>Not all of what is expressed in the Declaration of
>Independence needs ot be thrown out, perhaps, but holding currently
>dominant truths to be self-evident is usually not conducive to social
>change."
>
>On the contrary, I would argue that very radical social change *can*
>flow from the "self-evident" truth of the Declaration of Independence,
>e.g.: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all humankind is
>created equal and hence entitled to live in not merely an
>equal-opportunity society but an *equal-outcome* one." That statement
>has internal logic and certainly points in a progressive direction.
It is useful to remember how statements about rights and independence and equality and so on have been and still can be used very productively to change, to serve and to inspire. But this, pragmatic as it is, does not mean that criticism of what such ideas have conserved, concealed and suppressed and how those kinds of ideas work to exclude possible questions and other ideas is not just as important. I do not think these recognitions are mutually exclusive.
Catherine