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We take an entrepreneurial First Principles + Action-Oriented approach to political culture with the goal to make real a future of freedom and flourishing
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Our Statement on the Meaning of Philosophical Liberalism
PREAMBLE
Philosophical Liberalism is a set of moral-political ideas ultimately advocating a free society. It shares with other forms of liberalism a focus on individual rights, the consent of the governed, political equality, and free enterprise. However, it grounds the needs for and benefits of that free society in a wider-range philosophical view of human nature at our best – that is, a philosophy to maximize human flourishing and human greatness.
ARTICLE 1.) FOUNDATIONS IN HUMAN NATURE AT OUR BEST
We hold that humanity’s highest and best nature is expressed in the archetype of the Creator-Trader. This is the rejection of a predator-prey / zero-sum approach to human relations. Instead, it is the view that humanity thrives as problem solvers and resource creators, shaping and remaking the universe, collaborating with others to make still-greater resources and exchanging value for value in win-win, positive-sum ways. The Creator-Trader approach involves integrating seeming polarities of identity (a “both-and” perspective) in order to realize our fullest complex potential. Those identities most relevant to a flourishing free society include:
- Individual AND Social– Humans are simultaneously the most solitary as well as the most social of all living beings. What emerges when we are each free to self-actualize and engage in voluntary cooperation is a pluralistic society that recognizes the reality and value of the uniqueness of each individual.
- Mind AND Body – Humans are integrated beings of mind and body, who must strive to think, feel, and act in harmony in order to achieve happiness.
- Reason AND Emotion – Humans gain knowledge of the universe through the faculty of reason, i.e. by observation, evidence, logic, and the scientific method. Yet, the purpose of reason is to empower us to live a full, flourishing life, one brimming with passion, desire, and glorious sensual experience Thus, these faculties ultimately ought to work together in an integrated way.
- Progress AND Stability – Humans must grow or die, seeking continuous improvement and advancement against the default of entropy and chaos. We do so by building on knowledge and institutions gained through our human heritage.
ARTICLE 2.) MORAL APPLICATIONS
Through the freedom to continuously actualize on our potential, human beings can achieve a noble ideal, a self-chosen life focused on growth and the development of a virtuous character. Autonomy is key – ultimately the freedom to think and to act is required to thrive as human beings. Significantly, freedom is both a necessary precondition (a means) and an ultimate reward (an end) of a flourishing human life. In essence, freedom is living independently, interdependently, with responsibility. Individual rights then provide the bridge between the freedom each individual requires to thrive, and the social and political order that must be arranged to ensure all are equally free.
- The Noble Ideal: Continuous Betterment – The nature of life is to grow or to die. Human beings thrive by pursuing continuous growth in our capabilities across multiple domains, achieving both material and moral betterment along the way (i.e., the Renaissance Human Ideal).
- Virtues – The life of a Creator-Trader pursuing continuous betterment, as well as the society of freedom on which those ideals depend, require the development of important virtues, including:
- Responsibility – Being proudly causal, or recognizing and embracing the necessity of taking productive action to further one’s life and accepting the full consequences (direct & indirect) of one’s actions
- Curiosity – Showcasing breadth and depth of interests in the universe, having a spirit of wonder about it, and always asking questions (i.e., ‘scientific skepticism’)
- Critical Thinking – Logically analyzing observations about the world and oneself, evaluating arguments, and testing evidence
- Purpose – Pursuing chosen goals including an overarching vision of an ideal, possible world one acts to bring into existence.
- Engagement – Acting as the proactive, conscious driver of one’s life, with all the work it entails, focus it demands, and joyous & enlightened state of flow it allows
- Adaptability – Honing resilience and dexterity amidst a world of ever-accelerating innovation, as well as seeking to empathize with and relate to people of all walks of life that one may encounter
- Integrity –Taking ideas and ideals seriously by practicing consistency in thought & action, striving toward coherency & integration through continued growth, and being committed to one’s vision & values in both word & deed
- Effective Communication – Bridging differing contexts of knowledge between people to facilitate learning & understanding while evoking authentic emotion and inspiring right action in oneself and others.
- Toleration – Granting space and grace to others in the recognition that no human is omniscient or infallible, as well as accepting the equal rights and basic human dignity of all, including those who choose to live differently than oneself
- Justice – Recognizing that each human makes their choices and must bear the consequences
- Generosity – Tempering justice by mercifully protecting the young, old, & sick; as well as buffering the failure that is necessary to the process of growth, innovation, and progress (i.e., “compassion with high standards”)
- Rights – Rights are moral principles that specify an individual’s freedom of action in a sociopolitical context. The foundational of these are rights to Life, Liberty, Property, & Pursuit of Happiness. From these fundamental rights derive additional important rights and applications of them, such as Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Belief or Religion, Freedom of Association and Property, Defense and Bodily Autonomy, among others, and ensuring these rights apply to all citizens.
ARTICLE 3.) POLITICAL GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES
Human flourishing requires government to provide the order necessary to secure our freedom – in essence it prevents coercion and force. America was the best-as-yet, but still imperfect start to this Enlightenment project of a limited government focused on protecting individual rights to unleash human freedom and flourishing. Philosophical Liberalism seeks to build upon that legacy, correcting errors and expanding upon successes to bring the vision of full freedom to all people. Key political ideas include:
- Proper Government to Secure Rights – A variety of forms are possible, with the proper functions being a military, court system, and police force to protect rights.
- Balance of Powers – Aware of the human proclivity to seek predatory power over others, government is best structured such that different government actors / organizations / branches cannot collude with each other against the individual, but instead must compete against and limit the powers of each other.
- Everyone as a Statesperson, Leader in Society, and Active Citizen – A vibrant free society calls upon everyone to take responsibility and serve in some voluntary leadership capacity, to take the reins (and thus the rewards) of self-governance into our own hands. While politics ought not be anyone’s sole focus (no “career politicians”), it should be of active importance to everyone – truly a government of, by, and for the people.
CONCLUSION
These are the foundational, timeless principles of Philosophical Liberalism, which we hold as inviolable and not to be abridged. Beyond this, however, the ways in which the ideals of freedom and human flourishing can be enacted and expressed take on an infinite multitude of forms. We look forward to seeing the many ways these principles can and will manifest!
1776 Forward Manifesto
When freedom comes under attack, will you stand up and fight?
When liberties are threatened, who will you be?
Most of us assume we would have been the abolitionists in the 19th century or the protesters against the multiple 20th century dictators’ grasps for power – but history’s numbers suggest the majority of us would have simply acquiesced to trends around us.
Is that you?
Let’s admit it can be easy to understand why so many Americans today might want to just keep a low profile. 2020 brought so much disruption that would have been unthinkable just a year prior, it's no wonder if people feel exhausted. If you’re like many, you may be overloaded now just trying to pay bills, be there for family and friends, and do good work at your job – if you’ve still got a job. Isn’t that enough?
Yes, you may have noticed that extremists on both the far-left and far-right have become increasingly polarized, militant, and threateningly authoritarian, showing a willingness to wield violence and power. But isn’t that just a minority fringe? All the polls show the majority of Americans – call it the “silent majority” – do not agree with the rabble-rousers on the extremes of either side. So, can’t we assume the extremists won’t be able to get away with “too” much. At least, you may be thinking, “it’s not on my doorstep, not yet.” Isn’t that enough?
Perhaps that is the question: when is enough enough? When is it time for the silent majority to be silent no longer? When is it time for you, me, and others who value freedom to take a stand and act?
Interestingly – it’s a question without an answer. Precisely because this is America, and in our proudly pluralistic, melting pot society, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all response. In America, so long as I don’t violate the rights of anyone else, I have the right to choose when and how I will act to secure what I value, if I choose to act at all. Similarly, you have the right to make your own different choices based on what you deem is best for your life.
In America, we don't just tolerate, we celebrate what makes each of us unique, sometimes so much so we can lose sight of what unites us. America is distinctive among nations in that what unifies us is not race nor ethnicity nor religion nor a tribal lineage. Being American is a choice, one anyone can make by embracing our characteristic American values.
What unifies America is indeed a set of basic values and ideas that have been codified into our evolving national institutions. These values and ideas could be designated broadly as philosophical liberalism. The Declaration of Independence in 1776 identified that all human beings are created equal with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our Constitution expounded on this liberating conception by guaranteeing specific derivative freedoms of conscience and religion, of speech and the press, of assembly, of self-defense and the right to bear arms, of equal justice under the law, of property and due process, of equal suffrage at the ballot box, among others.
Admittedly, it was not perfect at the start. Successful innovation generally is an incremental, iterative, evolving process, and the innovation that is America is no exception. However, 1776 does mark a definitive turning point. For the first time in history, a country was founded on a moral ideal: a vision of liberty for all. This set into motion the pursuits of generations of Americans to make that vision real – to abolish slavery, to secure voting rights, to eradicate Jim Crow segregation, to establish civil liberties for all races, women, and LGBTQ peoples. Arguably, there is still much work to be done in the continuing fight for a consistent, all-encompassing liberalism, as we each make arguments for just what liberalism entails and how to best achieve it.
Argument, in fact, is itself core to the philosophically liberal tradition. Debate, dialogue, free inquiry, the marketplace of ideas - these enlightenment values are at the foundation of the liberal view of the nature of human beings. We need liberty because no human being is omniscient, yet in order to survive and thrive we must each make decisions and act in spite of uncertainty. Though every human individual has their own perspective and biases, the standards of science - including the insistence on falsifiability, blind and double-blind testing, and replicability – not only render everyone equal before the method, but also provide a mechanism for continuous self-correction. We need the freedom to continually challenge our own and others’ conclusions in the continual march toward objective knowledge.
Philosophical liberalism values the freedom to think and the freedom to act on that thinking, especially the freedom to pursue productive goals. Liberty is our requirement as creators and builders who flourish when we’re free to make use of our ingenuity to solve problems, develop exponential innovations, and effectively manage resources – in a phrase: to create value. Our success as human beings requires that we boldly face the future with an abundance mindset, seeking to build win-win relationships in which we voluntarily collaborate and trade with others to mutual benefit. But only in an environment of protected liberty, free trade, and free markets in which rights are upheld can we prosper as creative and empathetic members of communities who respect the autonomy of each unique individual, while volunteering to work together to leverage our diverse strengths toward shared goals.
The philosophical liberal tradition of reason and freedom requires government to secure, protect, and defend our rights – to ensure we are free to act without threats of violence and/or coercion. To this end, the government has an important societal function in the form of the police, the military, and the court system to wield retaliatory, defensive power against those who would violate rights. Arguably, there is still much work to be done to ensure that our government representatives at all levels and in all functions are actually serving the rights of all Americans. But working to make progress in our government functions is also part of the legacy of our philosophical liberal tradition.
Today, the basic liberal ethic is under attack. Explicitly and from multiple angles, the legacy of American freedom faces novel and unprecedented threats. However, this is still America, and cowering in submission before an authoritarian menace has never been the American way.
America is still the land of the can-do spirit, where everyday citizens roll up their sleeves and solve problems, including the work of honoring, defending, and building upon our liberal values. Each and every one of us is an inheritor of the American experiment, and if we are to keep this republic and continue to make progress on the legacy of 1776, it is up to each of us to boldly and proudly show our determination to live our values.
Let’s admit it won’t be easy. Upholding our philosophically liberal values in the current cultural climate will require considerable effort, time, thought, and resources, all fraught with the risk of potentially losing arguments, relationships, work, money, or the familiar comforts of a current routine. We’re bound to make mistakes along the way, maybe painful mistakes - and there’s no Hollywood guarantee we will win in the end.
But what would be the cost of not taking action?
Will you deflect responsibility and let others bear the burden of speaking out, until you run the risk Martin Niemöller warned us of: no one left to speak for you? Will you sanction what you know to be dishonesty and vicious falsehoods, until you lose your own integrity and clarity of mind? What about gratitude for those before us who sacrificed so much so that we could inherit freedom? What about hope for the future and the America we will leave to generations to come?
In this critical moment in our nation’s history, what will you choose to do? Who will you choose to be? Will you be someone who stands up and speaks out? Will you take action to make America the haven for freedom it ought to be?
Let’s examine what that action might entail:
1. We need Americans everywhere to defend our philosophical liberal values: to calmly, stalwartly say “No” when authoritarian forces threaten to arbitrarily lockdown our livelihoods and freedoms - throwing up barriers to non-rights-violating agreements made by mutually consenting adults, pulling down statues, rioting on our streets, canceling our peers, and poisoning our institutions with anti-liberal programming. We need to stop power-hungry politicians if they threaten to supersede constitutional limitations - because we are still a government of laws, not of meddling bureaucrats.
2. We need Americans everywhere to stand up for the good, for all that is truly noble in the liberal ethic, and to insist that philosophically liberal values constitute and drive our workplaces, our schools, our community organizations, and our government institutions.
3. We need Americans everywhere to do what Americans are known for doing best: building new and better solutions. We need artists creating new works that grapple with all the nuanced complexities of an evolving liberalism, helping to show us a way forward. We need scientists and engineers to continue their work of testing, questioning, inventing, and revising new discoveries about the world. We need entrepreneurs building new companies grounded on proudly liberal forms of human interaction. We need social leaders to assume positions on committees and boards, organize new activism pursuits, and build new institutions that continue the difficult work of the project of philosophical liberalism.
Will you take a stand and show the world you are willing to be courageously American?
Will you take up the challenge and embark on your own hero’s journey to demonstrate what philosophical liberal values mean to you?
Will you continue the work begun by our Revolutionary-era founders, embracing with renewed appreciation their Spirit of Liberty and striving to realize that yet-to-be-accomplished vision of freedom and equal rights for all, in spite of the massive opposition that may be marshaled to oppose us. This is the call of 1776 Forward!
It will not be the easy choice. But if with all our differences we join together under the banner of the philosophical liberal values that unite us, then we can learn from, challenge and support each other. We can fill our lives with the meaningful, hopeful work of building a better future America. It is not the path of least resistance, but it is the path that builds character, strengthens relationships, makes real progress toward greater justice, and results in lives lived with sacred honor.
About 1776 Forward
Our Approach
1776 Forward is a new kind of grassroots movement, one dedicated to organizing and uniting all people across the political spectrum who value the philosophically liberal tradition that took root and has evolved since the founding of the United States of America in 1776.
In the Spirit of Liberty with which the American Founders embarked on their revolutionary project to bring freedom and equal rights for all people, grounded in the enlightenment philosophy of rationality and science that served as the source of their unique moral insights about humankind’s nature and higher potential – 1776 Forward seeks to defend and expand upon those aims by calling upon citizens everywhere to stand up, speak out, and proudly live those values, demonstrating the unique and creative ways it's possible to live a life explicitly committed to liberal values.
We believe this is an essential task in this moment of national crisis where these values are under unprecedented attacks from all sides in the 2020's.
While standing up for the values of Reason and Freedom in today’s cultural climate can seem daunting, 1776 Forward seeks to take inspiration from the brave men and women of our past who fought to defend and advance the worthy philosophically liberal tradition, also often against formidable odds.
1776 Forward also seeks to bring a sense of awareness and community for like-minded, like-valued citizens to join together and collaborate in supporting these cherished principles. Ours is a movement of joyous celebration for the liberties and equal rights already won; of a resolute commitment to advancing that heritage still further, to better fulfill the original promise of freedom for all; and of a platform for creative engagement on new ways to advance the cause in the modern age.
Join us, and help carry the liberal spirit of 1776 Forward for the next generations of Americans!!!
the 1776 Forward Leadership Team
Chris Bush
Chris is a a Commercial Real Estate Entrepreneur with a background in Architecture & Philosophy. His passion is reimagining what’s possible in both fields (and integrating them better with each other) to build a better world that can unleash maximum human freedom & greatness.
K. Joia Houheneka
Joia is on a mission to elevate luxury through her work as an Excellence Coach, Luxury Travel Advisor, Speaker, and Writer - check out her book, The Luxury Entrepreneur. She is an ardent advocate of progress and the abundance of a Creator-Trader society - which require a foundation of freedom.
Contribute to Our Crowdsourcing Efforts!
We're looking to build partnerships and feature the efforts of like-minded liberty activists. Please reach out to us at freedom@1776forward.com to learn more about how we can work together to further the goals of philosophical liberalism.
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