America's Moral Crisis

America is suffering from a Moral crisis, not so much because of some rampant, blatant phenomena, but because it tends to get horrified when it gets a glimpse of its true Moral nature. Appearances are that America is conflicted between two Moral principles--'Family Values', and the 'Golden Rule'. The term 'Morality' seems most frequently associated with the former, but it scope is unprecedentedly narrow, concerned primarily with reproductive practices. In contrast, the latter, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you', indeed has applicability to a much wider range of situations, but it lacks motive power; that is, its appeal is limited to those who already possess some degree of sociability with others, and hence, to those who do not really need it. Now, while these two principles contend for the title of 'America's Morality', and, indeed, politics these days is at root this very struggle, another already possesses it, and the fact of that possession is underscored by its hardly being recognized as such. The predominant dimension of American life is economic activity, and this dimension is governed by one principle--the pursuit of profit. Everybody recognizes this, but a lot fewer know, as Adam Smith did, that there is a legitimate traditional system of Morality generally entitled 'Egoism'. In other words, the fundamental Moral principle of American life is Egoism, with which society seems comfortable when it is dressed up in the guise of 'Individualism'. But when it is discovered that a group of financiers are guided by the pursuit of profit, suddenly everybody is outraged. The crisis consists in this confusion, America being conflicted about itself, rooted in denial about its true character. The resolution to this crisis would thus begin with honesty about its fundamental Egoism, and then it can start putting its outrage to constructive ends.