THE AMERICAN THESIS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03362A000100010002-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 21
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 17, 1998
• Sequence Number: 2
• Content Type: SUMMARY

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ITT -.z i ~!7
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MUMMUNTInu
TIM ANWOM THOU
Ir never You i be= introdneaed in very becia terms to a air of
We have attampted to show you XMI
JaWlfgsnoe is, chat its objectives are, and somw of the basic t*Ob?Lh.,
wring aM ban 4 i ttiose of intelli m1 . I 4
last week we have tried to aake clear the basic theories and tsaticass a W
the ms 3. ooa throu t vh sh the t aeories we i sment4do or
air opposifdam at the wesen ties am the Soviet 8aica and yr rid atam .
A of t binge arse of , still lack . The tatdcan
be the ' et seater of the ao of st r
met of yo UM
of to which Was presented here on:Ly in
gummia
in o0w oon ees viii be introduced to
wum"r ties the other thiage With so= to be
a go 1, V10*4041M or rec rieststi n to on mi P of o (nn
baste Wises
of a better tare, we have
consider this to
be adliobls. PI"t, san* thesisc, am of living, is u - constant attack
our fiends and potential tau). sow
most of t are comps undo - . Si
the theories of those ts, a eta;
meat of our thesis is in sr, parti rly sinus we believ, that it is
Immommsubly better than that of the Gm=4-two In
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 JESTCIU
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SECURI'Y MORMON
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One of the greatest attributes of this country - fret philoeophittally
one of the meet difficult - in that our social and politioa l beliefs are
more in the nature of a tradition and a tendenncy than a won-knit doctrine
or unified theory. Our beliefs are more in the nature of a aerie: of values
erioans have found to provide a better, more flC..exl.ble guide to socials
economic and political activity than any of the sal systoma
"It ie one of the signs of a de ocr+ cy' a
vitality that attempts to define it or turn it into a creed fan short of
the truth and generany sound silly. If we e'er take to aolemniy rehearsing
slogans and formulae, we shan be near the and of our rope."
single characterisation of the 4msriean wed of
be that it is expsrimaantal, Our attitudes more
have been historically experimental in the search for the
With sow notable ecoeptions, of moose, the general tenor of
the American Thesis in our exper1ent has reflected over many yea" p urali
practicality, ooa ?on sense, adventure, flexibility, and t
as some might think),, religiosity.
oongr
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W4
with a concept which maxW would
3u
therefore
approach to the quest for the good life t be
he evidence of r aul is OOnt ly weighed.
An Sidney Hook ha
plea in the light
and mature mind. "
avid
,dt "It is the willingness to eider f irut pri i-
almvant evide nae.....whiah is the sign of the liberal
a is that by and large we have beam concerned with
theoroti? a]. philosophy. And as a result we have beea
Produce*
ticvisms not only of our anodes but also frequently of
ted In the diaeetion our
the re .te they
It is true that this cone - with the practical has m 3e ua vul-
have booms too absorbed with xwxlww matter and have
The charge is that because of our practical
too little Nought to spiritual and kited affairs
with the practical has mac materr'i aU sts out of
lent it is n
often has
helses true that our rationalism, has led many American*
points of view on may subjects. Cons der the vitality
ountry. Certainly one ec ttca for that fact j wbicah
d or misunderstood abroad, is that by and large
rejected 'mss no
of our re:
is a static tag. I do not mean that t -do is
quo in America; but it is easily observable here.
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SECURITY LORI ZION
or
aemptance of ow fathers'
well and
be true. The essential fact that tad exists need
es that we must exmdra and know .bat vs pl'0fess, for
t least we recognize that it should be, a dynodes fares
teed to caustant queaticnisW. let the peculiar
e ramarkable a sssion of faith which characterises
y undo
g other
constant deeande that it be , religion as
reason area not a tually exelu d
and it has been our concern with
led us to this mature
In all aspfectr of American U
has come the
accepted not an conflia"
out whose equal pull little or nothing could
t only a I4 ted acaeeptance of a s
of vier
is valid because it t be modUlod by an ac ptanoe of other viewpoint
and attitudes.
Pi
mat to the quest
tarns In the
on ad rung
and the solution of prob],ee m
should indicate, at least that they stem perhaps
that we trY -MUMAY to guide and hold
most of opinions by the use of reason
mg the Am lean approach with that of the
40. But
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s in the aozepletsly different vay we have of
holding and app ng , opinions and beliefs.
yye no oemple te, absolute metaphygioal explarmtion of reality,
abs ction such as the dialectics. have not arrived at On*
single, f damental philosophic belj. f. We have no read de, pat for .ae
which offer gua to s of attaining rosU and solving our problee .
e of peat crisis we have not oonsciously sought THS
me soluti an.
the false doctrine that there can be a only
of our difficulty. tort to for yes, we have
that the Awrimxt approach and the Marxist appronoh
to to rational, we should quickly say
ty ems. Marxist applioati?n of roaam he,s rs lt+e:d
terialism", Which claims a
soiontif`3.o basis and a *omplete answer to the problem of philosophy,, .orals,
every other Phenomenon in men's experi.ena . The
belief has been held by the Owwmj"s has
LojkU absolutism. Theirs is a system whi
dity of any other expbMti.e - of r Iity or
of esn' a his
Theirs Is a syeateea which refuses to
e light of now evidenoe, to rationalize
now evidence will oonfoz with the dog atio
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reassuring answers to those who feel the need
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a systen has reatited from the fact that it, does
t~:one to the vast nuMber of problems c nfrcn?tin
For as elves .
the fact that the mat has
Ram rwobUmsv and we can further realize t ..t ideaall
aperienoe# we know that the answers in the form of
as of an sorts are dealra7ble, NA bemuse of
2d view are false.
we have re5eeted the 1iarziet approach and haav-a reasoned
that our cticaal,, non-abstract philosophy is more valid, what can we say
of truth? We can say, I thine that if an is : which
*me say has in it the quality of troth, the idea tat -et Itself a ocept
a, This is, as we hive SOMB, the t cally
has an inherent distrust of alp..
whioh m:
is to to
wil:
called t - an approa
the doctrine claiming that the caning of oonoel
Leal
an idea, It jjMj truss is a true by events:
to sage
icdea is not a stagnant property inherent in it.
in fact an events a proossat the process narwly of
vsrlfyi Itself, its veri -. L&M . Its validity is the process
of valid - p . . . The truth is the name a tever pmw itself
to be good in the w ;. of belief, m4 rood, toe,, for definite assignable
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prlmdple umft in patio.e
t.11-ma is an Ir atioszaUty about Pr ti M.
es an act of will, a ohoimx which
land itself to retiot1`
in the am* where Amadeaw (
that thsix beliefs
o ttod
plea
the fact tbst WONUIP
becom "A belief is trm if It works,"
in tun Far OMWOOP
in the Ph=" is, of
thing
It
a t the f
(#mth Ust be found in no
say that, Slavery VO*M).
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.. 9 .
mm to
lit
t with any other
of sooord with the b iefe
To vx* perte
This
Those bra which we bold - in
t., to,, are those whtoh a p
of the mas of mamMm after 3 trial,
dlopnt Of this 11900"1 Pm9matimm" is
It s
valuable
and ends must be kept in a3 . meter
The er3.ti
a given vitiati
so or ro3oat the pz se involved, If the
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SECURITY QN
mvised or
1sa
knowled~p
M711SM. is an
t1 - fists
it
ham in point
Toi o of the cardinal prLnelpl a for A4 eh
'a C4wamdsU
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t.,a
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CURITY
rested upon an. .ss tinn th .t t '
ded is absolutely oartn in.
fact, people tend to
able to mks any claim
it is of
iogm%tic
to which o d tawU
he sai:
thaw all the
it is
against rain ; on
in his
r crm poi it ica beliefs
"state
do not eta in a motion of troth and ju
Ultimte authority.. therefore, ? lie onl
principle to that which l the a eccutive fury atims
and the only form of 1 ovc t which can app
,ad of elected rs eentativsa of the peopU,
led the necessity (for living l) of froed= and tol3rnnce, fre3-
live his own life and n intain certain rights against
mw who are not tb vee in principle, 3ntol ,
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SECURM INMOMATuiN
of our American political concepts and fo ntc .ticns -
fields by succeeiing British political theorists - notably Jeremy
and John Stuart ? 3.. Bentham applied the principles of experie
field of mores -- and came forth with the principles of the greatest good
for tI* greatest number" - and Indicating the necessity of politic: . inatI
adequately achieve that pr3 tpie. John Stuart
their uccessars who
4ve been incori orated by Ads mean
as hid:
is best which
as expounded by Locke were expanded and utilized in 0
a of freedom and toleration in Maw conduct which
and qM forth with. one of the clearest
Qla L.
pies based upon the general
acoaptance through epperienc e
t for the greatest
in which those principles are ;re
::yes w l writing-, of Li.nool% sta. Those print e
to all of us. It is only necessary here
conduct - and with zich all of us
on sudh as this should be completely familiar
within tine of
What
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interesting, but not vital.
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Is v e In am faar hlxb.
' t 1mlivi t* a=woSm I
to meav at am% fb on the oadalEdaz .
he
~04* and a a
cnd tot
Ur to SWIP"t
In a
teas
in
amet I ~ I ORMtmm to majost
s, a eet~.e
at the an-ooto
`pits= tf
bwe In , that
z t
nab am al" m tt it lot
t o themxmm
PWJW in the emm"
to *hQqP JIALCC s .
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right fair
on, m2a
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i it
them a seoUS~r
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hmane and liberal ends are desired - one mnst< behave
lfrally. The stciety or the individual. which strives for dom..
tic - mst be disciplined in the use of democratic mms,
are political ideals and responsibilities. Some brief attenr.
also be devoted to our eacno yr which, being
our It
t of our society which is umder most eonstant atta,
'^ ts, And, since they are governed by an aboolutis
Of th0qght the description of the Inherent defects of capitalism
which pj*oMocW - clams dare,, increasing nib, inevitable
a hold to be above the will of men
cr itlei.sn which refuses to recognize
ing leveled against it - but it is not valid.
turn Of the century or before
of capitalistic development. it
ons of um (their ideals - if you
now faces coutime to be zentous, it has
it) * at least uer
tW& , fulfiller
the
Ideals
of is
doctrine of i dividua,3.far, which was once its
social frammor'k
tea represents an economy whiff.-: has not
of Tobn Stuart X1.1
been tenperel by the concept
division of the produce of labor should be made in concert with
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, prim1pleo of 3ustise." 14M stated the modm3 problm of
mite the gm test inivie'h liberty of sauce
of Om aaxav mataa *1e of the g3mbe - and an eqt aa1
mJU In the bets of
of , a one in at I ttein - it ra to an
It is alm the problem, Pups not so
Our omnmq - In the matuos of a xperieaeoae
strife) has been oeaaet evolvd
that slate midi anima is t=pwed by Justice. We car not feted.
tivea - e liter a AWM of
eta
othw a Matti .
ted pauldeaaal zeapc -4 1 bilitiie e + ,be canoe
Sinn (or am
the tic*t that u ty to Ag Pm"in4ple
with it the a xsion of liberty ca'
are mrer+a vnxistiee of ftoodow in a ecalety mmnbeain
to o w eamotde ococepta.
torn in a Poole4V in. vhi& only
'this _ soonamV - varlet1w of w .tion be
private enterprise - e paxate rice .-
at p.ai*ted
end to a ee in .zteut pvw
(or
atest good to the g reet'ee t tamer."
systang we lireF1, cpaa atee on bdbaal ` of
trans tires mWept one Wave etd only t,e of
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qty oo4d enjoy an economic experlsoeer - the *then, the mejorlty
iat atini at reowt bl$ y indicates that a Jorge e e e
ec Plaw4ft to 3ae~saeepabis
to aree n tkw- AEA - ' j, p2md - and the
fetal tr+rien state i is , at the 0*4 at all ia1iridmi
a dMsrenm# in other w+ , bstvseb a totally pletwed
~- ssai a esses3 -mmi '1 ? 0 Wrpurtenae has ]end i
It preti'l&w i with an ea is which
which at the mm time PCOVI&M
biter the week.
of the ,iaatisa of tb ip1,sa
Cher 3 et&onal aiteat3cea. The
Tbeds poree'ailo fiats ly -
zb*tU
mr*ly a tins soIt ahouJA p eeeeat a pooi.-
V O N
t at tom' fAtemuna 3 Lt. It does. Thmm ideals
t to bs' in as ixete-t xe"m. 'here
Wo by and large, sat_
is tear Uw -with other
2,. "meet
ties or
peace and aea urity ,
qty that d give
sows or living safely with their
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their lives alkht
. to the tr-A*
,n the a field to
assure
present time rapr
esemu an
the dignity of the in al,
e . e amity
- in
a mythod. for meting prob2ww. That tIi
of s? .1 innte11ig
tic responsibility.
J
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rr...? , tiz ism
ar~soot
anda
fort of thau t appropriate
21 not say a d ra.tic nati
planet: for pre tic relativism is both a
,Y lutes which when ao-ittouu invariable turn t)n .aai;
for rase absolutes vh their cl a to
within the balm s of . ocnt vccial beh .vier,
in logic or
bt or dies rt.
our '
Live to absolutism and total i
am tame belief's
of
to
Of i.
Yo rowgnize the ine
Wo]^e
the Present r eessity
supports it is underdnt attack
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IV 110 umr a at at L ass, And ym sha4d mw be amem ae
That we fwd e t tbwe name
31.ft to vevim t av
van
pbw&wtadm _
- no tuw in `
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