现代大学英语精读6-The-One-against-Many

Everycountry,ofcourse,hasitsdistinctivedevelopmentproblemsandmustsolvethemaccordingtoitsowntraditions,capacities,andvalues.TheAmericanexperiencewasuniqueinanumberofways.Thecountrywasblessedbynotableadvantages—aboveall,bythefactthatpopulationandresourceswasobviouslynottheonlyfactorinAmericandevelopment.Hadthatbeenso,theIndians,forwhomtheratiowasevenmorefavorable,wouldhavedevelopedthecountrylongbeforethefirstsettlersarrivedfromovertheseas.Whatmatteredequallywasthespiritinwhichthesesettlersapproachedtheeconomicandsocialchallengesofferedbytheenvironment.SeveralelementsseemedfundamentaltothephilosophywhichfacilitatedtherapidsocialandeconomicdevelopmentoftheAmericancontinent.Onefactorwasthedeepfaithineducation.ThebeliefthatinvestmentinpeopleisthemostessentialwayforasocietytodevoteitsresourcesexistedfromtheearliestdaysoftheAmericancolonies.Itaroseoriginallyfromaphilosophicalratherthananeconomiccommitment—fromafaithinthedignityofmanandfromtheresultingbeliefthatitistheresponsibilityofsocietytooffermantheopportunitytodevelophishighestpotentialities.But,atthesametime,italsohelpedproducetheconditionsessentialtosuccessfulmodernization.Modernindustrialsocietymustbeaboveallaliteratesociety.Economichistoriansattributetwo-thirdofthegrowthinAmericanoutputoverthecenturiesofAmericandevelopmenttoincreasesonproductivity.Andincreasesinproductivity,ofcourse,comedirectlyfromthesizeofnationalinvestmentineducationandinresearch.J.K.Galbraithhadrightlyobservedthat“adollarorarupeeinvestedintheintellectualimprovementofhumanbeingswillregularlybringagreaterincreaseinnationalincomethanadollarorarupeedevotedtorailways,dams,machinetools,orothertangiblecapitalgoods.”ThesewordsaccuratelyreporttheAmericannationalexperience.AnotherfactorintheprocessofAmericandevelopmenthasbeenthecommitmenttoself-governmentandrepresentativeinstitutions.Wehavefoundnobetterwaythandemocracytofulfillman’stalentsandreleasehisenergies.Arelatedfactorhadbeentheconvictionoftheimportanceofpersonalfreedomandpersonalinitiative—thefeelingthattheindividualisthesourceofcreativity.Anotherhasbeentheunderstandingoftheroleofcooperativeactivity,publicaswellasvoluntary.Butfundamentaltoallofthese,andperhapsthesinglemostimportantexplanationofthecomparativespeedofAmericandevelopment,hadbeenthenationalrejectionofdogmaticpreconceptionsaboutthenatureofthesocialandeconomicorder.Americahashadthegoodfortunenottobeanideologicalsociety.ByideologyImeanabodyofsystematicandrigiddogmabywhichpeopleseektounderstandtheworld—andtopreserveortransformin.theconflictbetweenideologyandempiricismhas,ofcourse,beenoldinhumanhistory.Intherecordofthisconflict,ideologyhasattractedsomeofthestrongestintelligencesmankindhasproduced—thosewhomSirIsaiahBerlin,termedthe“hedgehogs”,whoknowsonebigthing,asagainstthe“foxes”,whoknowmanysmallthings.NorcanonesuggestthatAmericanshavebeenconsistentlyimmunetotheideologicaltemptation—tothetemptation,thatis,todefinenationalgoalsinanordered,comprehensive,andpermanentway.Afterall,theAmericanmindwasconditionedbyoneofthenoblestandmostformidablestructuresofanalysiseverdevised,Calvinisttheology,andanyintellectsoshapedwasboundtohavecertainvulnerabilitytosecularideologyeverafter.TherehavebeenhedgehogsthroughoutAmericanhistorywhohaveattemptedtoendowAmericawithanall-inclusivecreed,totranslateAmericanismintoasetofbindingpropositions,andtoconstruethenationaltraditionintermsofoneoranotherultimatelaw.YetmostofthetimeAmericanshavefoxilymistrustedabstractrationalismandrigidaprioridoctrine.Ournationalfaithhasbeennotinpropositionsbutinprocesses.Initsfinesthours,theUniteStateshas,sotospeak,risenaboveideology.Ithasnotpermitteddogmatofalsifyreality,imprisonexperience,ornarrowthespectrumofchoice.Thisskepticismaboutideologyhasbeenaprimarysourceofthesocialinventivenesswhichhasmarkedsomuchofdevelopment.ThemostvitalAmericansocialthoughthasbeenempirical,practical,pragmatic.America,inconsequence,hasbeenatitsmostcharacteristicanationofinnovationandexperiment.Pragmatismisnomorewhollydevoidofabstractionsthanideologyiswhollydevoidofexperience.Thedividinglinecomeswhenabstractionsandexperiencecollideandonemustgivewaytotheother.Atthispointthepragmatistrejectsabstractionsand,theideologistrejectsexperience.Theearlyhistoryoftherepublicillustratesthedifference.TheAmericanRevolutionwasapragmaticeffortconductedintermsofcertaingeneralvalues.ThecolonistsfoughtforindependenceintermsofBritishidealsofcivilfreedomandrepresentativegovernment;theyrebelledagainstBritishruleessentiallyforBritishreasons.TheidealsofAmericanindependencefoundexpressionintheclassicaldocumentswhichaccompaniedthebirthofthenation:theDeclarationofIndependence,theConstitutionandtheBillofRights.Butitisimportantheretoinsistonthedistinctionbetweenidealsandideology.Idealsrefertothelong-rungoalsofanationandthespiritinwhichthesegoalsarepursued.Ideologyissomethingdifferent,moresystematic,moredetailed,morecomprehensive,moredogmatic.ThecaseofoneoftheFoundingFathers,ThomasJefferson,emphasizesthedistinction.Jeffersonwasanexpounderbothofidealsandofideology.Asanexpoundero