"Therefore they have not received their powers; on the contrary, it would seem that they have surrendered a portion of their powers for the benefit of the state; that is an important distinction which the reader should always bear in mind." -Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America (pg. 67)
This quote reminded me of the story I posted last semester about the man in the LAX airport who refused to submit to a security inspection because it violated his rights. This brought up the issue of giving up certain rights in order to be able to experience freedom from fear (in this instance of traveling nationally). De Tocqueville brings up the fact that in order for society as a whole to have certain freedoms/privileges, Americans have to first give up an individual freedom. In turn, they benefit from what the whole society gets when all individuals surrender something. It's interesting to think about this in terms of morals like De Tocqueville talks about- what do people value more: their individual rights or the rights they, along with the rest of the nation, obtain because of the personal sacrifice of every individual?
Megan,
ReplyDeleteExcellent reminder of an earlier and on-going conversation about the relative value of freedom/rights and security. What other, similar "trade-offs" does DIA help us to see?
LDL