary to preserve the advantages of liberty,
and to maintain a free government." -- Massachusetts Bill of Rights 1780
A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue, but moderation in principle is always a vice. – Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man [1791]
"The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded." -- Charles-Louis De Secondat (1689-1755) Baron de Montesquieu Source: The Spirit of the Laws, 1748
Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone. – John Quincy Adams
"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." -- Steven R. Covey
Reason and Ignorance, the opposites of each other, influence the great bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive in a country, the machinery of Government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself; and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it. – Thomas Paine, Rights of Man [1791]
"If we work in marble, it will perish; if we work upon brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instill into them just principles, we are then engraving upon tablets which no time will efface, but will brighten and brighten to all eternity": Daniel Webster
"Not until right is founded upon reverence will it be secure;
not until duty is based upon love will it be complete;
not until liberty is based on eternal principles
will it be full, equal, lofty, and universal." -- Henry Giles (1809-1882)
“What experience and history teach us is this—that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.” Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)
"That principle is, that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant." -- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher and economist Source: John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859)
"History has taught us time and again that political power always raises its angry fist when timeless principles are lost. We know that without the scale of "self-evident truths" grounded in the "laws of nature and nature's God," every culture eventually finds itself subject to the rule of the gang or the tyranny of the individual. Recognizing this, scholars of all ages have confidently given their hearts and minds to the words, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." -- Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University Source: 'Bethlehem, Not Berkeley, Is the Birthplace of Free Speech,' The Christian Post, Apr 27, 2017
"There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle." -- Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French historian
"If liberty is worth keeping and free representative government worth saving, we must stand for all American fundamentals—not some, but all. All are woven into the great fabric of our national well-being. We cannot hold fast to some only, and abandon others that, for the moment, we find inconvenient. If one American fundamental is prostrated, others in the end will surely fall." -- Albert J. Beveridge (1862-1927) American historian, US Senator (R-IN) 1920
"Human nature itself is evermore an advocate for liberty. There is also in human nature a resentment of injury, and indignation against wrong. A love of truth and a veneration of virtue. These amiable passions, are the "latent spark"… If the people are capable of understanding, seeing and feeling the differences between true and false, right and wrong, virtue and vice, to what better principle can the friends of mankind apply than to the sense of this difference?" -- John Adams (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President Source: the Novanglus, 1775
"A greater principle is at stake than the fate of any particular president." -- Benjamin Curtis (1809-1874) Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court Source: Dissenting in Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. (19 How.) 393 (1857).
"You want sanity, democracy, community, an intact Earth? We can't get there obeying Constitutional theory and law crafted by slave masters, imperialists, corporate masters, and Nature destroyers. We can't get there kneeling before robed lawyers stockpiling class plunder precedent up their venerable sleeves. So isn't disobedience the challenge of our age? Principled, inventive, escalating disobedience to liberate our souls, to transfigure our work as humans on this Earth." Richard Grossman
"If the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded." Noah Webster (1758-1843)
"Only reason can convince us of those three fundamental truths: without a recognition of which there can be no effective liberty: That what we believe is not necessarily true; that what we like is not necessarily good; and that all questions are open." - -- Clive Bell - (1881-1964) - Source: Civilization, 1928
"Most new insights come only after a superabundant accumulation of facts have removed the blindness which prevented us from seeing what later comes to be regarded as obvious." -- Isidor Issac Rabi (1898-1988) Galician-born American physicist, 1944 Nobel laureate for his discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance
"Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles" Ralph Waldo Emerson
"No legal plunder: This is the principle of justice, peace, order, stability, harmony, and logic. Until the day of my death, I shall proclaim this principle with all the force of my lungs (which alas! is all too inadequate)." Frederic Bastiat Source: his book The Law 1850
"A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshiping we are becoming: - "Ralph Waldo Emerson.
"There can be no compromise on basic principles.
There can be no compromise on moral issues.
There can be no compromise on matters of knowledge,
of truth, of rational conviction." -- Ayn Rand
"In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate -- look at his character. It is alleged by men of loose principles, or defective views of the subject, that religion and morality are not necessary or important qualifications for political stations. But the scriptures teach a different doctrine. They direct that rulers should be men who rule in the fear of God, men of truth, hating covetousness. It is to the neglect of this rule that we must ascribe the multiplied frauds, breaches of trust, speculations and embezzlements of public property which astonish even ourselves; which tarnish the character of our country and which disgrace our government. When a citizen gives his vote to a man of known immorality, he abuses his civic responsibility; he not only sacrifices his own responsibility; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor; he betrays the interest of his country." -- Noah Webster (1758-1843) American patriot and scholar, author of the first dictionary of American English usage (1806) and the author of the 1828 edition of the dictionary that bears his name.
"No government is respectable which is not just. Without unspotted purity of public faith, without sacred public principle, fidelity, and honor, no machinery of laws, can give dignity to political society." -- Daniel Webster (1782-1852) US Senator.
"Governments have never learned anything from history, or acted on principles deducted from it." - Friedrich Hebbel, German poet and dramatist
"Bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression." -- Thomas Jefferson Source: First Inaugural Address, 4 March 1801
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