The depressing answer is that the "we" here was always cosmopolitan, generally urban centered, educated elites, and that that consensus broke down as more people got access to the microphone.
Reposted from
Virginia Heffernan
We used to believe, in our bones, that humans had an obligation to help the needy. That we were all created equal. And that we are endowed with rights that no one can take away.
When did the central principles of the Enlightenment become subject to debate?
open.substack.com/pub/virginia...
When did the central principles of the Enlightenment become subject to debate?
open.substack.com/pub/virginia...
Comments
The equality clause is harder but when “equality” comes up as a value, Americans are usually down.