Robert Ingersoll (August 11, 1833 – July 21, 1899) is the subject of the biography The Great Agnostic, by Susan Jacoby. As one might expect from the title, Ingersoll was a freethinker, an agnostic, an atheist; but as a highly successful & articulate lawyer, he became a highly visible and surprisingly popular advocate for freethinking, and, by the reverse side of that coin, a fierce critic of religion. The son of a Presbyterian minister, he was schooled to a thorough knowledge of religion, and when he chose a life of, to paraphrase, “freeing men and women from fear”, he came well-equipped.
I have not yet finished TGA, but have decided to quote some relevant remarks from Mz. Jacoby and quotes from Ingersoll while I’m thinking about them. I’m a little concerned this may be a hagiography rather than a proper biography, as the worst criticism Mz. Jacoby has leveled is that of ‘portliness’, at least so far. Regardless, the quotes are presumably verifiable and provoked thought in their relevance to today.
From page 116:
Ingersoll considered the passage of laws that turned Chinese into a special category of American residents without constitutional rights as not only morally wrong but wrong in terms of American self-interest, since Chinese made up one-fourth of the human race and Americans surely wanted to trade with that country.
“After all, it pays to do right. This is a hard truth to learn — especially for a nation. A great nation should be bound by the highest conception of justice and honor … It should remember that its responsibilities are in accordance with its power and intelligence.”
There’s a couple of thoughts here. First, the welcome congruency to my own thought that principles are not simple arbitrary rules that are to be followed, as at least I was taught growing up, but actually have positive consequences accruing to their adherence. I have to wonder if this connection should be more firmly taught to our youth; or if the connection is not as strong as it ought to be as the upper classes take advantage of the virtuous lower classes. Neither thought is original, and might even be considered clichés, but a cliché is not false because of this status, merely tired. The application to Trump business practices should be obvious.
Second, the connection between power and responsibility is drawn. The current GOP themes of using the worst and most insulting tactics in regard to Muslims, both naturalized and aliens, comes directly to mind as violating this dictate, and the consequences of dismaying our allies, as well as discouraging those who are ambivalent, are negative and evidence of an immature mind.
Feel free to send your own thoughts using the mail link on the right. More to come as I find and urge to transcribe from the book.
