Tale of Two Ts: What the Philosopher Can Teach the President
Tzvetan Todorov, a Bulgarian-French literary theorist and historian of ideas with whom I was superficially acquainted while living in Paris some dozen years ago and who wrote dozens of books, died on Tuesday in the French capital. He left behind a diverse body of work ranging from fantasy in fiction to the moral consequences of colonialism, fanaticism and the Holocaust. But, more importantly for our currently jeopardized nation and world, he also left behind some poignant warnings for our flag-waving President, Donald Trump.
Todorov, an immigrant to France himself, did not see immigrants to Europe– or to anywhere else, for that matter– as a threat. In his 2009 book, Fear of the Barbarians: Beyond the Clash of Civilizations, he wrote, in a passage that could well be directed at our present administration: “One can demand from newcomers to the country that they respect its laws or the social contract that binds all citizens, but not that they love it: Public duties and private feelings, values and traditions do not belong to the same spheres. Only totalitarian societies make it obligatory to love one’s country,” (italics mine)– a policy, I would suggest, that is a bit like forcing us to love our in-laws in order to marry their daughter.
Todorov’s words, in our present political climate, in which love of country seems more a divine imperative handed down from above than the product of free choice, are enough to make many of us tremble in anticipation of what is to come.
„Another reform,“ Trump promised in a frighteningly anticipatory speech on immigration last August, „involves new screening tests for all applicants that include, and this is so important, especially if you get the right people. And we will get the right people. An ideological certification to make sure that those we are admitting to our country share our values and love our people.“ (italics mine)
Some five months later, at the time of his now-infamous Executive Order, the President went even further regarding his proposed love fest. “We don’t want them here,” Mr. Trump said of Islamist terrorists during a signing ceremony at the Pentagon. “We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country, and love deeply our people.” (italics mine)
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