George Washington’s Farewell Address was his attempt to assure the country that things would be alright. It came at the end of his second term. He sensed that the citizens of the nation did not have much confidence in the future of the government, mostly because Washington was the only leader the country had known. Understanding this, Washington wrote his letter in an attempt to assuage some of these fears. He basically told the country that if anything had been accomplished while he was in office, it was because of the strength of the people rather than the strength of the president himself. The president also spoke of the many potential threats that the country might face in the future, both from the inside and the outside. He noted especially that the country might face problems with sectionalism, and if they wanted to be strong in the future, then they needed to united among themselves. This demonstrates a default position against one can compare the change made to the country. In short, process philosophy would show that the default for democracy lies in the power of the people, but the understanding of what it means to have power has certainly changed over time. Unity has become less important in contemporary politics, and in fact, one might argue that in the contemporary world, it is the divergent ideas that gives government its strength.
One of the basics of process philosophy is that change is accidental, or environmental. What this means, then, is that the nature of things can stay the same, but the way that a thing appears can be changed because circumstances are always changing. When one looks at democracy, this has certainly been true with the changes experienced in America since the time when Washington wrote his farewell address. In the beginning, the circumstances faced by the country were such that unity was needed. The country was still young and still very much trying to figure out what it wanted to be. There were threats still coming from the outside, from Great Britain and even from the American Indians around. These huge threats demanded that democracy be united. The people had to come together with their ideas in order to give America a strong appearance.
The nature of democracy is for the people to have the power. This is something that Washington seemed to understand, and it is why his address was geared toward showing people their own power. While Washington might have been the man who was elected, he was only elected by the people because they thought he would make for a good leader. This meant that even his successes were their successes, and as a result, they should expect to have even more success moving forward into the future. Process philosophy denotes that the nature of a thing is not-changing. Even though change may be apparent and necessary, it is only accidental. Democracy started as a philosophy that put the power in the hands of the people. At the time of Washington, it demanded that the people be united in their goals and ideas. Even if that need for unity changed over time, the nature of democracy did not change, as the power still remained with the people over time.
Democracy has suffered some change in the years that have intervened. Even though the power remains with the people, there has been a significant shift in the source of that power. The source used to be in the unity that the people displayed. People were able to come together in order to create the kind of government that they wanted. Over time, however, the power of the people has shifted to reward a diversity of ideas. America is far from united today. It might even be true that the things that Washington worried about have come to fruition today. He discussed the dangers of sectionalism, and noted that some of the biggest threats to America might come from internal dissention. This has proven true in the modern era. However, it is still true that one of the primary areas of strength for the people today comes from the fact that people can exchange ideas, with the best ideas coming out on top in order to give the country the best democracy possible. This is the long-term approach, and it is very different from how things were when Washington was president or when he was giving his address.
The nature of democracy has not changed. Process philosophy would suggest that this is true. The nature of democracy is still that people are supposed to have the power, and with their power, they are supposed to be able to put together the best possible government for themselves. As things have changed, this power has remained with the people. However, the people are no longer united. The circumstances in which Americans vote have changed. There are no longer a huge number of threats to the nation from the inside or the outside. The country is more settled, which dictates that being united is no longer as important to the nation’s survival. Today, democracy has changed to become a marketplace of ideas, with both sides going head to head in order to determine whose ideas would ultimately be best. When circumstances change, so does the nature of democracy. Washington’s address, and the shifting nature of US politics in the years since provide some basis for understanding these facts.
- Martin, G. R. (2006). Prevailing worldviews of western society since 1500. Triangle Publishing.
