Democracy in America: Alexis de Tocqueville
The works of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America indicate the evident uniqueness and generalized appeal seen in the founding principles of our nation. Written in 1835, these notable attributes were perceived nearly 200 years ago and have since significantly contributed to today’s political arena. Three top issues presented by Tocqueville are conceptual democracy, the dangers of equal conditions in society, and America’s encouragement of civic engagement. While both nations claim to represent Democracies, Tocqueville at the time witnessed that Americans[1] “show a less decided taste for general ideas,” a correct assessment still evident in today’s modern landscape as liberal legislation consistently attempts to reinvent the basis by which we live. God is an absolute which cannot be generalized. Unlike France, America’s Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution, while specific, feature a novel all-encompassing, generalization of governance.
While these documents give our nation an opportunity for equality, the influence imparted upon the men who drafted these prestigious papers, was greatly based upon objective moral truth. Tocqueville, a man of the Christian faith, observed this principle in his works, nearly describing this, as he warned future generations of the dangers behind the use of inconsistent legislation to dilute objective morality and inherent truth. Noted in 1835, France based its generalized politics on their only known objectivity which could not be changed, producing alternative economic systems that could only be imagined. America’s equality has since led to disastrous consequences. Tocqueville acutely believed that[2], “When the conditions of society are becoming more equal, and each individual man becomes more like all the rest, more weak and more insignificant.” His 1835 survey cited that aristocracies provide a limitation to self-improvement, yet America’s system of governance featured a generalized encouragement of an indefinite state of improvement and revision. Today the actions of Americans are unknowingly influenced by the nefarious state of control whose divisive actions reside under the guise of democracy, an eternal pursuit of equality that depletes our revolutionary spirit from the public square. Rendering Tocqueville’s work true, American democracy, and the limitless pantheistic expansion of the worship of all, has itself become a new breed from the same origin of aristocracy our Founders so greatly opposed.
Alexis de Tocqueville correctly discerned that the American people function as the body of government, with greater room for experimentation than seen in France. Since our nation’s founding, American citizens have taken an interactive approach having a guiding hand in the roles in their affairs. Tocqueville’s demographic includes what he considers “equal conditions of society.” The scope aims to extend the magnificent never-ending pursuit of utopia, expanding the concept of aristocracy equally across all citizens. With the removal of classist caste systems comes the pursuit of total equality in every sector. However, Tocqueville notes that equality is a breeding ground for Pantheism, resulting in the worship of all things.
Like France, America’s power lies in its democracy, however, distinct differences are exhibited between the two nations’ governments. Though many today seek to redefine democracy, repurposing it for their own agenda, Tocqueville properly defines the word. American democracy is led by sovereign direction, with its founding documents functioning against its absolute principles. The reason for the longevity of our Constitution is the generalized elasticity of Amendments and the ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. Though America claims to seek equality its revolutionary success was built upon clearly defined objective morals influenced by Biblical principles. The allure of a never-ending pursuit of greatness has created an oasis of hope yet has diverged our founding principles to comply with the temptation of equality.
Tocqueville accurately described the American concept of government, which allows for the “indefinite perfectibility of man,” through the never-ending pursuit of yet-to-be-seen greatness. Rather than focus on challenge and prosperity, since our Constitution, American leaders have attempted to bring equal conditions to society with a forward-thinking approach, no matter the future consequences. As observed in 1835, and still evident today, ambiguous equality does not inspire the driving of nations, nor the inspiration of men. Instead, equal conditioning applauds an inversion of our longstanding revolutionary self-ruling traditions and Biblical obligations.
We must not hold the authority of creation over our Creator, who imparted the encouragement of specific attributes to longstanding systems of governance, given grace under the sovereignty of His rule. Competition is inherent to prosperity. As Tocqueville responds, “[a]s men grow more alike, each man feels himself weaker in regard to all the rest.” This notion raises yet another point, the strength of an individual cannot grow if equal honor and reverence are predictably awarded to all current states. This conundrum exhibits further iterations of confusion when we consider that an individual’s current state may in fact, be their weakest. Should a state of weakness be celebrated, and given the same advancements as one who has amassed strength? God says they should not, as bias equity is conducive to boasting (Phi 2:6-7). Scripture reminds us that boasting reveals weakness (2 Cor. 11:30) Should he who devotes himself entirely to their works for decades be comparable to he who refuses to work, yet expects to be provided equivalency of power?
The role of American citizens as disclosed by Tocqueville, is to have their hand in the direct affairs of government interests. France’s historic generalized limitations contributed to its While America’s civic goal remains to exhibit neutrality in all things, this pursuit of unity loses its primary national cause, instead submitting to imperialism and imagination. Tocqueville nearly predicted the annihilation of the individuality of man, traded in for motivation and[3] “[soothing] the indolence of their minds.”
A strength found in Alexis Tocqueville’s works is his accurate observation of pantheistic worship, a symptom of total equality in society. Today we see arbitrary ideologies displace objective principles which our Founders so carefully ensured generalized human rationalism yet reflected God’s will. The pursuit of equal conditions and illusory utopian has grown into the loss of individualism and the perception of our nation as a collective body. To relieve economic despair, equality of opportunity is essential. However, the adjustment of legislation to discriminate against certain persons to force this equality is a horrifying mutation of our modern society. Today, Tocqueville’s position remains accurate, as he meticulously predicted in 1835. The adjustment of a working system to facilitate the individual progress of all persons, regardless of their will, is an example of pantheism that the author warned against. Equal conditions of society present nothing more than a return to the same state in which we escaped, however, attained from another form. This provides evidence that all divergences from Biblical principles of worship result in encroachments of pantheism.
The concept of democracy has allowed maniacally sick and disturbed individuals to reap power of the direction of our nation. As a result, we have become complicit in the degradation of our moral values and principles which invoked the first instance of revolution among the minds of men who fled the oppressive and tyrannic rule of aristocracy by Divine right. Today, although we all individually hold a recognized sovereign and Divine Right, we attribute this property to ideologies and inanimate manifestations.
As written by Tocqueville, one attribute of our morally absolute Founding documents, was the subjectively generalized definition of “equality.” Unlike France, Tocqueville stated that, America did not possess a[4] “decided taste for general ideas.” While Tocqueville’s critical characterizations are valid, they have contributed significantly to our success. Modern views in America today are marked by these same characteristics. Pantheism runs rampant in the streets of major cities, as equality is celebrated within every sector, no matter their reference against objective moral truth. America has become a beast of conglomeration that seeks to devour all cultures, secreting a perpetual state of omnism. However, all is not lost. As the culture decays in waste around us, our objective morality and God-given principles of faith remain, as they have since the inception of our planet. The evident superiority of Christian principles can fill the void left by failing alternative philosophies in our national legislation, and in doing so will continue to ensure our country’s survival. However, the Bible instructs us not to force our faith upon another, (Rom. 14:1). This includes expectations of another to perceive the evident superiority of having an objective moral reference.
While God loves us unconditionally, (Gal. 3:28, Rom. 2:11), this Biblical principle cannot be applied to all generalized ideas throughout society. This leads to various specific focuses on social equity that derail us from the principles which have sustained our nation’s sovereignty since we reclaimed back our God-given self-ruling independence. Yet, Tocqueville realized the pantheistic tendencies which would inevitably sink its teeth into our nation. Seen today, the national pursuit of loosely defined equality harbors an evil comparable to the same enemy whose rule our Founders fled during the American Revolution. We must recognize all persons as equal under the legislative system, however, this should not apply to ideologies that counter national efforts to sustain moral principles. Due to the nature and beauty of human diversity, social equality can never be achieved, yet it removes individualism, heritage and tradition, replacing it with interim corporeal culture. Its pursuit functions as a great distraction, allowing secular legislators to create a complex system that encourages the people to willingly remove themselves from government interests, to preserve their own sanity. Once this state is achieved, simulated crises are unleashed to encourage more significant legislative diversion, ceding authority to the government over our creator, who anointed us with His self-ruling sovereignty over our own decisions. Although written two centuries ago, Tocqueville’s work continues to serve as a modern warning to Americans. For the object of equal conditions aims to depose the Lord of his objective rule. As God reminds us in Deuteronomy 8:17-20 we must remember of our absolute Creator and build all foundational principles within society upon His rock. The bottom line, sin is not equal to worship and therefore compromises the integrity of an omnipotent biased equity. God bless America (Gen 12:2).
[1] Tocqueville, Alexis De. Democracy in America, Volume I and II (p. 372).
[2] Tocqueville, Alexis De. Democracy in America, Volume I and II (p. 372).
[3] Tocqueville, Alexis De. Democracy in America, Volume I and II (p. 372).
[4] Tocqueville, Alexis De. Democracy in America, Volume I and II (p. 372).