THE CONCEPT OF AMERICA
James Conant
I am going to offer you a meditation on the con-
cept of America. It will tell you something about
the mood in which I do so, if I tell you that, lately,
matter? Or is there a distinction to be drawn, as
Emerson thought, between the ideal and its debase-
ment by those who most loudly proclaim it?
as I sit and listen to the evening news, I am re-
minded of Ambrose Bierce’s remark that “War is A Peculiar Concept
God’s way of teaching Americans geography.” And Let’s begin by asking: What do we—what should
it will tell you something about my topic if I re- we—mean by “America”? The Danish philosopher,
mark that this quip of Ambrose Bierce’s does not Soren Kierkegaard draws a helpful distinction be-
seem to have lost any of its edge when transposed tween objective and subjective categories. A short
from the 19th to the 21st century. Here are five and simple way of trying to distinguish the con-
more quotations about America—that have yet to cepts that belong to the former from those that be-
lose their edge: long to the latter category would be just to say:
objective concepts characterize the different kinds
Sometimes people call me an idealist. Well,
of ways in which an object can be, whereas subjec-
that is the way I know I am an American.
America is the only idealistic nation in the tive concepts characterize the different kinds of ways
world. in which a subject or a person can be. But this
Woodrow Wilson won’t quite do: there are many concepts that can be
predicated equally of objects and persons—being
There is nothing the matter with Americans six feet tall, weighing two hundred pounds, being
except their ideals. The real American is all in a certain location, etc. So our initial formulation
right; it is the ideal American who is all wrong. stands in need of some qualification along the fol-
G. K. Chesterton lowing lines: objective concepts characterize the dif-
ferent kinds of ways in which objects qua objects
The business of America is business. can be, whereas subjective concepts characterize the
Calvin Coolidge different kinds of ways in which subjects qua sub-
jects can be. (This allows us to say that being six
I am willing to love all mankind, except an feet tall, weighing two hundred pounds, being in a
American. certain location, etc., are not characterizations of
Samuel Johnson subjects qua subjects, but rather characterizations
of them qua objects.) Or, as Kierkegaard and his
Your American eagle is very well. Protect it pseudonyms prefer to say: subjective concepts char-
here and abroad. But beware of the American acterize a subject or person qua existing individual.
peacock. Both objective and subjective concepts can be predi-
R. W. Emerson cated of human beings: a given individual has, say,
Now, is there, as President Wilson thought, an blue eyes, is six feet tall, weighs two hundred
internal relation between the concept of America pounds, and is also, say, a husband, a Christian, a
and a certain ideal? Or is it that, as Chesterton philosopher. But the former concepts hold of the
thought, there is nothing the matter with Americans person regardless of whether or not he would predi-
except their ideals? Or does America stripped of cate them of himself; the latter concepts hold of an
her ideals amount to nothing more than President individual (not merely if he is indeed prepared to
Coolidge’s vision of her? And, if so, ought one predicate them of himself, but) only to the extent
then to sympathize with Dr. Johnson’s view of the that his daily existence is beholden to the ethical or
18 SOCIETY • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2003
, religious demands such concepts entail—to the ex- and people would say: “How tiresome to make
tent that his life is shaped by these demands. These such a fuss about nothing at all; why can’t he
latter concepts, Kierkegaard claims, if they are prop- behave like the rest of us, who are all Chris-
erly understood as subjective concepts—that is, as tians?” … And if he happened to be married,
properly subjective characterizations of the lives of his wife would say to him: “Dear husband of
mine, how can you get such notions into your
existing individuals—must be clearly distinguished
head? How can you doubt that you are a Chris-
from certain merely objective concepts which these tian? Are you not a Dane, and does not geog-
same words (“husband,” “Christian,” “philoso- raphy say that the Lutheran form of the Chris-
pher”) might also be taken to denote. tian religion is the ruling religion in Denmark?
The word “husband,” inflected subjectively, sig- For you are surely not a Jew, nor are you a
nifies participation in a certain sort of ethical rela- Mohammedan; what then can you be if not a
tionship between two individuals pledged to devote Christian? (Johannes Climacus, Concluding
their lives to one another; inflected objectively, it Unscientific Postscript [henceforth CUP], ed-
signifies a certain juridical status. A husband, in ited by S. Kierkegaard, translated by Walter
the latter sense, is something one either is or is not Lowrie (Princeton University Press: Princeton,
(depending upon whether one’s papers are in or- NJ, 1968), p. 49)
der); a husband, in the former sense, is someone The term “Christendom” is Kierkegaard’s name
(Kierkegaard says) one becomes—it presupposes for such a state of affairs—one in which everyone
involvement in an existential task that must be reaf- already thinks they are Christians and thus no one
firmed and renewed every day of one’s married life. takes the trouble any longer to become one.
(If a wife says to her spouse “This isn’t a marriage!,” Now what about the concept American? Should
he does not rebut her charge by producing their we classify it as objective or subjective? Should it
marriage certificate.) The word “Christian,” in- be grouped together with Dane or with Christian?
flected subjectively, signifies an involvement in a Well, surely, one can be an American in the same
religious way of life; inflected merely objectively, sense that one can be a Dane. Thus understood, an
it signifies certain straightforwardly observable ex- American is something one either is or is not (de-
ternal facts about a person’s behavior (e.g., that he pending upon whether one’s papers are in order, or
goes to church on Sundays, has his children bap- upon other equally objective facts about, say, one’s
tized, puts money in the collection box, etc.). Un- birth, upbringing or cultural heritage.) But
derstood the latter way “a Christian” is something “America” is also the name of a certain moral and
one either is or is not. Understood subjectively, “a political ideal and thus “to be an American” can
Christian” is someone (Kierkegaard says) one be- also signify a commitment to that ideal, and thus an
comes—it presupposes the undertaking of an exis- existential task, a way of life, and even a kind of
tential task that must be reaffirmed and renewed person that one must struggle—and that one can
every moment of one’s existence. (If Kierkegaard fail—to become. If we are to follow Kierkegaard’s
says “While Christendom flourishes Christianity lead, then we should seek clearly to distinguish be-
gradually withers away!,” someone does not rebut tween the objective concept of being an American
his charge by pointing out how full the churches and the subjective one. This will lead us to the
are on Sundays.) conclusion that one can be an American in the ob-
Here is a characteristic passage in which one of jective sense while failing to be one in the subjec-
Kierkegaard’s pseudonyms, Johannes Climacus, of- tive sense. We could then further follow
fers a comparatively straightforward example of a Kierkegaard’s lead and introduce the concept
conflation of subjective and objective categories: Americadom to signify a state of affairs in which
such a merely objective inflection of the concept
Once it was at the risk of his life that a man
dared to profess himself a Christian; now it is has gained ascendancy—a state of affairs in which,
to make oneself suspect to venture to doubt because almost everyone in America already knows
that one is a Christian.… If a man were to say that he is an American, hardly anyone any longer
quite simply and unassumingly, that he was takes the trouble to become one.
concerned for himself, lest perhaps he had no Yet this fails to do justice to the peculiar com-
right to call himself a Christian, he would in- plexity of the concept of America. As a first step
deed not suffer persecution or be put to death, towards appreciating the peculiarity of this concept,
but he would be smothered in angry glances, it helps to notice that it involves what Kierkegaard
THE CONCEPT OF AMERICA 19
James Conant
I am going to offer you a meditation on the con-
cept of America. It will tell you something about
the mood in which I do so, if I tell you that, lately,
matter? Or is there a distinction to be drawn, as
Emerson thought, between the ideal and its debase-
ment by those who most loudly proclaim it?
as I sit and listen to the evening news, I am re-
minded of Ambrose Bierce’s remark that “War is A Peculiar Concept
God’s way of teaching Americans geography.” And Let’s begin by asking: What do we—what should
it will tell you something about my topic if I re- we—mean by “America”? The Danish philosopher,
mark that this quip of Ambrose Bierce’s does not Soren Kierkegaard draws a helpful distinction be-
seem to have lost any of its edge when transposed tween objective and subjective categories. A short
from the 19th to the 21st century. Here are five and simple way of trying to distinguish the con-
more quotations about America—that have yet to cepts that belong to the former from those that be-
lose their edge: long to the latter category would be just to say:
objective concepts characterize the different kinds
Sometimes people call me an idealist. Well,
of ways in which an object can be, whereas subjec-
that is the way I know I am an American.
America is the only idealistic nation in the tive concepts characterize the different kinds of ways
world. in which a subject or a person can be. But this
Woodrow Wilson won’t quite do: there are many concepts that can be
predicated equally of objects and persons—being
There is nothing the matter with Americans six feet tall, weighing two hundred pounds, being
except their ideals. The real American is all in a certain location, etc. So our initial formulation
right; it is the ideal American who is all wrong. stands in need of some qualification along the fol-
G. K. Chesterton lowing lines: objective concepts characterize the dif-
ferent kinds of ways in which objects qua objects
The business of America is business. can be, whereas subjective concepts characterize the
Calvin Coolidge different kinds of ways in which subjects qua sub-
jects can be. (This allows us to say that being six
I am willing to love all mankind, except an feet tall, weighing two hundred pounds, being in a
American. certain location, etc., are not characterizations of
Samuel Johnson subjects qua subjects, but rather characterizations
of them qua objects.) Or, as Kierkegaard and his
Your American eagle is very well. Protect it pseudonyms prefer to say: subjective concepts char-
here and abroad. But beware of the American acterize a subject or person qua existing individual.
peacock. Both objective and subjective concepts can be predi-
R. W. Emerson cated of human beings: a given individual has, say,
Now, is there, as President Wilson thought, an blue eyes, is six feet tall, weighs two hundred
internal relation between the concept of America pounds, and is also, say, a husband, a Christian, a
and a certain ideal? Or is it that, as Chesterton philosopher. But the former concepts hold of the
thought, there is nothing the matter with Americans person regardless of whether or not he would predi-
except their ideals? Or does America stripped of cate them of himself; the latter concepts hold of an
her ideals amount to nothing more than President individual (not merely if he is indeed prepared to
Coolidge’s vision of her? And, if so, ought one predicate them of himself, but) only to the extent
then to sympathize with Dr. Johnson’s view of the that his daily existence is beholden to the ethical or
18 SOCIETY • NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2003
, religious demands such concepts entail—to the ex- and people would say: “How tiresome to make
tent that his life is shaped by these demands. These such a fuss about nothing at all; why can’t he
latter concepts, Kierkegaard claims, if they are prop- behave like the rest of us, who are all Chris-
erly understood as subjective concepts—that is, as tians?” … And if he happened to be married,
properly subjective characterizations of the lives of his wife would say to him: “Dear husband of
mine, how can you get such notions into your
existing individuals—must be clearly distinguished
head? How can you doubt that you are a Chris-
from certain merely objective concepts which these tian? Are you not a Dane, and does not geog-
same words (“husband,” “Christian,” “philoso- raphy say that the Lutheran form of the Chris-
pher”) might also be taken to denote. tian religion is the ruling religion in Denmark?
The word “husband,” inflected subjectively, sig- For you are surely not a Jew, nor are you a
nifies participation in a certain sort of ethical rela- Mohammedan; what then can you be if not a
tionship between two individuals pledged to devote Christian? (Johannes Climacus, Concluding
their lives to one another; inflected objectively, it Unscientific Postscript [henceforth CUP], ed-
signifies a certain juridical status. A husband, in ited by S. Kierkegaard, translated by Walter
the latter sense, is something one either is or is not Lowrie (Princeton University Press: Princeton,
(depending upon whether one’s papers are in or- NJ, 1968), p. 49)
der); a husband, in the former sense, is someone The term “Christendom” is Kierkegaard’s name
(Kierkegaard says) one becomes—it presupposes for such a state of affairs—one in which everyone
involvement in an existential task that must be reaf- already thinks they are Christians and thus no one
firmed and renewed every day of one’s married life. takes the trouble any longer to become one.
(If a wife says to her spouse “This isn’t a marriage!,” Now what about the concept American? Should
he does not rebut her charge by producing their we classify it as objective or subjective? Should it
marriage certificate.) The word “Christian,” in- be grouped together with Dane or with Christian?
flected subjectively, signifies an involvement in a Well, surely, one can be an American in the same
religious way of life; inflected merely objectively, sense that one can be a Dane. Thus understood, an
it signifies certain straightforwardly observable ex- American is something one either is or is not (de-
ternal facts about a person’s behavior (e.g., that he pending upon whether one’s papers are in order, or
goes to church on Sundays, has his children bap- upon other equally objective facts about, say, one’s
tized, puts money in the collection box, etc.). Un- birth, upbringing or cultural heritage.) But
derstood the latter way “a Christian” is something “America” is also the name of a certain moral and
one either is or is not. Understood subjectively, “a political ideal and thus “to be an American” can
Christian” is someone (Kierkegaard says) one be- also signify a commitment to that ideal, and thus an
comes—it presupposes the undertaking of an exis- existential task, a way of life, and even a kind of
tential task that must be reaffirmed and renewed person that one must struggle—and that one can
every moment of one’s existence. (If Kierkegaard fail—to become. If we are to follow Kierkegaard’s
says “While Christendom flourishes Christianity lead, then we should seek clearly to distinguish be-
gradually withers away!,” someone does not rebut tween the objective concept of being an American
his charge by pointing out how full the churches and the subjective one. This will lead us to the
are on Sundays.) conclusion that one can be an American in the ob-
Here is a characteristic passage in which one of jective sense while failing to be one in the subjec-
Kierkegaard’s pseudonyms, Johannes Climacus, of- tive sense. We could then further follow
fers a comparatively straightforward example of a Kierkegaard’s lead and introduce the concept
conflation of subjective and objective categories: Americadom to signify a state of affairs in which
such a merely objective inflection of the concept
Once it was at the risk of his life that a man
dared to profess himself a Christian; now it is has gained ascendancy—a state of affairs in which,
to make oneself suspect to venture to doubt because almost everyone in America already knows
that one is a Christian.… If a man were to say that he is an American, hardly anyone any longer
quite simply and unassumingly, that he was takes the trouble to become one.
concerned for himself, lest perhaps he had no Yet this fails to do justice to the peculiar com-
right to call himself a Christian, he would in- plexity of the concept of America. As a first step
deed not suffer persecution or be put to death, towards appreciating the peculiarity of this concept,
but he would be smothered in angry glances, it helps to notice that it involves what Kierkegaard
THE CONCEPT OF AMERICA 19
