This is an excerpt from Jay W. Richards and James Robinson’s book Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before It’s Too Late:
- Every human being has equal value and dignity.
- We are inherently and specifically social.
- Marriage and the family are the fundamental social institutions.
- We can know God and moral truth.
- Judaeo-Christian religious faith guards our freedom.
- We’re all sinners.
- We need a state strong enough to protect and maintain the rule of law but limited enough not to violate it.
- We are meant to be free and responsible.
- When we’re free, we can create wealth.
- Culture comes before politics
(pg. 310)
This book was excellent. I can’t recommend it enough.
One Response to The First Principles of Faith, Family, and Freedom
Robert March 23, 2012
When we’re free, we can create wealth.
This seems to stand out a bit from the theme of the other items on the list. Do the authors view wealth as having more than others? Or just as having enough to afford everything you want?
If it’s the latter, then 9 should read something more like this: “When we’re free, we can decrease scarcity”; i.e. freedom will allow us to advance technology to the point where we can (eventually) all have everything we want, without the need for wealth. If it’s the former…well that just sounds like greed to me.
Marriage and the family are the fundamental social institutions.
I disagree here, as I don’t have much trouble envisioning a hypothetical society that thrives without these institutions. Consider for example a society in which marriage is focused purely on romantic love, while the act of childbearing is something done between close friends for the benefit of everyone. The children are then raised by the community as a whole, instead of smaller units within that community. It’s a bit idyllic, and quite different from our own culture, but I see no reason why this would necessarily fail.
Judaeo-Christian religious faith guards our freedom.
Despite being an atheist, I do somewhat agree with this one. It can certainly guard our freedoms when done right – of course there are extremes that hurt our freedoms, such as the Westboro Baptist Church; but those are exceptions rather than the rule. I think it’s important to point out though, that other faiths, as well as secularism, can guard our freedoms just as well. Sweden is pretty secular, and it seems pretty free to me.
I agree with 1, 2, 7, 8, and 10. Being an atheist, I of course disagree with 4 and 6 (I do think we can know moral truth, but that it has nothing to do with God), but I don’t think much needs to be said there.