Patriot Act Why Americans Embrace Essay

It is, in one sense, a give and take relationship, but underlying it are the philosophies of Rousseau and Smith, in spite of the fact that both are full of contradictions. Rousseau, for example, states that man's "first law is to provide for his own preservation, his first cares are those which he owes to himself; and, as soon as he reaches years of discretion, he is the sole judge of the proper means of preserving himself, and consequently becomes his own master" (14-15). Yet within the same breath he can assert that man is not his own master when he has Big Brother: "As a shepherd is of a nature superior to that of his flock, the shepherds of men, i.e., their rulers, are of a nature superior to that of the peoples under them. Thus, Philo tells us, the Emperor Caligula reasoned, concluding equally well either that kings were gods, or that men were beasts" (p. 15).Rousseau and many Americans, in spite of themselves, appear to conclude the same; the only difference being that money is their god, and Smith his prophet. And thus the Patriot Act is supported and renewed year after year.

Works Cited

De Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America (ed. By R.D. Heffner). New York,

NY: Penguin Mentor, 1984. Print.

Hamilton, Alexander. "Federalist No. 23." Constitution.org. Web. 8 Mar. 2013.

Rousseau, Jean Jacque. The Social Contract. (G. DH Cole, Trans.). New York, NY:

Cosimo. (Original work published 1762).

Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations.

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