In a democratic nation, freedom and morality are equal foundational blocks for the entire edifice. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates and his students Plato and Aristotle remind us that a free man is also a moral man. One is free not because he is free to accumulate material possessions but because his soul is free from an overly powerful government that forces him to accept moral positions contrary to what he knows deep inside are wrong. When Socrates taught his students that their sense of morality (i.e., their soul) was far more important than their obligation to the state of Athens, he was judged a traitor by the authorities and condemned to death.
The lessons Socrates left us have been essential to Western societies from the era of Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire to our Founding Fathers. It is no accident that in the two free nations of ancient Greece and the modern United States, separated by thousands of years of history, the world witnessed the greatest advances in philosophy, the arts, science, economics and medicine. When governments create environments where men are truly free, their inner creativity is unleashed for the betterment of all people. But as our nation moves away from moral principles and toward an increasingly amoral society, can freedom long survive?
The ancient Greeks recognized this problem and tempered their human judgment by paying homage to their multiple gods. They knew as humans they lacked the knowledge, wisdom and insight to act with moral clarity in every situation. In the Greek tragedy "Oedipus Rex," ancient writer Sophocles reminds us that even a wise and beloved king like Oedipus was destroyed by his human pride and moral lapses when he depended totally upon his own knowledge.
So how does this bit of ancient history impact the American political theater of today? Our nation was founded with a sense that free men are not free of their own making but are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." That profound moral tenet in our Declaration of Independence has roots both in ancient Greek philosophy and in the Judeo-Christian principles of our Founding Fathers. So when I hear presidential candidates use words like "moral clarity," I sit up and listen. Often, it means nothing; sometimes, however, it offers hope for our future.
This week, when addressing the Council on Foreign Relations, candidate Marco Rubio laid out his three pillars for a successful foreign policy. Thank goodness, it did not include the seeming Obama doctrine of "leading from behind." The first two pillars include: rebuilding America's strength both through restoring our military capabilities and renewing trust among faithful allies; and second, protecting America's business position in a global economy.
But, it was his third pillar that gave me hope there may be more than just political rhetoric in the upcoming presidential campaign, at least among the many Republican candidates: ensuring "moral clarity" about America's core values. I am cautiously optimistic he and other Republican candidates might make such ideas a central focus of their campaigns and may take us back to an era when leaders like Presidents Kennedy and Reagan spoke from a position not beholden to either the far left or the far right but to traditional American values.
Discussion and debate of America's core values would be a refreshing change from candidates beating the partisan, worn-out drums of polarizing social issues that consistently are more divisive than unifying. Socrates would be proud. As for the apparent candidate who will oppose the selected Republican, she might heed Sophocles' admonition about the hubris of King Oedipus. Call me a skeptic, but I doubt if that happens.
Roger Smith, a local author, is a frequent contributor to the Times Free Press.