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Is the United States exceptional?
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American exceptionalism is a national myth

All nations have a myth about why they are special or distinct. Exceptionalism is the American version.
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The Argument

American Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr noted in his The Irony of American History that "Every nation has its own form of spiritual pride." Commenting on the notion that Americans were exceptional due to their commitment to democracy, he recorded "These examples of American self-appreciation could be matched by similar sentiments in other nations. But every nation has its particular version. Our version is that our nation turned its back on the vices of Europe and made a new beginning." Niebuhr notes that all nations have their own mythology that makes their national identity special and unique. American Exceptionalism is no different. It is a national myth but ironically indistinct from other national exceptionalisms.[1]

Counter arguments

Premises

[P1] All nations have national myths. [P2] Exceptionalism is the United States' national myth.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_irony_of_American_history.html?id=qRp3AAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y
This page was last edited on Friday, 6 Mar 2020 at 09:20 UTC

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