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But what does fraternity mean for diverse people? What is the unifying principle? It's easy to call someone your brother if they are similar to you. Not so eas

But what does fraternity mean for diverse people? What is the unifying principle? It's easy to call someone your brother if they are similar to you. Not so easy when they are truly different.

dane-pgp 4y ago
> What is the unifying principle? I know it sounds self-referential, but the unifying principle(s) could be liberty, equality, and fraternity. In other words, you exhibit fraternity by supporting your fellow citizens as they work with you towards expanding and defending those shared values. What that means in practice depends on your skills and interests, but it could for example mean serving alongside citizens of different ethnicities in a non-segregated army (or military alliance), or hiring employees of a different religion in a non-discriminating business.
- chmod600 4y ago
  Unifying around freedom makes sense to me. Unifying around fraternity sounds entirely circular. Military service doesn't sound like a way to unify the world -- who is the enemy? Unifying around a business is about producing/creating. That is a major common ground in the world and has (in my opinion) created a lot of peace. It doesn't feel like a complete answer, though -- for instance China still feels very distant despite our economic ties.
  - dane-pgp 4y ago
    > Unifying around freedom makes sense to me. Unifying around fraternity sounds entirely circular. If fraternity were the only goal then I would agree with you. "Working together to achieve the goal of working together" doesn't make sense. But it does make sense for a society to identify fraternity as a core value, since it is a principle which is applied when trying to achieve other societal goals. > Military service doesn't sound like a way to unify the world -- who is the enemy? The enemy could be anyone who is working against that unity. Alternatively, if the consensus towards unity is so strong that no one ever tries to use violence against it, then the military could be devoted to humanitarian causes like disaster relief.
duderific 4y ago
Some would say nobody is "truly different" in any way that really matters. We all want food, clothing, shelter, and beyond that, differences don't matter much.
rcMgD2BwE72F 4y ago
> But what does fraternity mean for diverse people? What is the unifying principle? Same needs.

But what does fraternity mean for diverse people? What is the unifying principle? It's easy to call someone your brother if they are similar to you. Not so easy when they are truly different.

dane-pgp 4y ago

> What is the unifying principle? I know it sounds self-referential, but the unifying principle(s) could be liberty, equality, and fraternity. In other words, you exhibit fraternity by supporting your fellow citizens as they work with you towards expanding and defending those shared values. What that means in practice depends on your skills and interests, but it could for example mean serving alongside citizens of different ethnicities in a non-segregated army (or military alliance), or hiring employees of a different religion in a non-discriminating business.

chmod600 4y ago
Unifying around freedom makes sense to me. Unifying around fraternity sounds entirely circular. Military service doesn't sound like a way to unify the world -- who is the enemy? Unifying around a business is about producing/creating. That is a major common ground in the world and has (in my opinion) created a lot of peace. It doesn't feel like a complete answer, though -- for instance China still feels very distant despite our economic ties.
- dane-pgp 4y ago
  > Unifying around freedom makes sense to me. Unifying around fraternity sounds entirely circular. If fraternity were the only goal then I would agree with you. "Working together to achieve the goal of working together" doesn't make sense. But it does make sense for a society to identify fraternity as a core value, since it is a principle which is applied when trying to achieve other societal goals. > Military service doesn't sound like a way to unify the world -- who is the enemy? The enemy could be anyone who is working against that unity. Alternatively, if the consensus towards unity is so strong that no one ever tries to use violence against it, then the military could be devoted to humanitarian causes like disaster relief.

duderific 4y ago

Some would say nobody is "truly different" in any way that really matters. We all want food, clothing, shelter, and beyond that, differences don't matter much.

rcMgD2BwE72F 4y ago

> But what does fraternity mean for diverse people? What is the unifying principle? Same needs.